Watchmen (18)

and the total film rating is....?

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4 stars

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If it's as faithful as it can be, then surely 5 stars is a no-brainer. It's no secret that the film has some problems, but that depth of meaning that marked the Graphic Novel as one of the greatest pieces of literature ever produced shouldn't go unwarranted.

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Because award winning books don't always make award winning films. The mediums are so different, otherwise they might as well just review the novel. "Maybe that’s why Snyder’s adaptation never soaks up the book's full weight of grim humour and human tragedy." I think four stars is great, I was expecting three, so I'm thrilled with this! (I wished for five with Spiderman 3 - D'oh!)

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Will *definitely* see this at the cinema, but still cannot wait for the extended dvd edition!!!

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I think props are due to Warner Bros...

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Re: mattburgess. What I mean is, it should be made clear that the film is a potential masterpiece simply down to the ideas it manages to carry across from the comic. I'm confident that the problems mentioned in the review here and elsewhere will be solved with the Director's Cut (a longer running time will give the emotion, ideas and audience more room to breathe), so perhaps either Total Film or Empire should have given the film the benefit of the doubt like they both did for the Dark Knight, in their eyes it's successes outweighing its flaws. But 4 stars is just so vague and doesn't convey the nature of the film at all.

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Yes yes yes! love the book, now i cant wait to see this :) i was already looking forward to it! now i see your review, i cant wait!

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I can completely understand the rating and am rather pleased with it. The four stars from both Empire and Total Film (Though the latter rating will always be more important) hasn't dented my excitement and hasn't increased it either. The Dark Knight wasn't the masterpiece I hoped for after the stellar reviews, so hopefully Watchmen won't disappoint either.

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i cannot stress how long i waited for total films review of this.. total film is the only review that matters.. Is it better than the dark knight one would wonder????

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still not convinced this will be as good as hoped - v for vendetta got similar initial reviews. hold more stock in the total film review - the empire one is by that writer who pretty much gets everything wrong

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I imagine, as others have said, that a fifth star might be on the horizon when the extended cut arrives. I can't remember the exact figures but it's an extra thirty or forty minutes, isn't it? Something like that. The additional time will surely help it to breath, give it greater emotional resonance. For the most part I'm very pleased with the four stars from both TF and Empire. Oh, and Ian Nathan over at Empire is a good critic. He got it very wrong with Alexander, but he's human and we all make mistakes... ;)

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hmmm...have a look at his transformers and knocked up reviews to name but 2...the guy hasn't got a clue

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MattMatt, yes it's about 40 minutes more not including Tales of the Black Freighter. I completely agree - it should raise the film higher and closer to the source's status as a masterpiece. I hope, like Zodiac, it gets 5 stars when it comes out. Squirebrown, his ratings for those films were exactly the same as Total Film's and perfectly reasonable imo. What exactly is your point?

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....that the guy has no taste in films and that total film gets it wrong from time to time....duh...

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I'm quite pleased this has led to Ian Nathan bashing. Four stars for Indy IV? The man's dangerous.

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I thought Damon Wise reviewed Indy 4, not Nathan... Anyway, I like both magazines. I do find the need of some readers to constantly bash the 'opposition' a bit tiresome, though. Can't we all just get along?

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no, because if you slag them off on their forums, you get kicked off your account - anyway you bring up another of empire's crimes against reviewing so good on you!

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I for one am more than happy with a 4 star rating for the cinema release version! I love the novel and must admit was worried about how the film would come out and have been forcing my friends to read the novel before the film comes out (just in case it puts them off!) After reading this review my mind has been put at ease. Especially by the line 'It’s a PT Anderson drama in a mask'. I also agree (and hope) that the directors cut could well bring this film up to a 5 star film!

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I thought the film was surprisingly good and I'm a huge Alan Moore fan. Check this out: http://volume124.wordpress.com/2009/02/25/watchmen-2009-dir-zack-snyder/

User rating: 4

Good review! Just a quick note re: the use of the song Hellelujah - said song was written about the point of sexual climax so, despite the scene in t he film, it could be said it is pretty apt

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Reading these reviews I'm even more excited about this film. I've been a total fangirl from first the news that a Watchmen film was going to be made and it's stayed true to the GN is fantastic. I cannot wait to see Rorschach, one of my favourite fictional characters of all time, up there on the big screen

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Like others I saw the Empire review but was really holding my breath to see what TF had to say as my own criticisms about films seem to fall more in line with the latter magazine. Saying that, I'm really very surprised at the 4 star rating. I was honestly expecting 3 stars like mattburgess had said. I think it's very very hard to make fanboys happy, but as a spot nicely removed from that mindset - yes it's the best graphic novel ever written, but fangirl I am not - I'm sure I'll enjoy the film regardless. I was surprised to see the 18 cert though - a bold move by Snyder as this is going to affect the returns at the box office - I doubt we'll see Dark Knight numbers. Well done to Warner Bros for allowing that to happen and for Snyder to stay faithful to the original material. One thing I'll be keeping in mind when I'm sat in the middle of the cinema - it could have been so much worse.

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I agree with the majority of comments made. Snyder makes a faithful adaptation of a groundbreakingly complex graphic novel. However, he runs the risk of alienating younger non-fanboys (who possess a limited memory of american political history.) with the constant cutting between the present day and the past. I acknowledge that this is a neccessary evil but perhaps could have been handled more cannily, instead of relying on a simple close up of a character's face followed by a cut. The effect can be jarring and deflects attention away from the main drive of the story which is the murder mystery and impending armageddon. The graphic novel essentially drives three or four naratives simultaneously and part of it's appeal is that author, Alan Moore skillfully uses different storytelling devices to tell each one, whether it's using excerpts from the book, 'Under the Hood' or cut-outs from the scrapbook of the original Silk Spectre. This reveals, for me, the film's main flaw. As mentioned in other posts, Watchmen has already found it's perfect medium in the graphic novel, a medium where originally, the story was told in monthly instalments. This leads me to speculate on whether the film could of been better served as a movie two-parter ala Kill Bill (another backstory heavy film which, I believe, handles it's flashbacks with more panache). As for 'Hallelujah-gate', I think the whole scene was five minutes too long, an excuse just to see a butt-naked Akerman. The scene could of been served just as well with an initial kiss, unbuttoning of costume then a cut to the arbitrary post coital f*g shot. I'm no prude, but it wasn't this graphic in the graphic novel and I felt that it mirrored the love scene in the 300 too much. The saved time could of been better spent elsewhere and it's like my mother always said: "No film ever benefitted from unnecessary nudity." It may sound like I didn't like the film - that's wrong, I did. I agree with the 4-star rating, however, I include a bonus star, olympic diving style, for difficulty of task. I look forward to watching the extended version on DVD as the cinema I watched it in had the air conditioning turned off and the sound quality was awful. Has anybody else had a similar experience or am I talking through a hole in my hat. I'd be interested to know.

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please excuse the lack of paragraphs in the previous post. For some reason the gaps disappeared after it was submitted.

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This film is a brilliant ...failure! Now let me explain that statement. I've always held the opinion that unless Watchmen became one of the most important films ever made then it could never truly be said to be a successful adaption of the book. So in that respect this film is a failure. BUT as far as failures go it's a very striking and enjoyable one. Fans should probably think of this as "Watchmen lite" though. It's a very slimmed down, straight-forward linear, easy-to-digest and less subtle film version. It focuses solely on the superhero whodunnit rather than on the larger world the book created. So maybe Mr Synder has trouble with the more subtle, emotional and intellectual parts of the narrative. But there is one thing we KNOW he's very skilled at: Making things look good. And Watchmen does look good, the sheer amount of VISUAL depth and detail should impressed the most hardened fanboy. His choice of music is pretty much spot-on and the Bob Dylan opening throws you straight into the Watchmen world. Just a shame that he felt the need to put the new "My Chemical Romance" single over the end credits as it really didn't fit at all. The performances are all pretty solid, especially Rorschach and Nite Owl. Morgan does a good Comedian, but his character arc so shoe-horned in that you don't really get to appreciate it. The end does drag abit and it has nothing on the original ...but the changes are not anywhere near as bad as you might have feared. Infact they make sense when you consider the amount trimming off the original story. OBVIOUSLY it's not as good as the book, not even close. But who, honestly, ever thought it could be? It's a fine attempt and we should all be at least alittle grateful in ended up in the care of a director who actually gave a s**t and not some Michel Bay type!

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What an amazing f*****g film!!! totally not what i was expecting, even better! very very very impressed. one of my favourite films of the year so far, its up there with slumdog, although very different films.

User rating: 4

its not bad. and i'm afraid that is not good enough. i think that all of the great bits of the film are due to the amazing source material, whereas all of the bits that fail (and thats a lot) are down to the awful directing by snyder. seriously, 2hrs 40mins. it would be about 1hr without all of the ridiculous slow motion. i couldn't believe it by the end. slow-moton turning around, slow-motionopening a door, slow-motion f*****g everything. also, while obviously most of the choice of music was a given(the times they are changin', all along the watchtower) the music was used very badly. also the sex scenes were pathetic, even worse than 300. i won't go on about how bad snyder is anymore(although i would like to). there were some good points to the films and some outstanding sequences. first of all, as a fan, i would like to say that this is exactly how i had hoped Dr manhattan would be. he was judged perfectly, and the sequence where we find out his history is easily the best in the film, although all of the events were in order so you didn't quite get it like you do in the novel( one of the most amazing sequences i have ever read). i am afraid that whilst rorsharch was good, he wasn't great which was disappointing as i think he is one of the best characters ever written. overall i enjoyed it, but only because i love the comic and just loved seeing the characters and events on film.in reflection, i have to say that it is a very badly mad film though.

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Finally got round to watching this last night and thought it was absolutely stunning. The TV advertising had obviously brought a few people in expecting 'Fantastic 4' and I loved the look of horror on the faces of the young couple to my left when the lights went up... Spiderman this aint. Well done Snyder for not bowing to studio demands and sticking with the ultra-violence - if it had become a family friendly film it would have failed miserably. The scene when Rorschach's looking for the missing child is straight out of a horror movie - stunning! i also think Snyder deserves credit for the changes he's made form the original narrative - they all work and work very well. Also, a thumbs up for the soundtrack - how can anybody complain about Hendrix, Dylan and Simon and Garfunkle. Perfectly placed tracks to compliment the mood. I went with somebody who hadn't read the book and they loved it even more than me, they didn't know what to expect and were simply blown away. This is the darkest, most stylish superhero movie I've ever seen and has pushed Dark Knight to number 2 in my humble opinion.

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Very good movie. Snyder made a masterpiece. May have to agree with Total Film, he was leaning on the slow mo button a bit too much (lose a star). Character development was tip top, amazing opening sequence, worked really well with comic strip like frames. I loved the comedy flame thrower moment from archie, thought that worked really well. Over all i think that Snyder and the actors did the comic justice and although Alan Moore didnt want anything to do with this movie he should be proud of the outcome. The brutality of this movie works really well, to quote Total Film, "Fantastic Four this aint". Verdict, Love it! BUT NO SQUID!!! im sure the die hard fans noticed!

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Just saw the film for the third time, after never having read the graphic novel, and for the third time I was completely blown away. Despite growing up on superheroes in comic books,on TV, and in the movies, I gradually lost interest over the years. Even though I was prodded into seeing "The Dark Knight" by friends who raved about it, while it held my interest I still only found it okay. Then I read an early movie review of "Watchmen," saying how different this was from the standard costumed hero movie, and decided to give it a go. Well, I wasn't disappointed, and "different" is an understatement! A hero who's impotent? Another who's a rapist, not too mention JFK's assassin? And of course there's Rorschach who, in my opinion, is one of the most fascinating characters I have seen in ANY film in years, and who became my immediate favorite after the first viewing. Add some amazing visuals, the outstanding soundtrack, and you've got one heck of a moviegoing experience that will remain indelibly etched in the mind of this viewer for a long, long time to come. Congrats to Zach Snyder for a job well done!

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Im sorry, but I really didnt like Watchmen. I dont know the book, but as a stand alone movie its ridiculous, self important and slow (mo). Im sure 1 character had wee wings on his hat and an 80ft blue man?? Made Superman Returns look good

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at least 5 stars c'mon but i guess the book was better than said movie haha

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I've not read the book, but I thought the movie was really good.

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It was AWESOME. And it looked just like the graphic novel!

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An absolute triumph, I loved it

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I saw watchmen at the weekend i thought it was very good, special effects well done the only bad thing i thought was, it was a bit long for the films subject 2hrs 45min other than that very good.

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www.vidworldnorth.com

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THIS FILM SUCKS SO BAD! I really don't get the reviews people have given here. I normally regard totalfilm and empireonline as good reviews because people who like those types of films review them...rather than some idiot who basically only like bambi films. This is the second film i walked out of the cinema...i just found it boring! there were some good scenes, but every time it then slowed right down and dragged on again...the suspense just wasn't there. Someone said, oh maybe its better than dark knight - how could it be, that was a proper superhero film, done extremely well....this is just pathetic...and the love scene, well yes we all know about that! I haven't read the comic, so i guess its definitely different, but come on, unless its just seeing that on screen this is one of the worst films ever...admit it, please ;o)

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Absolutely loved it!! Great, story, great direction and a slightly altered ending from its original source that most definitely works in its favour! Although the film is not for everyone, and i wont be surprised if there are viewers that are hating on this one already, i still highly recommend this to those looking for an epic, non-campy, and complex superhero story. This ain't your typical kid-friendly Spider-man! Oh, and awesome soundtrack too!

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I'm not usually a comic book film person but I was pleasantly suprised by this. The one thing stopping me from giving it 5 stars was that I felt myself getting bored towards the end, it went on a bit too long for my liking. Awesome movie though.

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Wow!! One of the best films I've seen in ages!! Beautifully shot, dark and nasty as they come. Think I may watch the Director's Cut very soon (Despite the lenght)...

User rating: 4

Where so many comic book adaptations fail, Watchmen succeeds. But thats just it, Watchmen is not your everyday superhero flick and as the bloodshed suggests, this film a 'graphic' tale in every sense. The plot borders along the sense of anarchy and depression featured in The Dark Knight but unlike Nolan's epic, there is no real feeling of recovery and sadly the absence of hope haunts the narrative.

User rating: 3