I was kind-of iffy on it until the very last scene in the trailer. A lot of the effects seem a little too video-game-y to me (that is, lacking depth of field), especially the Vietnam flashback.
Also, Dr. Manhattan shouldn't have Strong Bad's Ab-Abber 2000 abs.
"Tattoos are the mullets of the aughts." - Mike Naimark
I am nervous about this. First of all, damn near every Alan Moore comic that has been adapted to film has sucked, which is a shame as Moore is a genius writer. Second, Zack Snyder directed one of the silliest movies in recent memory (300). Granted some of the blame for that must rest with the original Frank Miller comic. Third, David Hayter, one of the screenwriters, wrote the first two X-Men movies (mediocre at best) and the Scorpion King which was, well, the Scorpion King. Don't misunderstand. I want to be wrong. I want this to be awesome, I just fear it will not be.
Hell, I can get you a toe by three o'clock this afternoon...with nail polish.
I pretty much have all the same fears as General Zod without knowing as many of the facts (I didn't realize Hayter was screenwriting... that's the voice of Solid Snake, right? He's not doubling as Rorschach's "voice", is he, cuz that sounded like him in the trailer?), but being able to recognize enough of those scenes from the book, especially that last scene, I'm actually thinking this will come out okay. I did like how Night Owl's ship looked. I need to check who's playing the Comedian.
(edited by EddieBurkett on 17.7.08 1917) You believe me, don't you? Please believe what I just said...
This looks PERFECT. My girlfriend and I watched it together, and the only things we could say were "That looks exactly right, so does that, so does that", etc.
You don't mess with success. Thankfully, it looks like they haven't. Rorschach's mask moved! Dr. Manhattan's Martian construct looks AWESOME. I still have my misgivings about how they're gonna wedge the story into a feature film, but the visuals look like they leapt off the page.
"I could drown the pain, and drink upon commuter trains, and here you stand in eastern standard time" - Mike Doughty
I'm still incredibly iffy on this. Watchmen is such a complex and lengthy work to fit into a movie, I don't see how it's going to be possible. I think the effects SHOULD be video gamey, to help play up the "dissection of superhero fiction" bit. The trailer looked fine but it's not gonna raise my suspicions that this project may just fall flat.
(edited by BoromirMark on 17.7.08 2040) Michigan against the SEC: 20-5-1 (7-3 in bowl games)
My big concern is that this trailer doesn't really tell us much about the acting. I'm not somebody that thinks a film needs star power to work, but these guys are almost all unproven commodities. Movie looks great, but I'd really like to know a bit more about the performances.
Personally speaking, I'd rather have a comic movie stocked with relative unknowns than it just be a vehicle for "celebrity A" to play "famous comic character B."
That way, the story is the main impetus, not the stunt casting.
That said, I'm really not eager to see this at all. I remember all the stalled attempts by Terry Gilliam to make it. If only had the chance to try it with today's technology, it probably would have been something at which to marvel.
Originally posted by ZundianI was kind-of iffy on it until the very last scene in the trailer. A lot of the effects seem a little too video-game-y to me (that is, lacking depth of field), especially the Vietnam flashback.
I just caught this on the big screen before Dark Knight, and that problem really goes away on a theater screen.
Originally posted by Tenken347My big concern is that this trailer doesn't really tell us much about the acting. I'm not somebody that thinks a film needs star power to work, but these guys are almost all unproven commodities. Movie looks great, but I'd really like to know a bit more about the performances.
They're not unproven commodities, per se. Basically everyone is known for one or two notable roles. Matthew Goode was really, uh, good in Match Point. Jackie Earle Haley is an Oscar nominee and hey, Bad News Bear alumni! Patrick Wilson was really good along with Haley in Little Children, and in my ex-girlfriend's eyes, is one of the best-looking guys in the world, for what it's worth. (In hindsight, Little Children is not a good date movie). Malin Ackerman was good on the Comeback and was one of the few bright spots of the horrible Heartbreak Kid remake, and as a bonus, she's smoking hot. Crudup was Russell in Almost Famous, so he can do no wrong in my book. Frewer, McHattie and Gugino are solid character actors, no trouble there.
I don't think the acting will be the problem here. I think it's still if Snyder is true enough to the story, awesome trailer notwithstanding.
“How is it that I am a good actor? What I do is I... pretend to be the person I’m portraying. You’re confused. Case in point: in Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson comes to me and says ‘I would like you to be Gandalf the Wizard,’ and I said ‘You are aware that I am not really a wizard?’ and Peter Jackson said ‘I would like you to use your acting skills to portray a wizard for the duration of the show.’ So I said ‘Okay’ and then I said to myself ‘Mmm.. How do I do that?’ And this is what I did: I imagined that I was a wizard, and then I pretended, and acted, in that way on the stage. How did I know what to say? The words were written down for me in a script. How did I know where to stand? People told me where to stand." -- Sir Ian McKellen, Extras
Enjoy the Watchmen trailer in glorious HD and savor the spectacular details. Some of the imagery is breathtaking.
As for Snyder's loyalty to the source material, it shouldn't be an issue. He seems to be taking great pains, as he did in 300, to honor and replicate as much of the graphic novel as possible.
Here's a panel vs. screen comparison from the trailer:
Ladies and gentlemen, the following public service message is brought to you by your friends from D-Generation X, who would like to remind each and every one of you that if you're not down with that, we've got two words for you... I haven't read the comic to this one before, and to be honest, after watching the trailer, I don't want to yet. This is an instance where it looks so breathtaking as a film that I'd rather see the film first and judge how it stands as a film before reading the comic (which I will do eventually, no doubt) and making comparisons.
I will say this, though: Watchmen was the cover story in this week's Entertainment Weekly, and if this paragraph from the story is any indication, this could very easily go alongside The Dark Knight in the Hall of Fame of Superhero Movies:
Originally posted by Entertainment WeeklyThe result was a piercing deconstruction of superhero mythology told with a sophistication unprecedented for the genre. "At the time, comic books had hit the ceiling," [director Zack] Snyder says. "Superman had done everything he could do; the X-Men and Fantastic Four had faced every possible bad guy and end-of-the-world scenario. And then Watchmen came along and took it to the next level by breaking all the rules." Snyder - who was into naughty sci-fi/fantasy comics like Heavy Metal magazine as a teen and discovered Watchmen during college - believes the global multiplex is ripe for a similar revolution. "The average movie audience has seen so many superhero movies," he says. "And some of this stuff is hard to take seriously. I mean, The Hulk? Come on." Snyder remembers screening some Watchmen footage for an unnamed studio executive. Afterward, Snyder says, the exec turned to him and said, "This makes Superman look stupid."
smark/net attack Advisory System Status is: Elevated (Holds; June 18, 2006) While the switch from Cena to RVD should alleviate some complaints, the inevitability of the belt's return to Cena (note where Summerslam is this year) and the poor initial showing by the new ECW are enough to keep the indicator where it is for now. The pieces are in place, though, especially on RAW, for improvements to be made to the IWC's psyche in the near future.
Snyder seems to have been going to the greatest pains imaginable to be as true to the comic as he can without making a 10 hour movie. The fact that he has it at 3 hours and can't bring himself to figure out what else to cut to make the studios desired 2.5 hour running time is admirable in itself. The actor playing Ozymandias did an interview where he talks about it being a 3 hour art film. And co-creator Dave Gibbons is pretty much wetting himself with excitement in every interview, so I gotta say... things are looking good.
I wouldn't wrorry about this trailer not giving any idea of the story, my understanding from what I've been reading is that it was just intended as an extra fancy teaser trailer for the fanboys going to see Dark Knight. They previewed some more footage at ComicCon, I hope that shows up online in some form soon.
Originally posted by Texas KellyI haven't read the comic to this one before, and to be honest, after watching the trailer, I don't want to yet. This is an instance where it looks so breathtaking as a film that I'd rather see the film first and judge how it stands as a film before reading the comic (which I will do eventually, no doubt) and making comparisons.
I think this is a wise idea. I stand by everything I said above but after seeing the trailer again today I can see why people are excited about it (I'm still nervous). My guess is that folks who have not read the comic will enjoy the film, but those who have read the comic will undoubtedly compare the film and the comic and the comic will win. I suggest that everyone read the comic but wait until after the film. (Could I use "comic" more)?
Hell, I can get you a toe by three o'clock this afternoon...with nail polish.
Check out the hi-res pics of the Watchmen posters unveiled at Comic Con. They're beautiful and fantastic. If you've read the graphic novel, they're even better because they perfectly capture the mood of the comic and the attitudes of the main characters. I couldn't be happier with these. If I were the type to collect stuff like this, I'd buy 'em all and hang 'em on my walls.
The other great thing about the posters is that they're based off the great Dave Gibbons promotional posters that came in the old Watchmen Portfolio DC put out in 1988, and when I say based I mean they recreated them exactly, right down to the quotes. edit: found a link that has good versions of some of them:
Twentieth Century Fox is filing an injunction against WB to stop the release of the movie. They are claiming that they actually own the rights to the movie since the 80s.
-- 2006 Time magazine Person of the Year -- "Who would want to rent a chicken?" -- The Bowler
Thread ahead: Half Blood Prince = Summer 09 Next thread: The Venture Bros.: "The Family That Slays Together, Stays Together (Part I)" Previous thread: Mike and the Mad Dog. Done.
Despite my intentions to see two other films earlier in the week, this is the first Fantasia film that I have seen at this year's Festival. Mutants (2009)
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