I'm no movie critic, and I'm no literary critic, but I certainly have an opinion about everything (surprised?). I went out and bought the Watchmen graphic novel due to an overwhelming buzz that said the movie followed the book amazingly well. I read the book then watched the movie and found that sometimes the buzz simply precedes the sting.
The book is spectacular. A brilliantly written piece of literature which had me ignoring two thirds of the artwork as I couldn't wait to get to the next frame, page, or chapter to see how each individual (sometimes not so) heroic life would unfold. The fate of the world seemed secondary to the fate of each individual character for much of the story while nuclear war waited ominously in the wings. The book has more depth than I can even attempt to tackle without giving the bulk of the plot away.
The movie is said to be very similar to the book. This may be true if you didn't read the book and just looked at the beautifully drawn frames. The movie copies much of the dialogue verbatim, the actors were well suited visually to their roles, and many of the shots are near direct copies of the frames in the book. This is the deepest the movie is able to reach in expressing the genius of the book. There is never that underlying ominous feeling that has you racing to see how the book ends. There is never a point where you become fully attached to any of the characters as you do with each one (even, to a point, the detached Dr. Manhattan) in the book. The action sequences are certainly over done and often overtly graphic in comparison to the graphic novel. The movie misses out on the beautiful subtlety of the novel and instead hits you in the face with an action flick for the masses.
The dumbing down of this book can be summed up by examining the origin of the title in the two different media. In the book, the title is taken from an old latin phrase meaning, "Who watches the watchman?" A decidedly deep reason for this books moniker, and one that plays very nicely with the climax. In the movie, each of the main characters was a part of a group of masked adventurers called The Watchmen. I suppose a twelve year old would find the latter more stimulating, but this wasn't a book for a twelve year old, and it certainly isn't a movie for one either.
Brian William Waddell is a foodie, beer geek, and author. His numerous blog posts range from food to politics. He also has a book of poetry, Fractured Prose, available here, and is ready to publish his second poetic endeavor.
