This morning, I was walking my dog, and I passed another guy walking his dog. His shirt was light blue, with a black lined circle with a dot on it. It looked familiar.
“Is that a Dr. Manhattan shirt?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Badass.”
Then I walked on, thinking, I would wear that. Of course, a few hours later, it turns out that there’s a Watchmen movie trailer that has hit the web, and the novelty of that particular garment just wore off, big time.
YouTube already took it down, for one thing. I happen to have it loaded on the YouTube page before they yanked it. So, I can give you my initial thoughts, but as always, this is a trailer, so who knows what we’ll actually end up with. I remember how great the Episode I trailer was, and look how that turned out. But why don’t you go ahead and watch it here?
UPDATED – The official Watchmen trailer is available here. And click here for the high definition version.
It’s pretty neat.
It has taken me a long time to be able to say that. I didn’t want to see this movie, and I didn’t want it to be made. But it’s getting made, and if it has to be made, well, Zack Snyder is about as good a guy as you could hope for. If nothing else, it won’t be perverted into something that’s completely unfamiliar.
I was surprised to find myself with chills at several points during the crappy YouTube quality video. Jon Osterman is a thing of wonder, and you can see the combination of modern filmmaking looped right in there with Dave Gibbon’s brilliantly simplistic pages. When they pull back and show Jon blowing up tiny Vietnamese people, that got me. The crystal palace on Mars? Same thing. And the voiceover of Rorschach denying help to those in need? Well, wow.
That’s pretty neat.
If you want a complaint, I’ll go with my utter distaste for using Billy Corgan’s music, but that honestly didn’t hinder my experience all that much. I didn’t once think, “that doesn’t look right.” It does look a little dreamy and ethereal, which I’m not so cool on, but that’s the filmmaker style, and if that much looks right, I can discount my personal preferences.
Basically, my cautious optimism has been bolstered. I’m loathe to admit it, but I’m almost looking forward to this.
“God help us all.”
Did you manage to see it before it was yanked mercilessly from your poor eyes? Let us know what you thought.
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http://youtube.com/watch?v=FfjwbRKt2_0
better quality here – http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1670081657
looks AMAZING!!!! do you see the giant blue foot behind the comedian in vietnam?? damn.
Dr. Manhattan!
Wow, i’m psyched!
Consider my interest piqued. A lot.
DAMN!!! It made me want to read it again. Even the pirate parts. (I, like Conor, skipped them after halfway through).
I’ll join you in the the "cautious optimist" bleachers. It "feels" right. It’s a good sign. Who knows what we’ll actually get. But I got chills during a few moments.
It looks like a damn good trailer!
It’s impossible to bring every moment from the novel into he movie but I’m going to take the movie for what it is. I’m getting more and more intrigued.
well, it’s happened. I didn’t want it to happen, and now it’s happened. All I can say is that I really want to see it.
I really want this to be awesome.
This looks like a pretty good start. As long as the whole movie isn’t in slow-mo. 🙂
This looks fairly good. lets hope they don’t screw it up!
The crazy bastard did it. Dr. Manhattan looks wonderful fully realized. Maybe the Nite Owl is too slender, but…
I am happily surprised…I saw it here: http://tinyurl.com/5jglrq
Not sure about the song, really, but whatever….nice!!
No, No, No. Let me be the first here to say that I do not like the look of this. When did Zack Snyder get any credentials? Watchmen is too complex to be put on film. I did notice some scenes that were direct translations from the book, which I think is ok, but will the whole movie be a panel for panel recreation?
Too much slow motion.
I was like you Simmons, and perhaps deep in my soul, I still am, but there’s nothing that can stop the Juggernaut as it were.
And Dr. Manhattan looked pretty good. You’ve got to admit that. He did. Just a little, right?
I’m ok with the look of this, but……
The Billy Corgan music worked for me. I like the mood it set.
And I’m with you Josh. Dr. Manhattan looked pretty damn good. I think I’m excited for The Watchmen.
Just wait till you see the trailer on the big screen.
I love it, and figured out how to pull the high res version off the site and formatted it for my iPhone. I watch the Watchmen…everywhere!
Looks pretty…
…at first. And then I remember it’s by the guy who aped his way through 300, a movie that would’ve been 45 minutes long but for the fact that so much of it was in painfully slow motion (in order to look "cool"). And then I notice that every shot in this trailer is also in slow motion. Listen here, Zachy-poo. We have way too much story to get through without you waxing "poetical" with all the slo-mo. As my film production professor taught me, "You may think it looks lyrical, but it’s tired."
I really dig the slow motion. I like this trailer more every time I watch it.
That Smashing Pumpkins song was on one of the Batman soundtracks. Could they seriously not find a song that wasn’t already used in a superhero movie? As for the movie itself, hard to tell. It could go either way, but I’ll probably end up seeing it in theaters.
I love the Trailer and am now excited for the film .
I really hate the look of the CG Doc Manhattan. Just bugs me.
I am so apprehensive about this film.
I’m with Conor. This trailer is great. The slow motion gives it a sense of unreality, or better, insanity.
That’s why the Comedian laughs.
I had no opinion about the movie and I never take the stance that no one should try to adapt a brilliant piece of literature. It can’t be the same but it can be really good on its own terms. I’m excited.
The thing I am most worried about is that when this movie comes out it will destroy my absolute version, therefore making it the only version of Watchmen I can enjoy.
Must find a magic box.
That trailer looks fantastic. And I have a feeling most of the slow-mo was for trailer purposes, it went with the music and worked with the flow of the trailer all together. And I actually thought the song worked too. Considering the original version was used for the god-aweful Batman & Robin movie, its like it got to be reborn. So thats cool.
I have faith in Snyder to bring us something we never thought we would see. He’s gotten this far right?
Oh, and I really wish I got a Dr.Manhattan Tattoo before this trailer premiered. Now people will think its just for the movie. Fuzz Nuggets!
I’m so there! Will it be perfect and everthing we want? No but when the credits roll and I go home Watchman will still be on my shelf so I say bring it on. Plus Dr Manhattan looked great, Rorschach talking…epic and when the showed the Comedian I actually yelled out Hell Yeah (glad I waited until I was home to watch, my co workers would have thought I was crazy) Funny that 1 day away from Dark Knight and I’m excited about Watchman in 2009.
I just realised, i think they used a song from a past superhero movie on PURPOSE. You look at the way they designed some of the costumes and i think that they are sort of twisting the commentary from being on superhero comics to superhero movies, which is a nice way to sort of make the film it’s own.
it’s just a trailer.
but it’s a damn fine trailer. gives a warm feeling down inside.
Right now, I am satisfied. After years and years of waiting, we finally have something tangible.
I don’t really listen to that much Billy Corgan, so my only opinion on it was that it seemed to fit the mood of the piece. It was like a game for me too, seeing if I could match up each shot in the trailer to the spot in the book. And they were spot on. I really can’t wait.
I just watched the official 720p version that I linked above in the main article… wooo mama!
My only (minor) complaint is that I think they are missing out by not using "Who Watches The Watchmen?" in the trailer as a tagline. John Q. loves a catchy tagline.
http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/watchmen/med.html
Apple’s got it up in 720p here: http://movies.apple.com/movies/wb/watchmen/watchmen-tlr1_h720p.mov
@kubrick1978 & mikeromo – The Apple trailers are now linked in the main article. 🙂
I love that they used the song from Batman and Robin. It’s a great song it just shows some serious balls. Seems like they’re trying to convey some sort of message, not sure what it is ;).
The trailer is amazing, overall. Doctor Manhattan looks perfect. I was not very excited for this movie until seeing this trailer, now I’m giddy.
As a fellow native son of Green Bay, Zak Snyder understands how to create a bleak, crumbling hellscape.
The more times I watch the more excited I get.
@conor – I agree 100%. I can’t believe they didn’t use "Who Watches The Watchmen?".
I have a big feeling we’ll see this at the Batman opening….Could be wrong, but this looks like a teaser to put out now.
I am psyche for this. Sure the other Moore adaptations have sucked major balls!….But I believe in Zack Synder to direct this. He made a pretty decent remake for a legendary horror director. Then he made (to me) one of the greatest adaptations of Frank Miller into a pop culture hit. So why cant this work?
Obviously, the The Spirit Trailer, we need more then just a handful of shots to judge a picture. But so far: I am excited about how Manhatten looks, how Rorschach talking is dead on, and some of the slow motion stuff looks shot for shot of the book….The Corgan song is okay, maybe just the instruments playing only would’ve been better though.
Again, way to early to tell if this will be fucking amazing like The Dark Knight will be….But a very good start none to less.
I think it’ll be good. As Josh suggested, they really stylized the Gibbons artwork. It makes all the time periods look similar. The fifties look like the eighties. Doc Manhattan looks very superimposed and unnatural, but that’s how he’s supposed to look. The guy is barely on our plane of existence.
The Corgan music, well–let’s wait for the full score. That could be a closing credit soundtrack um, track.
I heard that Snyder is fighting for a three hour cut (that’s WITHOUT the Black Freighter bits). The success of Batman (2 1/2 hours?) could actually help him win that one.
You can’t say Snyder didn’t try.
Zack Snyder seems to have an uncanny ability to make a color movie feel like it’s black and white. Too many years spent looking at my primitively printed trade with its primary colors; this looked strangely flat to my old codger eyes.
I need to send this trailer to a friend who has never heard the word "Watchmen" and see what they think they just saw. Coming in cold, I’m not sure I’d know what to make of this. But every time I watch it, I like it a little more. I’m not afraid of it sullying the book or anything.
They need to watch it with that tagline. I’m already picturing the box office tally article on 3/9/09 with the groaner headline, "Who Watches the Watchmen? America!" (or "No One!")
my favourite thing about the trailer?
the font.
This trailer, by far, is one of my favorites in a long time. It was fucking awesome, and I’m so pumped for this movie. Visually, it’s going to be amazing, and after 300, I’m sure Snyder is going to do a fine job adapting this book.
It looks cool. Part of me is still convinced it will fail at truly adapting comic. It will at least look visually stunning. I bet Alan Moore is not happy, though I doubt he is ever happy with his work being adapted. Oh well, I’ll watch the Watchmen.
I watched this trailer like 17 times today on the empire site, who i believe was the official carrier of it. I am psyched for this. I know fanboys need to piss all over everything to keep their geek cred, but I don’t care. I had a dorkgasm watching this. I can’t freaking wait.
@JohnVFerrigno – I think that most people here have been on the positive side on this one.
You know, even the costumes arent too bad seeing them in motion and not in stills.
Yes they look a bit like the nipple suits in Batman and Robin, but it’s not as vomit inducing as that film. Nite-Owl, Rorschach, and Comedian look spot on to me. Even if Ozy and Jupiter looks a bit different, it’s much better then the very outdated 80’s outfit Gibbions gave us. We’ll just have to see if Manhattan works well in big scenes, cause small 2sec scenes in this trailer doesnt help much.
Great trailer (except for that annoying song). I can’t wait.
The trailer looks awesome … but I’m still worried they will screw this up. How many times have you seen an awesome trailer that turns out to be a shit movie?
Hate to be the Negative Nancy here, I just love Watchmen so much (like everyone else) and it doesn’t seem like something that can be translated to the screen, in any satisfying way.
But, I’ll be happy to be wrong!
Still don’t think they’re going to pull this off. The trailer may look "awesome", but that’s not any sort of "kick-ass" juvenile "awesome" that I ever got from the comic. With the music and Nite-Owl and Ozymandius’s uber-cliched shiny costumes, I can’t tell if they’re making fun of ’90s superhero movies or what. And even if they are, I doubt it will be clear to many viewers. Assuming they do know what they’re doing (a big assumption, imo), in basically aping the style of Batman & Robin, why does this apparent critique even need to be there? Why waste energy on that when you could be trying to tell the story instead? Watchmen is already incredibly nuanced. It’s set in the 1980s with references to past decades–how on earth are all those distinct eras going to be conveyed to a 2009 audience through the lens of a critique of bad 1990s superheroes films?
I don’t think this will be a bad movie, but I doubt it will be anywhere near as good as the comic was. It’ll be good enough and popular enough to interfere with the public reception of the comic from now until doomsday, though. It’ll be just good enough that fans of the comic won’t be able to dismiss it, the way we can dismiss the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen movie.
If I was Alan Moore I’d get booked on every talkshow I could and trash the movie every chance I got.
It’s official. This trailer rocks.
It gets way better around like the 9th time you watch it. Tears.
I saw the trailer before the dark knight and thought it looked awesome. I worry though. All my friends who have never read the comic after they saw said " I have no clue what that was about."
Speaking as someone with no huge love for the source material (not saying it to be contrarian; it’s just not in my top 50), this looks really good. It captures the imagery that I did like about the book.
I, too, like slow motion. And for those that don’t, it’s possible that it was only made slow for the trailer. Added gravitas, yeah?
You can also find a fairly sharp version at: http://www.empireonline.com/video/watchmen/
I have to say that it’s a pretty impressive little trailer. A lot of those shot seem pretty faithful, like the riot sequence or Manhattan’s crystal palace on Mars. And while this is probably unfinished CG Manhattan himself looks pretty good, as does the movement on Rorschach’s mask (Even if we only see it for a second).
Although my concerns can pretty much be summed up by the conversation I had with my girlfriend, when she saw the trailer:
I, like everyone, am very very excited for this.
But some of my non comic reading pals (Former pals now?) won’t stop making fun of me. This trailer was obviously more of a "Look what we did, it’s gonna be good" message to the fans of the book rather than a "Here is what this movie is about" to the general population. My pals don’t have any idea what the movie si about, except that the costumes don’t look "cool enough."
Once the date approaches and we get more of a "This is what it’s gonna be about" type of trailer, I hope my pals wanna see it.
I cannot believe that this actually looks pretty gosh darn purdy. Although the rubber suits still bug me, but look at Dr.Manhattan. Sweet Crackers!
(Psst! Correct the title of this article.)
This looks fantastic. I wish this was coming out next week. The only person who could be upset with this is Alan Moore, but he hates most movie adaptations,including ones based on his works.
Holy god that looked incredible! Did I want a Watchmen movie? Not really. But if we’re getting one this looks pretty damn amazing! Manhattan looks great, I like the costumes, and the overall tone seems right (as much as you can gleam from a trailer).
I share the same music complaints as some people, and I like Billy Corgan’s music. It’s the principle of using a remix of a song from Batman & Robin that has me worried.
That small, moralistic problem aside, consider me stoked!
@Vichus – good lookin’ out! How didn’t we spot that before now?
From the end of the trailer:
"Smiley Face Logo: TM Smileyworld Ltd."
Jesus. Is nothing public domain? I’m sure you can find a smiley in a cave painting somewhere.
Another concern: Smileyworld.
"Hey Bob. I never got to thank you for that kidney you gave me. How’s life treating you?"
"Life’s pretty sweet, actually. I’ve got a great job over at Smileyworld."
"Smileywo–? You take care Bob."
@Conor
Yeah, most people have been pretty positive on this one, which i actually really refreshing to me. I know there is a tendency for people to freak out over the smallest, most meaningless changes when a comic becomes a movie. (OMG! her hair is supposed to be black, not dark brown! I’m not going!) It’s great to see people pretty much behind this trailer. I was really excited for this movie just from the interviews and video blog thing they have been doing, but now that i saw an actual trailer with some footage, i thought it looked outstanding. Can’t wait!
Ok, so im gonna sound like a freakin tard but i have never read Watchmen. My roomate said it was wicked wordy and i just never have. Is it really that needed? Could i just see the movie?
@rift1128- if anything I think you would be the perfect candidate to see this movie since you won’t be comparing it to the source material the whole time and just watch it on its own merits.
@theswordisdrawn I was wondering if bad-ass-looking, not-chubby Night Owl might be flashback material. It’s kind of hard to do ‘schlubby superhero’ in a short trailer and not make it look like a comedy.
Anyway, this looks great. I’m psyched.
I’m curious, because I guess I missed the point in time when this was so controversial — what’s the general objection to having a ‘Watchmen’ movie made? Is it just the general fear that it will be done badly (as with any adaptation), or is there something about the source material itself? I’ve read plenty of things that strike me as unfilmable, but ‘Watchmen’ isn’t one of them.
I peed myself a little bit.
I’m completely stoked for this now. THEY GOT RORSCHACH’S MASK RIGHT!!!!!!!!!
Unfortunately, I’m at work – but if I wasn’t, I’d be home, busting out the trade and giving it another read. Looks like my Friday night’s set. And please keep that in mind – nothing is happening to your copy of Watchmen and the contents therein.
I think this looks amazing. I’ve always been of the opinion that movies based on other works of art (books, comics, OGNs) should be more interpretation than translation. I may be in the minority but I’d rather see a movie that trys more to recreate the feel that Watchmen created in me when I read it, rather than a detailed recreation panel by panel. By making a "This is what it would be like if it were moving instead of pictures in a book" movie it takes away from the fact that movies are just as much an art as graphic novels. And guys, if they were gonna use music from a batman movie can’t we all agree that they should’ve used Kissed By A Rose?
…
Guys?
It’s possible that the studio wouldn’t let them use the "Who Watches the Watchmen?" line. What if the movie sucks? Or what if it’s merely mediocre (that’s the one I’m swinging for)? Why, then, would the studio give the reviewers such an easy line as "Who watches the Watchmen? Not me. Nor should you."
@jawshoowah – Batdance. They should have used Batdance.
Quick question – does anybody know if the newest prints of the Watchmen TPB feature the new coloring that was in the Absolut edition? Or is there anything on the horizon with a new run of the TPB to tie-in with the movie that might feature the new coloring job?
"Every Breath You Take" – The Police
"…I’ll be watching you…"
@ohcaroline – I’m not speaking for myself, but I guess the general fear is the book’s so dense and complex, with so many themes and deconstructions going on, even though I personally feel it still has quite a clear narrative, that a film simply couldn’t do the book justice.
But they cut a ton of stuff out of the Lord Of The Rings film, and they worked out pretty okay (read: awesome). I wasn’t hankering after a Watchmen film, because when you’ve got a book that good do you need one? But after seeing this, it seems clear Snyder loves this material as much as we do.
And kudos to Snyder for showing so much. Usually all you get in a teaser is a logo/voice-over or a couple of quick clips, but I guess he thought he has to get people who don’t know the book familiar with the Watchmen world as early as possible.
I’ve watched it, like, 20 times now, and I love it!
Hey Guys ! Does any of you know the name of that song???
uh…WOW…
This looks AWESOME. My only concern/question is how will they deal with the Pirate stuff.
Owlman looked amazing. Dr. Manhattan…WOW.
Now I gotta go back and read it again. I’m so psyched.
i have something new to look forward to now that the dark knight is out.
@Mary:
The song is "The Beginning is the End of the Beginning" by the Smashing Pumpkins. Alternatively, there is a faster, more rock version called "The End is the Beginning of the End". Both were featured on the Batman & Robin soundtrack, but you can get them on itunes.
@Eyun The best argument I can think of against filming it is that the book itself is such a meta- commentary on superhero comics as a genre that taking it out of that form removes the point of the story. And I think there’s something to that, but at the same time, there’s a lot more to ‘Watchmen,’ like the fact that it’s just a great story.
@Dshramek – They use the phrase in the blurb about the movie on apple.com, and that comes from the studios.
I have to give it up for the ifanbase in this discussion. I went from reading one violently negative thread on a different webpage, to this wonderfully positive breath of fresh air. Thanks for reminding me that not all comic fans are over-obsessive jerks.
And yes, the trailer has me very excited. I was kind of holding my opinion on the film until I saw some actual moving footage, and this looks pretty good, keeping in mind there’s only a couple lines of dialog and this is 2 minutes of a possibly very long movie.
Is it me or does the actor in the flashback of the Comedien look like Robert Downey Jr.? I know it’s not, but for some reason the actors look similar.
Hey, the trailer is available on iTunes for free download to your PC or iPod. I downloaded one for the pod, and one for the comp.
Colour me impressed!! (Yes Colour… I’m Canadian) I was skeptical how this could be done… not because I’m one of those guys who declares something crap before I’ve seen it (Glad to see only a couple posts of the prejudging variety on here) but I just wasn’t sure how you could do it! Well this is a very HUGE first step in showing me they might just have pulled it off!
I just saw this today before the dark knight, this looks really good and my only fear, and this is speculation based purely on the little I just saw, is that it will be pretty as hell to look at and lose a lot of the subtext or commentary about the times it has as a book. Even if it does though, I think this is gonna be one pretty movie to look at for a couple hours regardless.
@jawshoowah- and for the song, ‘Trust’ by Prince. Definately Trust.
saw it last night when i went to The Dark Knight. IT WAS FREAKING AMAZING ON SO MANY LEVELS. i cant wait. the best part was the Roarscarch line "they’ll look up to me to save them and i will just respond NO" AGH so freakin awesome i cant wait it looks fairly accurate so far
Stunningly, this was not shown before my screening of The Dark Knight. No, we got Tropic Thunder and something else forgettable. But, thanks to the magic of the internets and the Apple trailers site I have not missed out. Dang, looks like Zach may pull it off.
@gene: No, nothing is public domain anymore. In fact, I just filed for and obtained a retroactive copyright of your comments and user name. I’ll give you a good deal on a license though.
@RobAbsten,
Smileyworld will hear of this!
LOL. Gotta be a scary sight when the SmileyVan rolls in to town.
I guess I’m going to be the odd man out. I like how Rorshach looks and sounds but I think Dr. Manhattan looks a little too like he came out of a video game to me. Nite-Owl and Silk Spectre look to traditionally superhero-ish for a couple retired aging superheroes, more so Owl than Laurie. Granted, I’m not a very big fan of the book, but this trailer didn’t exactly jazz me for the movie either. I kind of got that feeling in the theater watching Dark Knight as well, given several folks seemed to have chuckled a little after the trailer was over.
@Tork I could well be proven wrong, but I think this is a calculated strategy. Start with a slickly-produced teaser that emphasizes the traditional superhero elements, play it in front of what’s likely to be the biggest hero movie of the year (definitely the biggest DC-affiliated movie). Build up name recognition, get people asking, "What’s this Watchmen thing anyway?" Then gradually layer in the more subversive elements as more material about the film comes out. Seems like a smart approach, if that is in fact what they’re doing.
Maybe, but that flying slo-mo kick Nite Owl gives seems to be in the prison they bust Rorschach out of, which is way into the "I’m a flabby washed-out superhero" phase that Nite Owl’s in throughout the book.
@Tork Well, I’m not saying it won’t have elements of an action movie, but I think it’s hard to tell much about the tone of the overall production from that bit of footage.
Well, admittanly, I was never really excited for this movie and I’m probably fishing for things not to like. I just saw it in the theater and thought "Really? From Nite-Owl?" The fact that people were snickering during parts probably didn’t help my disposition much either.
This trailer was met with raucous applause at THE DARK KNIGHT tonight,
(But so was the new Terminator movie, so who knows?)
The trailer looks great and it looks like its going to be a good movie. I was even surprised during the credits before Dark Knight seeing this trailer and my younger brother, who has never even heard of Watchmen, turned to me after the trailer and said, "that looks like an awesome movie."
Personally I just hope Zach Snyder doesn’t make another 300 with Watchmen. And I know they are not even in the same genre, but some scenes in the trailer felt a little like 300 to me.
I am looking forward to it though.
The box office doesn’t even matter on this thing. It’s all in the can, which means it’s all on the DVD. Mwa-Ha-Ha!
@ChrisGo – I share your worries somewhat, but I agree with ohcaroline in that I think they’re marketing this very smartly. I don’t want this to be another 300 (even though I really like that movie), and I don’t think it will be. But that movie took a ton of money so they’re obviously (and wisely, in my opinion) gonna market this off the back of that film. It’s all about getting people through the doors.
Hopefully people who don’t know Watchmen will see the trailer, think ‘Hey, that looks cool, and it’s from the guy who did 300’, and they’ve thrown in enough fan-nods to give folks that know the book a lot of faith.
Plus, the editing for a trailer can often be wildly different to the version that ends up in the film (some trailer shots don’t even appear in the film). It’s just a selling technique.
I just realized that none of the images in that trailer mean anything to anyone except people who read the book. They’re counting on us to market their movie for them at this stage.
In that same way, the still image on the cover of EW makes it look ridiculous. I can admit that.
Especially in the wake of the Dark Knight.
Though if you just flipped open a copy of Watchmen and looked at the picture of the Minutemen — they look ridiculous, too, right? It’s all about context.
Just noticed something and now have a question: why is Earl Hickey using a flamethrower on all those asian folks? That’s gonna really piss off karma.
I just realized the trailer is approved for all ages… and Vietnamese are getting lit of fire by a crazy superhero and exploding from a giant blue nudist… is that REALLY acceptable for all ages?
@Tork Yeah, the MPAA makes NO sense. Though in practice, this is only going to go on PG-13 or higher movies, I’m sure.
Sure it is, Tork! Why, I can still remember my dad letting me play with his ear and teeth collection. He would rattle them around and say, "Hear that, son? That’s the sound of freedom."
On a serious note, I live by a general rule: To Hell with the kids.
This movie is supposedly going to be rated R, by the way.
I know and I’d expect some very vicious things in the movie (rape, murder, general violence) and be okay with that but the trailer itself is supposedly for all audiences yet there’s exploding Vietnamese in the trailer which I think is kind of funny. I think I just realized the MPAA must just slap that on all the trailers they see regardless of content.
MPAA is a joke, you shouldn’t take them at all seriously. And its a warner brothers production and they can get away with anything when it comes to ratings. Watch "This film is not yet rated." its good stuff.
I’m most interested in how this tidbit from the EW article plays out:
"Multiple scenes… suggest a film that may capture more of Watchmen than anyone thought possible. Sure, there have been changes. The catastrophic climax is different."
Oh! Well. Let’s… see what that means!
From what Josh wrote here, I’m wondering if it’s better to have him hate something or to have him be optimistic about it.
And what’s with the Billy Corgan stab? Is it a stab? I read it in a somewhat ambiguous way. It worked for the trailer.
BTW, I was going to say "overwhelmingly positive response to trailer" here, but this fucking page is like a mile long already. I’ll let everyone else here speak for me.
Yea can wait to see the ending it will absolutly blow people away. I think word of mouth will keep this movie going. Just like when i first read watchmen.I dont know how it will do opening day but i think in the long run it will do great. I remember when i got done reading the graphic novel i told everyone i could about it the storyline the ending its all great. I think alot of people who never read this type of book who end up seeing this movie will be blown away by what the book said to us the reader. I think this should translate to the movie seeing how they said they didnt change the ending. So i think word of mouth is really gonna help push this movie way past its realese date. We will see. I know im psyched for it
THEY"RE CHANGING THE ENDING?!?! Wow… that makes actually piques my interest a lot.
Wait… Jimski’s quote says they are and SDcomicfan says they aren’t… I’m confused now…
@Tork – Not the ending – the end threat.
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*SPOILERS*
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The fake alien invasion.
WOW!
Take a look at the comedian :0
Conor, for the record, the new Terminator looks awesome. But I’m pretty much in one hundred percent total agreement with Josh at this stage. I don’t think this movie should be made, and until I saw this trailer before Dark Knight on Friday, I was dead set against seeing Watchmen at all. Right now, my feeling is: I’m going to see it, but it still shouldn’t have been made. I really hope I’m surprised by the film, and that they manage to capture as much of the book as possible, but I’m pretty sure that it’s impossible to get anything but the actual words and pictures right. Good luck Zach Snyder, and I hope this doesn’t ruin your career.
On a more humorous note, when I got to work the next day, my co-workers wife, who also saw the trailer, was saying how cool it was that Iron Man was going to be in Watchmen. I started laughing and realized I was the only person in the room that knew why that was ridiculous. I tried to explain that one was published by DC and one by Marvel and that a crossover movie is about as likely as a Howard the Duck remake, and then tried to ascertain where she saw Iron Man in the trailer. She insisted that she saw Tony Stark in there somewhere, which I immediately explained was most likely the comedian, played not by Robert Downey, but by Jeffrey Dean Morgan. She still insisted on arguing with me. She left with a big smile on her face, like she just knew she was right. I would love to be there in the theater with her when she sees the movie and after its over, stand up, point into her face, and scream "HA! SHUT UP! DON’T ARGUE WITH ME ABOUT COMICS, I ACTUALLY READ THEM!"
Okay, done ranting.
oh, and @gene, contrary to popular belief the smiley logo was not created by a mongoloid jogging across the country after wiping his face on a yellow tshirt. It was trademarked (copywrighted, whatever) by the french guy that created it in 1971. So (and I haven’t actually checked this out yet) but I’m pretty sure that DC would have had to get the rights to it when Watchmen was first published. Check your copy out. I’m gonna go do the same.
I was joking. I knew it was some copyrighted design, like "I Heart NY." I just thought the SmileyWorld thing was funny.
As for your co-worker, I’d love to be there when she sees the KIND of character the Comedian is! Tony Stark don’t rape! Far as I know.
LOL. When she sees him burning people alive. God, that reaction would be funny.
Billy Corgan was awesome…until about 1996. Now I can’t stand him.
Is this now officially the longest thread on iFanboy ever?
@ActualButt – Hey, at least a non comic reader saw it and thought it looked cool, right? She may be wrong about Iron Man being in it, but if the movie does the book at least 10% justice she could be in for a better movie than Iron Man – and for the record, I LOVED Iron Man, so not hating.
If there’s more non comic readers out there like her who’ll go see a movie they’ve never heard of because they liked the trailer, then the trailer’s done the job, and more bums in seats bodes well for future faithful adaptations of other titles less known to the mainstream.
I showed the trailer to a couple of friends last night, neither of whom read comics, and both of whom constantly jibe at me for reading comics and how much of a "geek" I am for getting excited about certain things like Dark Knight, which they both think looks "ok". So I knew it was a losing battle trying to get them interested in Watchmen, but they asked to see the trailer, in a kind of goading ‘go on, let’s see what you’re geeking out over now’ way…
So put the HD trailer on… trailer finishes… I look at them… they look at me and both say, in unison, "That was awesome!" 🙂
I saw it front of Dark Knight and it was pretty damned awesome.
I’m still wondering if they’ll let the ending stand. It seems *so* not Hollywood that I can’t imagine them doing it.
But I’ll go see it. There’s a good chance that, like V for Vendetta, the movie will be better than the book. And besides, The Comedian is badass. 🙂
"There’s a good chance that, like V for Vendetta, the movie will be better than the book."
The smog of LA seems to be getting to you, Marshall.
@ Josh
I work in LA and the smog has not affected me so much that I am making crazy comments stating that a movie will be better then the original Alan Moore material… but im still young so it may happen soon.
The early costume pics to me didn’t work, but seen in the context of the movie, everything looks spot on. The only thing that bothered me in the trailer was Ozymandias’ costume — how is that any better from the book? The books costume to me would’ve looked worlds better then that.
Maybe I’m just still hurting from Batman and Robin though. To me, that’s what Veidt’s costume really harkens back to. Eh, I’m sure given the context of the rest of the movie, it’ll still feel right, or at least ignorable.
Nite-Owl is a gadget guy. Seeing him in what appears to be his extended prime bugs me a little. He is supposed to look over-weight and "out of the game" a bit. Hence the reliance on the gadgets. I think he would of been more relatable to the viewers had they gone with the original conception. Now he is very much Batman in this trailer.
I saw THE DARK KNIGHT with my brother and after it was over and we were done talking about it he asked me what this WATCHMEN was all about so I just lent him the trade. The trailer must be working to some non-fans.
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even if the watchmen movie sucks, its source material should be better for bringing new comic readers than the books that back the other movies. we win either way.
that said, i loved the trailer. if the next trailer is any better, i will do that grant morrison jackoff ritual to it
even if the watchmen movie sucks, its source material should be better for bringing new comic readers than the books that back the other movies. we win either way.
The movie will be good at selling copies of Watchmen. I wouldn’t extrapolate beyond that.
@OttoBott- I think I remember reading a post by Snyder that that was point of Ozy’s costume, to comment back on Batman & Robin for whatever reason.
@Kimbo – I read that too, that in the same way the book was a comment on what had come before the movie will do the same.
Found this on Digg. Excelent comparison of the trailer to the comic.
http://www.empireonline.com/trailer/breakdown/watchmen/
@ Kimbo/Eyun – hmmm…that might be the context I needed. Does it have any correlation to what Veidt was supposed to comment on in the comic (if there was any commentary…I didn’t pick up on any in that regard).
@OttoBott/Eyun– ya know if this is a comment on Ozy’s comment about comics then said comment flew right past me, just like most of the comments in Watchmen. I get the political commentary more than the meta-ficitonal nods to comics history, those have always eluded me in this book.
I just don’t get why more people don’t feel the way that I do – that Watchmen is first and foremost an exercise in what can be done in the medium of COMICS. To translate it to a movie is kind of missing the point, in that the reason it is such a classic is precisely because of what it achieves in Moore’s chosen medium.
I honestly believe that when it appears in theatres an awful lot of people will be bemused as to why it’s regarded as one of the greatest graphic novels of all time.
Take pride in comics folks – its a superior medium to film in just about every way, and doesn’t NEED the justification of adaptation. That only bolsters the perception that comics are a ‘less valid’ form of entertainment. Yes, I’m a comics snob. No, I don’t see the need to apologise for it – it really is my favourite artform.
@theronster– I can appreciate your passion on the medium but if a studio wanted to give me obscene truckloads of money to translate a book I’ve written to the screen I’d take it in a minute. I don’t think this film’s going to justify or vaildate anything, just make everyone involved a lot richer.
@Kimbo – Of course, it’s important to note that Moore DIDN’T take the money, and asked that it all go to Dave Gibbons. You can say what you like about the man, but he stands by his principles.
@Josh — Nah, I just thought the movie told the story better.
Usually, I advocate seeing a movie adaptation before reading the book because the book tends to be better (thus one ends up impressed with how good the book is rather than disappointed by how much the movie sucks). Sometimes, though, that isn’t the case.
@theronster – Adapting any work into another medium isn’t justification of said medium’s existence. It’s just an adaptation of the story for another audience. I don’t believe anyone thinks that this movie validate’s the WATCHMEN. It’s just a film.
@kimbo – Generally speaking, I usually miss the literary criticism about a book unless that is what the book is about. With works like Watchmen, I’m usually having too much time enjoying the characters and story to worry about any meta like that. For me at least, I have to hold the work at arms length to really give it a thorough going-over if I wanted to catch the subtext.
Stephen King was being interviewed and was asked about how he felt about all of these horrible television-series and movies that were made off of his work. Something along the lines of "doesn’t it bother you that they’re butchering your work like this?" to which King laughed and responded "What? My work? My work is fine and safe, right here" *gestured to a bookshelf behind him* "so long as they don’t start editing my books and my work, I’m fine with it."
Not sure about the accuracy because it’s 2nd hand (recounted from a friend’s retelling of it). I always think of this answer though when people talk about the "purity of derrivatives."
I also love Alan Moore’s quote, when asked about movies how he felt comics were a lot more moral because the cost of producing a crappy comic book was unbelievably lower compared to some costs of producing a really crappy movie. Considering all of the starvation/poverty in the world, he felt like comics were just the better way to go.
@OttoBot – actually, I think that story was about Raymond Chandler, not Stephen King.
@Conor – I appreciate that it’s ‘only’ a film, although it represents more than that. For the vast majority of people this IS Watchmen, and somehow that matters more to be than perceptions of Batman or Spider-Man, who are both archetypes that can be endlessly re-invented.
I really want Watchmen to be a good movie, but ultimately the stuff that made it great CANNOT be translated to screen. Unless someone can explain to me how Moore’s symmetrical structure, the text pieces and the majesty of Chapter 4 (Doc. Manhatton’s story) can work in a movie.
@theronster– but that’s what the book is there for, so when people who liked the movie want to get more into the material they can read and enjoy everything the movie wasn’t able to convey. The Lord of the Rings movies left a lot of stuff out but excited enough people to go read the source material for a richer experience. Movies and comics are apples and oranges.
@theronster – It’s an adaptation, not a recreation. They aren’t filming the movie panel for panel. They are adapting the story. As Kimbo said, the book will always be there. And as for the argument that this will be THE Watchmen for most people, the vast majority of those people would never have read the book anyway, so it doesn’t matter.