seth

March 10, 2009 7:02 pm Hm yes, I think that's always a valid point and that's why adaptation is so fascinating to me when it comes to movies. I think I view that scene in relation to the abortive sex from before and the final sex scene in Veidt's lair. Taken as a whole, I think Dan and Laurie function as the innocents in the story.. the whole thing is just too big for them to comprehend. I don't think they are meant to be pathetic though because there's a dignity to their relationship that kind of cuts through all the rest of the cynicism. They aren't the smart ones though.. I think Moore is more in agreement with Comedian's outlook (at least at that point in his career anyway).

March 10, 2009 6:43 pm

I'm still thinking about whether or not I liked the movie. I think I agree it's unfilmable if only because in the end the final product felt tonally misshapen, inconsistently paced and just plain overstuffed. In other words, Watchmen is too big to fit the confines of a movie narrative. This is not necessarily the fault of the filmmakers; I think they did the best they could to deliver a faithful adaptation that would appeal to a mass audience. I think in general, this is a good example of the perils of adapting a book to another medium, specifically a feature film. I agree with Terry Gilliam's idea that it may have worked better as a television mini-series. If you stripped away the character examination and moments where Moore revels in the history he's created, Watchmen's spinal narrative could be played out in 90 minutes. We've come to love this story for the way it was told and for the universe that is meticulously explored. The reason Watchmen risen to the peak of it's medium is because it harkens to the great novels; those books that excitedly and thoroughly guide us through the tributaries of a fully formed creative expression.

 

I think the movie tried to do that as well, but I don't think a movie is meant to do that. A movie's gotta be leaner in my opinion, and I enjoyed this movie if only to see a favorite book come to life.

 

It's also funny that you cite the sex scene with that specific image there Josh. In the book it's one of my favorite moments because of the way it's drawn: the two truly innocent people in the narrative finally make a connection and that moment is split apart and slowed down as they embrace. Snyder and company didn't seem to understand the tone I've imagined from that page you cite, and they certainly added insult to injury with their choice of music. I don't know if they were trying to be funny with the Cohen song, but using it to make a silly comment on the scene sort of cheapens the character's experience. There are many moments in the movie where dude just didn't effing get it. Just an opinion though..