First the movie is based on the graphic novel of the same name based back in and around 1985. So the movie begins with several images of what appeared to be superheroes in the early 1940s. It felt like 10 minutes where the movie was giving the audience a brief recap and evolution of this group of superheroes once known as the Minutemen and eventually the Watchmen. It was also weird to see that Richard Nixon was still President as they apparently got rid of term limits and he must have overcome the ‘Watergate’ scandal. At this point I was a little confused of who was who and what they did…I was wishing at that point that I had read the graphic novel or at least a synopsis of it prior to watching the movie.
After the ‘introductions’ as I call it, the plot opens up with a fight scene with a masked intruder and and older man known as Edward Blake. (an older, bigger Robert Downey Jr lookalike) These two fight as if they have superhuman strength and athleticism as they both displayed incredible acrobatics and fighting ability. The masked villain ends up throwing Blake out of the window of a multi-story building to his death. This is the point where the movie builds its plot.
At this point in 1985, there is no Watchmen as all of the former members have all gone their separate ways. Here is a quick rundown of the main characters:
Edward Blake- This was the former superhero known as The Comedian…displayed dark comedic humor.
Daniel Dreiberg/Night Owl- This is the guy who looked like a cheap knock off of Batman and had some type of space shuttle.
Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias- He looked like a Greek warrior type, blonde hair, athletic, quick, and possess superior fighting capabilities.
Laurie Juspeczyk/Silk Spectre2- She was the daughter of Silk Spectre1 and was the love interest of Dr Manhattan (Blue man) or whichever man she could throw herself to it seemed.
Walter Kovacs/Rorschach- That’s the guy from Bad News Bears! Jackie Earl Haley…you know the bad ass kid Kelly that hit all the home runs. He looked like the Scarecrow from the Batman series with a temper.
Dr. Jon Osterman/Dr. Manhattan- He was normal at one time but was caught in some kind of nuclear physics chamber and experienced some sort of nuclear fission that transformed him into a super human blue man. He is the only character that truly possesses super human skills/powers. They could have done without him walking around in the nude almost every scene he was in.
The rest of the movie contains a little romance/steamy scenes, some ok fight scenes with much more blood than you would typically see in a traditional comic book/turned movie…that’s a good thing if you’re into a movie with a lot of action and graphic scenes. Considering its R-rating, this is definitely not a movie I would recommend for small children. There are a couple major drawbacks to this film. One is the fact that you really need to be filled in on some key characters and the background of the story as depicted in the graphic novel before going to see the actual movie…you’ll be lost if you don’t. The second drawback is the length of the movie…a whopping 2hrs and 42 minutes. Just way too long and some unnecessary fillers. Overall solid flick and definitely movie theater worthy.
Sponge Rating: 6.5/10 sponges
-R
