Who Watches the Watchmen?… WE DO!
Hey Movie Fans!
Written By: Alan Moore Illustrated By: Dave Gibbons
Get ready for the first big blockbuster of the year! That’s right, this Friday “300″ director Zach Snyder attempts his second graphic novel adaptation “Watchmen”. If you are one of some who know nothing about the Watchmen, get ready to be educated! The graphic novel Watchmen, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons, is considered to be the greatest graphic novel of all time. The story is set in an alternative 1985, if the world really did have super heroes. Now, myself having only read just about half of the graphic novel so far, have been intrigued by its spectacle. From what I gather, the novel has a lot of hidden text which raises many questions.
The movie has created the right buzz. Since the very first trailer was released last summer at the premiere of “The Dark Knight” people have been talking about this film. It seemed to come out of nowhere for my generation who maybe wasn’t reading comics or graphic novels so much from the 1980s. But even still it awed crowds of many ages, causing us to salivate over the graphics and the curiosity of what the film was all about. In turn, curiosity led to the purchase of the graphic novel by many so they could read up on what to expect this spring.
Although “Watchmen” had some great publicity, the film also encountered some rough waters last December that almost caused a riot for fans. The film is being distributed by Warner Brothers, however, last year Twentieth Century Fox filed a lawsuit against Warner Brothers claiming that they had all rights to distribute a Watchmen movie. According to an article on nbcsandiego.com, “On Christmas eve, a Los Angeles federal judge ruled that 20th Century Fox holds a copyright interest in the fanboy comic book movie ‘Watchmen.’” You can read the court ruling here, but this had fans in a frenzy! There was buzz of pushing back the release date and this upset the masses. Ultimately, the two distributors were able to come to a resolution and the film was able to keep its original release date. JSOnline talks about the resolution here.
Release Date: 03/06/09
I believe the film has received enough critical acclaim that “Watchmen” is sure to be a box office success. Of all the adaptations from different mediums, graphic novels have turned out to be the biggest crowd pleaser. We see that from movies such as”300,” “Sin City” and “The Dark Knight.” It will be interesting however, to see if “Watchmen” does as well in revenue as “The Dark Knight” considering the MPAA rating difference. “Watchmen” is rated R while “The Dark Knight” managed to attain a PG-13 rating. This may result in a smaller turn out but only slightly. This film is shaping up to be a cult favorite and I am definitely jumping on that bandwagon!
“Watchmen” is also another release for the IMAX and if you have the chance, see it there! There are no words for what that screen does for the spectacle of action packed films such as this. As far as having a knowledge of what’s going on with this movie, you can read acclaimed critic, Roger Ebert’s review here. However, I would agree with the people who say if you’re watching the movie for the story, then reading the novel is crucial. However, if you’re just looking for an awesome array of special effects and amazing scenery then you will most likely be entertained!
Until next time movie fans!
-Lauren-
