Husband and I went to see Watchmen last night. As I wrote previously, I read the book pretty recently and liked it, but wasn't blown away by it. Similarly, I liked the movie, but didn't love it. It was even more violent than the book, well past what I thought was needed. My favorite thing about the book is the structure (the use of comic book and other texts to comment on the main story, etc) and that's the one thing that didn't translate onto the screen, not surprisingly.The one thing that annoyed both my husband and I was, when did these characters become superheroes? In the book, it is clear that Dr. Manhattan has nothing in common with the others, in that he has actually super powers. The line to that effect kind of made it into the movie but didn't have the same impact. To me, the book is about normal people who, for whatever reason, put on masks to fight. In the movie, they are no longer normal -- too strong, too fast. To avoid a spoiler, I'll just say, since when can Ozymadias do *that*?
I do want to note that this is not a kid's movie. It is a hard R, with a lot of violence, graphic sex and very visible (blue!) genitalia.
That said, visually its a very sumptuous movie and interesting to watch. The end lasted a bit too long, in my opinion, but otherwise I though the pace moved well, despite the almost 3-hour running time. Watchmen fans have probably already gone to see it, so for those of you on the fence, I'll give a cautious yes to seeing it.
I think I'll give it a miss...the book was violent enough for me.
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