Graphic Novel to Movie Adaptation: WATCHMEN

by Le Anne Lindsay, Editor

I have no familiarity with D.C. Comics featuring the Watchmen; but personally, I’m a little sick of all the “Holy Grail” of Graphic Novels talk that preceded this movie’s release. Should that really prevent it from being made into a movie?  I don’t know…

What I do know, I hope they don’t market toys and Happy Meals based on these characters! Not only does the movie explore the whole vigilante – anti-hero, kill many to save many, what is a hero anyway? themes, but it has some horrific scenes of sawing off of arms and splintered protruding of bones.

The basic premise of how The Watchmen came to be is so simple, it’s rather brilliant. Basically, cops back in the 50’s realized that criminals mask themselves so they can commit crimes without being recognized. So a few cops decided that they would mask themselves so that they couldn’t be recognized when not following procedure apprehending a “bad guy”. The public applauded their efforts and these disguised cops became “Superheros”. The second generation, however, started meeting with opposition from the public and the government. They were made to disband, go underground or create lives for themselves post Superhero careers.

The exception to this is Dr. Manhattan, the blue, vacant eyed one of the group. He actually has super human abilities to the point of no longer being human. It’s not explained why the others are able to” take such a licking and keep on ticking” One could assume it’s a matter of you are what you claim yourself to be or something along those lines.

Every one’s back story including Dr. Manhattan’s is plainly explained in the movie and is really all the history you seem to need to know. No need to read the novel before seeing the movie or visit Comic book aficionado websites. That being said, I’m certain that there are all kinds of subtleties that went over my head. Similar to when I watch the show “Lost”, the next week when they reshow the previous week’s episode with pop up tidbits; I learn all kinds of “nitty gritty goodies, I wasn’t paying attention to, or hadn’t figured out.

[Post update 2021 – I think it’s funny that I didn’t know the term “Easter Eggs” back in 2009]

Bottomline:  The Watchmen, probably won’t become a franchise, but it’s a weirdly fascinating superhero type flick.

Director: Zach Synder  [Based on Graphic Novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon

Cast: Malin Åkerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Carla Gugino, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Patrick Wilson