V For Vendetta & Watchmen Movie Thread (mostly Watchmen now)

[Spatial]

I'll be amazed if the squid makes it in. Likewise, if it does, I can't wait to see the reaction in the cinema

[Matt]

I'm the only Pro-Squid person in these parts! That makes the comic, it's out there, the kind of unimaginable thing that will unite humanity. A hundred nukes going off from a known assailant? Short term, big impact; long term, politicians would go back to their petty bickering. It needs to be something so unknown the fear would last a long time.

[Red Hogg]

I have completed my reading of Watchmen. Hmmm. Yes indeed. Bit of an oddity isn't it?

->Open Spoiler<-

It's a vigilante "graphic novel" in which no crimefighting takes place (I'm aware of that "Keene act" but vigilantism being illegal doesn't stop any other comic heroes.). It's a superhero tale in which there is only one person with superpowers and he makes no attempt to do anything constructive with said powers (building a clock-based palace on mars may be impressive architechturally speaking but it's pointlessness far outweighs this). Frankly speaking the characters don't really do anything except the "bad" guy. What's the point in giving so much back story and reasoning to people who don't really have any effect on what transpires to be the plot?

What a preposterous plot it was anyway. "Yes yes, world peace has been achieved by having some big fake rubber alien kill everyone in New York. Yes yes." What?

At least the film looks faithful. God knows how they're going to sell a film resplendent with Batman/ Punisher type characters who don't actually do anything.

No doubt I've probably misunderstood something or I was expecting it to be something that it wasn't but these are my observations on first read. Do not accuse me of heresy.

[eastyy]

well from what i could gather from reading the comic book...it was about a group of heroes...that are now really retired and there beyond there past glorys

Really dont mind this whole squid thing Lol....if they can get the same sort of message ....then i would be happy enough

[Matt]

It was in many ways a novel for it's time, that has now inspired so much work subsequently a lot of it seems a touch dated. It was a deconstruction of the superhero, putting him in a real world context. Then they throw a real superhero in to the world.

Extremely clever, but looking at it fresh I'm sure it wouldn't have the impact it did - I read it sometime around '88 when it first appeared as a novel, having heard great things about the series as it was published monthly. It was a revelation at the time.

It shows there's no place in the real world for "heroes", unless you're a stone cold killer with no morals, or omnipotent with fading morals. Of the rest, they get by with ingenuity (Dan), intellect (Adrian), and brutality (Ror). The book deals with these superhero archetypes and how they may exist in a real world (well somewhat stylised, but you know what I mean).

It addresses the role these people would play on a city, and the world at large (the morally dubious enlist for Vietnam, and turn the tide). Manhattan is seen as the ultimate deterrent, keeping the Russians at bay but also pushing them in to conflict because they have no other option but total annihilation.

That's one of the issues with the new ending. The Doc as nuclear deterrent won't work if he's supposed to be the "cause" of numerous nukes going off.

[CMcK]

Reading the interview on Empire online with Zack Snyder it seems pretty clear there will be a distinct lack of any squid action.

[buster_broon]

since i know zero about Watchmen, i guess they are calling themselves watchmen as it might be set after the graphic novel, since the chap with the smilie badge is old when he gets thrown out of a window, it also shows him young through the trailer as well

but since i'm a watchman noob - i will get my coat

[randombs]

He's old in the novel at the start when he's thrown out the window and the young bits are flashbacks.

[buster_broon]

He's old in the novel at the start when he's thrown out the window and the young bits are flashbacks.

so when he is old are they known as Watchmen?

[randombs]

I thought they were called the Minutemen back in the old days? It's all a bit blurry

[SharkSkin-Man]

Nobody is ever directly referred to as 'Watchmen' in the book afaik. The title is a reference to the saying "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?" ("Who watches the watchmen?"), which you see sprayed on a wall in the comic.

The original team of costumed heroes, formed before the events of the main narrative are The Minutemen. The second team, which doesn't last long, are The Crimebusters.

I guess Zach thought Crimebusters sounded a bit 'gay' and not cool enough...

[Matt]

The more I hear, the wider off the mark Snyder seems to get. What happened to the initial 100&#37; faithful adaption? He's changing things left right and center. Let us not forget that while his two previous films were fun, combined they had less substance than a ring doughnut. And here he is taking on the comic geeks biggest novel, evidently "improving" it....

Snyder has struck me as the ultimate fanboy. He gets paid to make fanboy films. They're good films as well, enjoyable entertainment. Watchmen deserves better though.

Maybe he'll knock it out of the park. I can't see it happening though. At least it'll be a great looking film.

[rmoxon]

Is it just me or do they show

->Open Spoiler<-

Rorsharch's death

in the trailer?

Thats almost as bad as the Quarantine trailer that

->Open Spoiler<-

had the exact same final shot as the the actual film

[Matt]

They showed the new "Dan's reaction to it" shot in the last trailer (not in the novel).

[Matt]

Q&A article on AICN, Snyder saying the squid is out