The Watchmen: You knew it was coming.

As discussed in this post, I've been pretty excited to see The Watchmen for quite awhile, as most nerds have been. This is something like the release of The Phantom Menace for comic book lovers. Having come late to the party, I hadn't had years of anticipation like many of my brethren in dorkdom, but I was no less eager. Having said that, I learned from the X-Men II fiasco of 2003 not to try and go opening night. The theater was nearly empty at 10:25 p.m. last Sunday. This sparked a flame of worry in me. Was I going to be disappointed? Were the trailers really too good to be true? The answer to both questions is a resounding, "No."

Where to begin? I guess a bullet list is in order (there may be spoilers):

• Book to Movie: Parts were cut, including all sequences involving the Black Freighter, and the end was changed. This didn't bother me nearly as much as I previously thought. While the ending they chose may not have made sense in the novel, it came across as perfect for the movie - and let's face it: a squid would've seemed strange on screen. All in all, I'd say this was a near perfect translation of ideas from page to film. Ropeofsilicon.com did an article after the initial trailer comparing shots from the movie to panels in the comic, and it's rather impressive. You can find that here.
• Acting: I found no problem with the portrayals of The Watchmen by the chosen actors, although I've heard some take issue with Malin Akerman. I say, for a model, not too shabby. Jackie Earle Haley and Patrick Wilson as Rorschach and Nite Owl were exemplary. Seriously, I have no complaints in this department.
• Pacing: I won't deny there were moments when it could've moved a little faster, and a few people I've known have bemoaned the 2.5 hours-ish length. But come on. In the days of three hour Harry Potter movies, you really can't complain, especially when this particular movie is so engrossing. There wasn't a moment that I wasn't fully involved with the unfolding story and images. This is definitely one to see in the theaters, possibly more than once.
• Soundtrack: This is another area of contention for some people, but really, most songs were chosen because of the time period and because they were specifically quoted in the novel. "99 Luftballoons" had some people scratching their heads, but it made perfect sense to me. It's a song written about the Cold War in the 80's, which is all too relevant to our story. It's a happy sounding song actually discussing something incredibly depressing, and that captures the attitude of the scene it's played during.

Favorite Parts:

• Pretty much any part with Nite Owl and Silk Spectre. Their chemistry was fantastic, and the costumes dazzling. I always hated Silk Spectre's costume in the novel, and I feel they kept it close enough to the original without losing the basic idea. Nite Owl's look was completely revamped, but I didn't find it detracting from the legitimacy of the idea. And can you say "sex scene?" Very hot- and true to the novel!
  

• The prison scene. All of it.
• The fight between Ozymandias, Rorschach and Nite Owl. Great work there.
• Dr. Manhattan's time alone on Mars. I was really concerned this wouldn't translate well or be too annoying for most people to stomach, but it went over very nicely.
  

Despite being accepted by 95% of viewers as awesome, there's always going to be some backlash of the White-Hot Nerd Rage variety any time a comic book movie is made. Some were disappointed not to see the Black Freighter (though I don't see why), and others were upset that side characters weren't focused on more (these weren't the same guys bitching about length). I even heard one guy complain that the movie was TOO MUCH like the novel, and that it was boring to him in that respect. My opinion: you just can't please everyone. As for me, this is going to be near impossible to top on my Best Movies of 2009 list.

See you in line to buy the special edition dvd!