Just saw Watchmen!

[LynxFX]

Got to see a preview screening of Watchmen followed by a Q&A with the actors and director.

First I really have no prior knowledge of Watchmen so I went in pretty much a virgin to the story. The following is spoiler free.

In a word, epic. In a cheesy catch phrase, this movie puts the 'graphic' back in 'graphic novel.'

This film is a hard R, with no reservations. It is brutal, graphic, non-PC, sexual, full frontal nudity on Dr. Manhattan, and did I mention brutal? Definitely not for the kiddies.

It is also looong I might add. Clocks in at 2 hours and 40 minutes. Most of it flies by but it does drag a tiny bit in the 3rd act.

From the opening scene through the opening credits it quickly sets the tone. I watched this in a theater filled with fans of the graphic novel and they cheered at all sorts of stuff in the opening credits so I'm guessing there are lots of hidden gems in there for those that know.

I really liked the use of flashbacks to give back story about each of the main characters. You really get to like, or hate some of them. Rorschach is probably one of the coolest characters in the film and he also gets one of the best lines and audience cheers. Just like droves of people dressed like Heath Ledger's Joker, I expect this Halloween will be filled with people dressed like Rorschach. The actor also got one of the biggest rounds of applause when he showed up for the Q&A. Speaking of which, all of the actors did a great job with their characters. No one seemed out of place, and I liked that they aren't all house hold names.

The overall story flows pretty well and isn't that hard to follow, even without knowing anything about it. It is serious and brutal but there are also a lot of LOL moments and other humor sprinkled throughout.

As for direction, Zach Snyder really steps it up. I really liked 300 and here he takes it further, but for the most part more grounded in the real world. Yes there are lots of slow motion shots but it used incredibly well and really accentuates most of the fights. I also really liked the choice of music used. It is very Tarantino-esque. Also Blu-ray fans will be happy to know that the excessive grain used in 300 is not present here. This should make an awesome release visually and phenominal sonically. The audio mix will know your socks off.

I understand the ending is different from the source but I didn't have a problem with how it ended. Judge that for yourself. It is a bit preachy though.

Overall it is a great time at theater and should break records in March. I don't know how well the mainstream audience will take it and the running time does hurt it, but word of mouth should be pretty good. There were lots of OMG moments and a couple OMFG. If you can, I would suggest checking it out in Imax.

Anyway, I'm glad they worked out legal matters and it didn't get shelved.