Movie Review: Watchmen

watchmen-final-poster

Watchmen is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time. I caught it last night with a couple of co-workers at GSC, 1 Utama. The trailer did not impress me; I’ll have to be honest. We went for that movie coz Race to Witch Mountain (I know, don’t ask) was sold out.

Unlike most other superhero movies, Watchmen is set in the past – during the Cold War period between the US and the USSR. It’s dark, gritty and realistic. The “superheroes” do not have “powers” per se – with the exception of Dr. Manhattan. They rely on armed and unarmed combat (mostly the latter) to defeat their foes. Perhaps vigilantes would be a better term to describe this group of believable superheroes.

Watchmen also gives us a glimpse into the everyday lives of the superheroes – they are just as fucked up as we are, if not more. We have an alcoholic who can’t let go of her glorious past as a superhero and we learn that most of the original Watchmen (Minutemen) are either dead (some due to their personal debaucheries – one female character was murdered in a what looks like a lesbian S&M scene) or in asylums. One character had to prostitute herself to make ends meet.

My favourite character in the movie is without a doubt Rorschach. His character is named after the Rorschach inkblot test and he is a man incapable of compromise – a sociopath if I’ve ever seen one. He’s idealistic in his own way and sees the world in black and white – no shades of gray.

The end of the movie is a classic example of pragmatism – the end justifies the means.

Rorschach would have none of it though.

He stands up for what he believes is right.

It’s like an adult version of The Incredibles.

Rating: 5/5

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15 thoughts on “Movie Review: Watchmen”

  1. This one seems to be either a hit or a miss for a lot of people – some really loved it, some hated it, but I think I might like it hahaha. Tomorrow is Student Price at Hoyts, will try to catch it!

    Reply
  2. KY: Haha! Don’t look at me, I didn’t choose Witch Mountain. I wouldn’t mind watching it though – popcorn fare is good for Sundays.
    marogal: Yeah, it’s great stuff. I wouldn’t have bothered writing about it if it wasn’t really good. It’s great.
    Mellissa: I loved it. This group of guys behind us said it was boring in Cantonese, but then again, they’re the lala crowd. I enjoyed it, it’s gritty and realistic. Awesome stuff. Watch for Rorschach – I love the guy.
    Myhorng: Yeah, you should watch it. It’s awesome stuff! πŸ™‚
    ShadowFox: I like how the ending went. The end justifies the means…and the reconstruction efforts all had the very same logo on it. How ironic (and reflective of the real world).
    pm: I didn’t say they were. That’s the second sentence and totally unrelated to the previous one. πŸ™‚
    I think we’ve been emailing each other about APD and sociopathic behavior in general right? πŸ™‚

    Reply
  3. “I didn’t say they were. That’s the second sentence and totally unrelated to the previous one. :)”
    “My favourite character in the movie is without a doubt Rorschach. His character is named after the Rorschach inkblot test and he is a man incapable of compromise – a sociopath if I’ve ever seen one. He’s idealistic in his own way and sees the world in black and white – no shades of gray.”
    “Rorschach would have none of it though.
    He stands up for what he believes is right.”
    i dont get what your saying do you mean Rorschach inkblot test gut is a sociopath or Rorschach the superhero or what?

    Reply
  4. eiling: Yeah eiling, it’s awesome! You have to watch it. πŸ™‚
    pm: Rorschach the superhero fits the sociopath profile, IMHO. I kinda like him. Sociopaths are fit to be leaders in certain situations. πŸ™‚
    Jade Zheng: Yeah, it’s really awesome right? πŸ™‚
    DYMM Tuanku: Haha! Not touching that with a 10 foot pole. πŸ˜‰

    Reply
  5. cindy khor: There’s only one with “superpowers”. The others are regular people (well, regular people with superhuman reflexes – one guy can catch a bullet fired at him at point blank).
    It’s great, a well thought out movie and long enough for character development. It’s about 2 1/2 hours.

    Reply
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