Watchmen (Director's Cut)
by Zack Snyder
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DVD details
Actor: Billy Crudup, Carla Gugino, Jackie Earle Haley, Malin Akerman, Patrick WilsonDirector: Zack Snyder
Brand: Warner Brothers
Producer: Deborah Snyder
Producer: Herb Gains
Producer: Lawrence Gordon
Writer: Alan Moore
Writer: Alex Tse
Writer: Dave Gibbons
Writer: David Hayter
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Color, Director's Cut, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Special Edition, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.40:1
Running Time: 186 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2009-07-21
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Model: 1000089594
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product features:
- Watchmen: The Director's Cut (Two-Disc
- Special Edition) [DVD] (2009); Alan Moore
DVD Reviews of Watchmen (Director's Cut)
DVD Review: "I can change almost anything, but I can't change human nature."
Summary: 4 Stars
This review is written specifically for the 2-Disc Director's Cut DVD. Further, I have not read the original graphic novel, so this review refers to only the film - there are no fan-boy blinders on over here!
The first ten minutes of "Watchmen" suggested that I was about to see one of the lasting classics of this decade. The opening fight sequence was unlike anything in recent memory. Within the realm of superhero battles, this one ranks right up there with some of the fight scenes in The Dark Knight and 300. The scope isn't epic, in the sense that it all takes place within a high-rise apartment living room, but the choreography is fantastic. The property damage is rendered incredibly well to boot, things like fists through walls and heads through countertops - it's all here! After this, perhaps the most technically impressive credits sequence I've ever seen begins. Set to the tune of the Bob Dylan classic "The Times They Are a-Changin", the sequence displays many historical events (such as the Kennedy assassination) and indicates how superheros played roles in them. The scenes are rendered in very stylish, often slow-motion sequences. This effect is also used in the fight scenes as well. Some seem to find this grating, but I'm a major fan of this technique. Slow motion lends a battle that classic Peckinpah-esque gritty brutality, and it's used to spectacular effect in "Watchmen". Unfortunately, despite these incredible opening scenes, "Watchmen" spirals into mediocrity before finally finding a clumsy footing in the climax of the film.
First of all, a word about the soundtrack. Often the film chooses brilliant compositions that fit the material here, such as the aforementioned Dylan track and a great use of the intro to "99 Luftballons" by Nena. Simon & Garfunkel's "Sounds of Silence" plays during a funeral sequence and the megahit Hendrix cover of "All Along the Watchtower" plays near the climax and they seem to fit rather well (though the use of both is a bit hackneyed). The major failing in the film's licensed tracks is when it attempts to be ironic. For instance, the use of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" during a bizarre love sequence between Nite Owl II and Silk Spectre aboard the airship "Archie". Archie, by the way, is a retro-styled throwback to the golden age of comics. It's a great setpiece, as it marries the nod to nostalgia with a fun design that cleverly mimicks the appearance of an owl. But, I digress. The love scene is already bizarre enough, and with the use of an overplayed, arguably mediocre song that's supposedly meant to indicate loss or longing - you have the makings of an epic fail. Equally as weak is the attempt to weave Nat King Cole's "Unforgettable" with the opening fight scene. When done well, this sort of technique is reasonably enjoyable, the combination of a beautiful composition with a horrific event. This, however, feels contrived and unconvincing. The score, for its part, did not detract from the film but was certainly nothing especially memorable.
The chief plotting failure of "Watchmen" is that, for a film with a myriad of interesting characters, there is far too much time spent on Nite Owl II and Silk Spectre - who are perhaps the least interesting heroes in the bunch. Most notably, there's painstaking detail devoted to their tepid love affair, which seems to be born out of convenience rather than passion. This creates a classic superhero love triangle because it's carried on to the chagrin of the much more fascinating naked blue guy. Sorry, I mean Doctor Manhattan. He barely pays any mind to Silk Spectre, which is most humorously illustrated during a love scene where there are two or three naked blue versions of himself caressing her (yeah, it's as weird as it sounds) while the 'real' Doctor Manhattan is actually deep in his work. Curiously, he seems puzzled by her unhappiness with respect to his lack of attention. I guess his supreme intellect causes him to be beneath the primitive sentiments of a mere mortal woman. Seriously, what's with this guy? In public he wears a fine tailored suit and occasionally he'll wear a tight high-rise speedo, but he spends the bulk of the movie walking around completely naked replete with a luminous penis swinging between his legs. I guess he's so advanced even clothing has little meaning to his towering intellect.
Rorschach is perhaps the second most-represented hero here, and is also perhaps the most interesting aside from The Comedian. He's perfected the angsty-growl speech affectations and makes a grand anti-hero. Rorschach is an engrossing, complex character because he often blurs the line between right and wrong, though he clearly considers himself a savior of humanity. His penchant for stark brutality clashes strongly with the more conventional heroic attributes of Nite Owl II. The Comedian, mostly seen in flashback, was perhaps my favorite hero presented here. Much like Rorschach, he often cannot fully decide if he's good or bad, but there is unquestionably more evil in him than good (he murders a pregnant woman carrying his own child).
Ozymandias could've been just as complex, if not more, but far too little detail was devoted to his character. I never felt truly engaged by his motivations and his explanations only brought up more questions. I expected the "Director's Cut" to shed more light on this character, considering it adds around twenty-four minutes, but he remains as equally inscrutable as in the theatrical version. Speaking of which, I do not consider the Director's Cut the "definitive" version. The bulk of the new material isn't particularly interesting and merely adds to the running time which was already pushing three hours. The only reason I'm pleased I selected the Director's Cut is because one of my favorite scenes is included in it. In the middle of the film an elderly hero is attacked by a gang of thugs and as he's struggling with them he imagines himself punching the villians of his youth. It's a very artful, crushing scene - particularly for a character we've only seen a handful of minutes of up until that point.
For a title that bills itself as a "Special Edition", the special features are shockingly scant, but I suppose they're saving everything for the 5-Disc Ultimate Collector's Edition coming in December. Of course, I was wholly unaware this was in the works until I saw the flier inserted into the DVD case, which offers $10 off if you sign up to receive email spam from them. Gee, thanks WB, aren't you guys swell? As always, the almighty double-dip wins again. According to the flier, the 5-Disc edition is supposed to contain an even more extended version of the film with "Tales of the Black Freighter" woven in, a commentary track, the complete Watchmen comics, and over two hours of bonus content including Hollis Mason's tell-all "Under the Hood" (whatever that is). "Tales of the Black Freighter", I understand, has already been released as an animated feature along with the "Under the Hood" segment as a special feature. This doesn't sound like must-have material, it seems to be for hardcore fans alone.
The special features included here are a fairly entertaining half-hour featurette on the impact of the comic and 11 "Watchmen Video Journals". These are extremely brief (3-5 minute) promotional videos that cover small aspects of the film's making. If they sound uninteresting, let me assure you that yes - they're entirely worthless. The DVD case says you can "immerse" yourself in them, but a more accurate reaction would be to "glance briefly" at them. If the clips had been edited together, I might have a slightly more positive slant on this, but ultimately this is something they slapped on the DVD simply to have something there. Honestly, I'd rather have a gallery of the trailers than these so-called "journals". To top it all off there's a bloody awful music video by My Chemical Romance butchering the Dylan classic "Desolation Row". That is something strictly for the pre-teens, who probably shouldn't be watching this film anyway. I think I hardly need point out that this is a poor excuse for a 2-Disc "Special Edition".
"Watchmen" is a technical triumph in many ways, from the clever and innovative opening credit sequence to the ultra high-intensity fight scenes, but the end product is mired in a web of great ideas that never seem to be fully fleshed out. The film has a lot to say, yet cannot seem to figure out how to articulate them, aside from a few painfully obvious observations on human nature. What focused my attention on this film, prior to seeing it, was that many reviewers were commenting on the "complex narrative structure" and that it was occasionally difficult to follow. I must say, though, if "Watchmen" is what American audiences consider a "complex narrative", then I lament our intellectual downfall. There are no weighty explorations of the human psyche here and there is no complex path the characters weave, it's a by-the-numbers superhero film with an excitingly dark tint and a handful of fresh ideas. For those who have not yet seen the film, I highly suggest a rental prior to purchase.
One final note: I must tip my hat to the filmmakers for some clever visual references to da Vinci's The Last Supper and the classic films Dr. Strangelove and Gunga Din (among other things). I greatly enjoy small flourishes such as these, as they add a lot to the atmosphere, and I'm particularly not accustomed to seeing things like this in a superhero film.
Description of Watchmen (Director's Cut)
WATCHMEN SE - DVD MovieEverybody's favorite graphic novel comes to the screen (after years of rumors and false starts), less a roaring work of adaptation than a respectful and faithful take on a radical original. Watchmen is set in the mid-1980s, a time of increased nuclear tension between the United States and the Soviet Union, as Richard Nixon is enjoying his fifth term as president and the world's superheroes have been forcibly retired. (As you can probably tell, the mix of authentic history and alternate reality is heady.) Things begin with a bang: the mysterious high-rise murder of the Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), a masked hero with a checkered past, puts the rest of the retired superhero community on alert. The credits sequence, a series of tableaux that wittily catches us up on crime-fighting backstory, actually turns out to be the high point of the movie. Thereafter we meet the other caped and hooded avengers: the furious Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley), the inexplicably naked Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup, amidst much blue-skinned, genital-swinging digital work), Silk Spectre II (Malin Akerman), Nite Owl II (Patrick Wilson), and Ozymandias (Matthew Goode). The corkscrewing storytelling, which worked well in the comic book, gives the movie the strange sense of never quite getting in gear, even as some of the episodes are arresting. Director Zack Snyder (300) doesn't try to approximate the electric impact of the original (written by Alan Moore--who declined to be credited on the movie--and illustrated by Dave Gibbons) but retains careful fidelity to his source material. That doesn't feel right, even with the generally enjoyable roll-out of anecdotes. Even less forgivable is the blah acting, excepting Jeffrey Dean Morgan (lusty) and Patrick Wilson (mellow). Watchmen certainly fills the eyes, although less so the ears: the song choices are regrettable, especially during an embarrassing mid-air coupling between Nite Owl II and Silk Spectre II as they unite their--ah--Roman numerals. In the end it feels as though a huge work of transcription has been successfully completed, which isn't the same as making a full-blooded movie experience. --Robert Horton
Also on the disc
The extended director's cut restores 24 minutes of connective tissue to the 162-minute film, most significantly the last scene of Hollis Mason, the first Nite Owl. Other elements help restore and fill in details that had been in the graphic novel. Fans of the film will be glad for the extra footage but there's nothing momentous that will change anyone's basic like or dislike of the film.
The second disc has the documentary "The Phenomenon: The Comic That Changed Comics," 29 min.), which looks at the original graphic novel and its themes, and interviews artist Dave Gibbons, DC Comics executives Jenette Kahn and Paul Levitz, and cast and crew, illustrating its points with scenes from the movie, panels from the graphic novel, and parts of the motion comic. There's also My Chemical Romance's "Desolation Row" music video and the 11 video journals that helped stir up excitement leading up to the theatrical run. No longer available is a Digital Copy of the film (compatible with both iTunes and Windows Media; download code expires July 21, 2010)l. --David Horiuchi
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