DVD Review by Kam
Williams
Watchmen
is an underwhelming
splatter flick bound
to be as well
remembered for its
casual display of
male genitalia as
for its ubiquitous
gore. Based on the
popular DC Comics
series of the same
name, this
eagerly-anticipated
adaptation is
plagued by a
plethora of
characters and a
convoluted plotline
that takes almost
three hours to
introduce, thicken
and resolve.
Part of the
confusion comes from
the backdrop of the
story, which is set
in 1985 in an
alternate reality
where Richard Nixon
is still president.
Furthermore, America
and the U.S.S.R. are
at odds and
teetering on the
brink of mutual
nuclear
annihilation.
The point of
departure is the
mysterious murder of
The Comedian
(Jeffrey Dean
Morgan), a retired
member of the
Watchmen, a
confederation of
superheroes who once
worked for the U.S.
government. His body
is discovered by
Rorschach (Jackie
Earle Haley), a
former colleague who
sports a mask with a
constantly changing
symmetrical ink
blot. Rorschach
decides its time to
reassemble the old
gang in order to get
to the bottom of the
crime, unaware that
this endeavor will,
in turn, embroil
them in a subplot to
save the planet from
extinction.
Most notable among
the motley crew
coming out of
mothballs are
brainiac Ozymandias
(Matthew Goode);
techno-wiz Nite Owl
II (Patrick Wilson);
curvy Silk Spectre
II (Malin Ackerman);
her lover Dr.
Manhattan (Billy
Crudup); and her
mother, Silk Spectre
(Carla Gugino). One
can’t help but
notice two things
about the
scene-stealing
Manhattan: that he’s
blue, and that he’s
always naked.
The latter
distraction tends to
overshadow his
amazing superhuman
ability to bend
matter with his
mind, the result of
the proverbial
exposure to
radiation in a lab
accident. For,
whenever the camera
shoots him below the
waist, we’re treated
to the shocking
sight of his
dangling family
jewels in all their
glory.
Equally jaw-dropping
is director Zack
Snyder’s tendency to
up the ante in terms
of gratuitous
violence. For
instance, in the
comic book,
Rorschach killed a
kidnapper simply by
handcuffing him to a
pipe, setting the
house on fire, and
calmly walking out.
But in the screen
version, Rorschach
has inexplicably
morphed into a
sadistic vigilante
who takes glee in
hacking away at the
same sicko’s head
with the cleaver.
A morally-ambiguous
parable designed to
tap into homoerotic
urges while
satiating the
bloodlust of the
sanguine, post-Pavlovian
Cyber Generation.
Fair (1 star)
Rated R for full
frontal nudity,
sexuality, profanity
and graphic
violence.
Running time: 163
minutes
Studio: Warner Home
Video
2-Disc DVD Extras:
Digital copy,
director’s cut,
video journals,
music video and “The
Phenomenon: The
Comic That Changed
Comics” featurette.
To see a trailer for
Watchmen,
visit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRMjr1UKa5k