Official Watchmen Trailer

[paquinero]

http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/watchmen/trailer

Check it out!

[KaOs-KrEaToR]

thanks!!! thats freakin amazing. i can't wait!

[CoreyB]

Huh. That looks pretty good. Cool.

[GLF]

Any chance someone could upload it to youtube? I'd like to see it, but when I click the link you gave it says I need Flash 9 to view it. I'm using my dad's computer, and he gets mad when I download anything without triple-checking with him and then letting him do it. And since he never gets around to actually downloading it, I'm right back where I started.:mad:

[lead sharp]

That was actually the best trailer I've ever seen, really made me excited to see the film. More so than The Dark Knight, mainly because I've known pretty much from the get go that TDK was going to be good, hope I'm not wrong on that.

Choice of music, key scenes, recognizable imagery for the fans, very cool imagery for the critics and intriguing stuff for Joe Public.

I still don't want this movie. I still don't want to see this movie. I still think Hollywood should leave things like Watchmen alone.

[Patrion]

Can anyone tell me what song that was? I loved the hell out of the trailer! It's quite awesome!

[GLF]

Never mind my earlier post. Apple.com has it up and I managed to watch it.
All I can say, is WOW. If this trailer is any indication this movie is going to be totally awesome!

[Ryan Day]

It definitely looks cool. I like Dr. Manhattan, though I'm concerned Nite Owl is looking a bit too badass.

Unfortunately, "looking cool" is only about 5% of what makes Watchmen great. I'm still very skeptical the film will be any good.

[Tetsuo_man]

This has psyched me more than the good praise gave gibbons has been giving it a while ago. so good, don't care if moore hates miller's 300 for supposed homophobia this is great!

[stealthwise]

Wow, that's an incredible video game trailer.

Oh wait, that's for an actual movie?


Well, screw that.

[Pil]

I was a bit bothered by Nightowl's suit, but other than that it looks awesome.

[carabas]

It certainly looks very promising. The trailer at least makes it seem like the film's been made by a fan of the book. And it got a lot better halfway through when I turned the sound off.

Shame about the dire song. I'd expected something a bit more symphonic.

[jesse_custer]

I was thinking about how the trailer showcased the characters as cool superheroes. Maybe Snyder did this intentionally to catch audiences off guard when he breaks them down.

Forget that you have ever read Watchmen and look at the characters. They indeed look like many other comic book superheroes. I'm hoping Snyder is smart enough to use his movie's design for similar trickery.

[A.C.R.O.N.Y.M.]

Well they really misunderstood what Watchmen is all about, huh? I mean, forget the unfortunate choice of music - look at how shiny everything is! The characters, the city streets - even the dirt and dust is shiny! Watchmen isn't shiny, Nite Owl isn't a bad ass character, Zack Snyder isn't the right director for this movie. This looks like a decent superhero movie trailer (if nothing else, it's got me thinking it might be possible to pull off a passable JLA film), but it looks like an expensive Saturday Night Live gag. This isn't how you do Watchmen, for goodness sake, this is all wrong. Someone suggested the trailer might be pumping up the action to take people by surprise, but I doubt it. It would be nice, but I doubt it.

If nothing else Moore and Gibbons will get som well-earned Hollywood cash, but then again, that might mean more leisure time and less comics. Guess no one wins in the long run. Oh, well, The Dark Knight still looks promising.

[jesse_custer]

Moore's name will not be attached to the film.

[A.C.R.O.N.Y.M.]

Good decision. Someday someone will make a good movie based on a Moore book and he'll be sorry his name wasn't on it. Until then, it's a good policy. But he must still be getting money for the rights, right?

[PanzerMega]

I was thinking about how the trailer showcased the characters as cool superheroes. Maybe Snyder did this intentionally to catch audiences off guard when he breaks them down.

Forget that you have ever read Watchmen and look at the characters. They indeed look like many other comic book superheroes. I'm hoping Snyder is smart enough to use his movie's design for similar trickery.

I think that's what Synder's going for. To the average bookstore customer, Watchmen looks more or less like any other superhero comic, but the story is so much more. Hopefully the movie is the same way.

There's no way you can sell a superhero movie with this budget if the trailer is all talking. It's gotta be a trojan horse.

[Tetsuo_man]

Good decision. Someday someone will make a good movie based on a Moore book and he'll be sorry his name wasn't on it. Until then, it's a good policy. But he must still be getting money for the rights, right?

It doesn't matter if a film is good or not moore has been screwed so many times he doesn't want his name on any adaptations. I mean even if it's good he doesn't want it because he doesn't trust filmmakers and hollywood. Also he gives all his royalties from the adaptations to his respective collaborators on said original comics that the movies are adapted from.

I think that's what Synder's going for. To the average bookstore customer, Watchmen looks more or less like any other superhero comic, but the story is so much more. Hopefully the movie is the same way.

There's no way you can sell a superhero movie with this budget if the trailer is all talking. It's gotta be a trojan horse.

I agree, definitly a trojan horse.

[A.C.R.O.N.Y.M.]

It doesn't matter if a film is good or not moore has been screwed so many times he doesn't want his name on any adaptations. I mean even if it's good he doesn't want it because he doesn't trust filmmakers and hollywood. Also he gives all his royalties from the adaptations to his respective collaborators on said original comics that the movies are adapted from.


That's very good of him. And you could see why he doesn't trust Hollywood. From Hell and the League film are hardly anything you'd like to be associated with.

As for the notion of Snyder and the studio "pulling a Breakfast Club", we can hope, but that still won't change the fact that the movie - judging by those few minutes - looks and feels all wrong, what with all the slowed-down/sped-up action sequences and all.

[Ryan Day]

That's very good of him. And you could see why he doesn't trust Hollywood. From Hell and the League film are hardly anything you'd like to be associated with.

Actually, it's not even the quality of the films he's taken issue with. I mean, he doesn't like them at all, but that's not the main problem: When he sold the rights to LOEG, he got sucked into a lawsuit from someone who claimed the studio had stolen their idea and "commissioned" Moore's book as a front. And when V for Vendetta was in development, Joel Silver (I think) announced that Moore was very happy with the script, despite the fact he'd refused to have anything to do with it.

He seems to have a sense of humour about the fact most of the movies have sucked, but takes stuff like his name being thrown around very seriously.

[jesse_custer]

Moore has openly criticized V for Vendetta, especially for ignoring the anarchism vs. fascism conflict and moral ambiguity of his comic.

[Ryan Day]

Yeah, but it wasn't the quality of the films that set him off, it's the way he was treated when they were made. The Vendetta controversy was the reason he quit DC once and for all.

[ZT4]

I find it intriguing that the soundtrack was taken from Batman and Robin
...prophetic, or just darn risky?

[Jake V]

I find it intriguing that the soundtrack was taken from Batman and Robin
...prophetic, or just darn risky?

Neither.

While yes, the song was on the batman and robin soundtrack, it was essentially a Smashing Pumpkins B-side to the actual single they released for the movie.

And its a pretty good song too.

[Tetsuo_man]

Neither.

While yes, the song was on the batman and robin soundtrack, it was essentially a Smashing Pumpkins B-side to the actual single they released for the movie.

And its a pretty good song too.

Agreed, damn good song. Love smashing pumpkins.

[jesse_custer]

nevermind.

[ZT4]

Neither.

It was a joke.

And yes, the Smashing Pumpkins are awesome

[MaxofSteel]

Can anyone tell me what song that was? I loved the hell out of the trailer! It's quite awesome!

It's sorta been said already, but the track is titled "The Beginning is the End is the Beginning" I believe. Or it may be vice versa (The End is the Beginning is the End).

But yeah. Smashing Pumpkins. Good stuff.

[The Xenos]

Anyone else listen to the lyrics, and even the full lyrics, and just make strange and interesting connections to Watchmen? Who knew a song from such a shitty movie would work so much better for a trailer for a movie of such a great book?

Not that my hopes are too high. I know fitting such a book into a single film or even any filmed medium is impossible, but this is looking about as good as it could get.

[vazel]

Makes me feel so damn old that I've seen comments on forums wondering what that music was. It's like 10 years ago everyone knew who the Smashing Pumpkins were. And I've even seen people dismiss it as shitty pop music. The Smashing Pumpkins were so much more than just another pop band.

[alveraz]

This looks amazing. Watchmen changed the way I understood comic-books and this has been a long-time coming for old-school fans of this series. I'm willing to look past the "flash" of this film as long as they nail down a good portion of the story. You have to keep in mind, this story is extremely complex and no one would green light this for a long time because no could could find the balance between keeping the story and finding a market.

So, you're going to find compromises, get over it! The Owl might not be a shlub, some things may be "clean" and there will be more action and less socio-political undertones. It's about marketability. The demand was overwhelming, so the studio said, okay, but we're doing it this way. That's what we have to accept as fans, at least we got the darn thing.

If we had it our way, the film would never be made, as the marketability would be insignificant, the theaters would be packed with middle-aged purists. To make back the studio investment, they need a wide market and fans that have never even heard of the Watchmen, that's where the money is! So I suggest we lay off the "owl looks lame", it's too "flashy" comments. You're just going to set yourself up for a real crappy time.

Sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. Watch the film for what it is, an adaptation of a comic-book series, emphasis on adaptation.

[JayC]

I hope to god it's better and much more RAW than that looks... :(

[alveraz]

Let me put it this way, a friend of mine was once considered for this project and was ultimately turned down because his script adaptation was too close to the source material. If you guys are hoping for too much "grit" you're going to be disappointed. I'm telling you, Hollywood is built on marketing, that's all that matters, it's what keeps these films profitable. You'll get your grit and grime of the series but it will be watered down, period. Move on and be happy we get it at all :)

[jesse_custer]

You have described the situation perfectly, yet the justification given for the acceptance thereof is weak. Audiences should demand more from Hollywood. The less we demand the more studios can sleepwalk.

[mastaflan]

Always the haters that are so vocal...the sad part is I feel that Zack Snyder was the best candidate for this project especially since his movies seem to reflect a deep sense of respect towards the creators and the Fan Boy community. I know that movie wasn't exactly how the comic went but it was 90 percent close. Oh well I guess you can't please them all...Hollywood is a very political and a money driven business... I feel lucky that this movie was even made and put in the charge of what I believe to be in the hands of a director capable of making this movie as close to the book as possible.

[alveraz]

You have described the situation perfectly, yet the justification given for the acceptance thereof is weak. Audiences should demand more from Hollywood. The less we demand the more studios can sleepwalk.

Ha! Okay, go ahead and write Paramount a letter, maybe if they get enough letters they will make less marketable movies, lose all their profits and close-down! At least you'll get your perfect adaptation. Sheesh, it baffles me how the general public thinks the industry works. They throw around words like "demand" like they're some kind of resistance fighters. You want change? Don't buy tickets to this film, that is the ONLY way the studios listen, pure revenue. But, knowing every single one of you that stand on this fragile platitude, you'll be right there in line, paying your money with the rest of us.

:)

[CBikle]

I was thinking about how the trailer showcased the characters as cool superheroes. Maybe Snyder did this intentionally to catch audiences off guard when he breaks them down.


That's cool, but if that's the case, I'd hope that they create and release a second trailer that's more dialogue heavy (maybe a scene between Rorschach and Nite-Owl).

[Ryan Day]

Always the haters that are so vocal...the sad part is I feel that Zack Snyder was the best candidate for this project especially since his movies seem to reflect a deep sense of respect towards the creators and the Fan Boy community. I know that movie wasn't exactly how the comic went but it was 90 percent close.

I liked most of 300, but it's a completely different project. 300 is about Spartans being badass, lots of action, and looking really cool. And it's an easy adaptation, because there's not a lot of meat to the story; though the one part he added, with the Queen fighting for her country by having sex, was pretty awful.

Watchmen is the complete opposite. He's making it look cool, but that's not what makes Watchmen great, and I haven't seen anything from Snyder that suggests he has a particular talent for character or subtlety.

And naturally you have to make a lot of changes for Watchmen to work as a 2-hour movie - and there are necessary changes to accommodate the change of medium, but when you start changing the characters and themes in the name of marketability, the whole thing just turns into a waste of time.

V for Vendetta wasn`t a terrible movie because they changed some characters, updated the setting, and omitted a few subplots. It was a terrible movie because they took a story that`s complex and morally ambiguous and turned it into Zorro Vs. Hitler for a 12-year-old audience.

[Subotai]

I heard Moore didn't like the choice of Snyder and didn't like 300. Is that true?

I'd like it to turn out well, but adapting Watchmen is a hell of a lot tougher than adapting Frank Miller.

[Subotai]

V for Vendetta wasn`t a terrible movie because they changed some characters, updated the setting, and omitted a few subplots. It was a terrible movie because they took a story that`s complex and morally ambiguous and turned it into Zorro Vs. Hitler for a 12-year-old audience.

Bingo. On the nose.

[Ryan Day]

I heard Moore didn't like the choice of Snyder and didn't like 300. Is that true?

I'd like it to turn out well, but adapting Watchmen is a hell of a lot tougher than adapting Frank Miller.

He thought 300 was racist and homophobic; I don't agree, but I understand the viewpoint. Granted, that reflects more on Miller's book than Snyder.

There's a great interview with him at Entertainment Weekly (http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20213004,00.html) where he talks about movies, and a bunch of other stuff.

I love this bit:
I was turning 40 and thinking, Oh dear, I'm probably going to have one of those midlife crisis things which always just bore the hell out of everybody. So it would probably be better if, rather than just having a midlife crisis, I just went completely screaming mad and declared myself to be a magician. That would, at least, be more colorful. So, I announced, on the night of my 40th birthday party — probably after more beers than I should have had — that, ''from this point on, I'm going to become a magician.'' And then the next morning you have to think, Oh, what have I said now? Are we going to have to go through with this? So I had to go about finding out what a magician was and what they did.

[HaroldAllnut]

Wow, that's an incredible video game trailer. Oh wait, that's for an actual movie? Well, screw that.

You beat me to the punch, stealthwise. Well said and well met.

[Bruce Edwards]

Well, the choice of the song is humerous enough.

The Beginning is the End is the Beginning - or whatever the title is - seems to reflect Manhattans viewpoint expressed towards the end of Watchment. (OK, I might be wrong here, it's been a while since I saw it).

And subverting a song previously used for a Superhero movie which was the polar opposite of everything Watchmen stands for? Haha great.

As for the Owl ... yeah, he is perhaps a bit too awesome looking. But it does set up the audience to think he's going to be Awesome like Batman ...

This is all proof that either Zack Snyder has a firm handle on the source material and truly understands it, or he's a vapid but lucky sumbitch.

[JayC]

You have described the situation perfectly, yet the justification given for the acceptance thereof is weak. Audiences should demand more from Hollywood. The less we demand the more studios can sleepwalk.

I completely agree, why accept them ruining it on-screen? I'd rather it be a small time film done on HBO the right way if that's the case...

[jesse_custer]

Ha! Okay, go ahead and write Paramount a letter, maybe if they get enough letters they will make less marketable movies, lose all their profits and close-down! At least you'll get your perfect adaptation. Sheesh, it baffles me how the general public thinks the industry works. They throw around words like "demand" like they're some kind of resistance fighters. You want change? Don't buy tickets to this film, that is the ONLY way the studios listen, pure revenue. But, knowing every single one of you that stand on this fragile platitude, you'll be right there in line, paying your money with the rest of us.

:)

Well, since I wasn't offended by the Watchmen trailer and am willing to give the film a shot, I won't be doing any letter writing or the like. Now, if the movie sucks, I'm not going to justify the suckage by saying the studio needs to make money. Everyone needs to make money, but they deserve harsh criticism if their work is questionable.

V for Vendetta wasn`t a terrible movie because they changed some characters, updated the setting, and omitted a few subplots. It was a terrible movie because they took a story that`s complex and morally ambiguous and turned it into Zorro Vs. Hitler for a 12-year-old audience.

And because they threw in a Matrix fight for no reason other than to get each other off.

[The Xenos]

Makes me feel so damn old that I've seen comments on forums wondering what that music was. It's like 10 years ago everyone knew who the Smashing Pumpkins were. And I've even seen people dismiss it as shitty pop music. The Smashing Pumpkins were so much more than just another pop band.
Not sure if I wasn't old enough or just not cool enough, but I do remember that song being on the Batman & Robin soundtrack. As horrible as the movie was, the music was nice. Think I had it on cassette tape or maybe I had upgraded to CDs by then. I know I had the Batman Forever soundtrack first on tape.

I completely agree, why accept them ruining it on-screen? I'd rather it be a small time film done on HBO the right way if that's the case...
You know, I've been thinking about the mini-series argument. I don't know if even a mini-series could capture the complexities captured in print, in words and images.

Also, there's a neat interview with Snyder that impressed me with his comments about Rorschach, talking about if he's mentally ill or just has a very black and white view of justice. Considering Ditko's Question inspired the character, that's a pretty keen observation.
http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?id=1591133&vid=259128

[mastaflan]

I liked most of 300, but it's a completely different project. 300 is about Spartans being badass, lots of action, and looking really cool. And it's an easy adaptation, because there's not a lot of meat to the story; though the one part he added, with the Queen fighting for her country by having sex, was pretty awful.

Watchmen is the complete opposite. He's making it look cool, but that's not what makes Watchmen great, and I haven't seen anything from Snyder that suggests he has a particular talent for character or subtlety.

And naturally you have to make a lot of changes for Watchmen to work as a 2-hour movie - and there are necessary changes to accommodate the change of medium, but when you start changing the characters and themes in the name of marketability, the whole thing just turns into a waste of time.

V for Vendetta wasn`t a terrible movie because they changed some characters, updated the setting, and omitted a few subplots. It was a terrible movie because they took a story that`s complex and morally ambiguous and turned it into Zorro Vs. Hitler for a 12-year-old audience.


Then let us pray that the Watchmen DVD is an hour or 2 longer and can finish what the big screen couldn't. Kingdom of Heaven directors cut made more sense than the one shown in the theaters. I think I am looking at this the wrong way...I'm a much easier sell than most people I guess...but I have also developed buyers fatigue making me numb to a lot of new ideas too...

[thehod]

The best place for Watchmen is where its always been, in the comics. That's the best medium for the presentation of Moore's work, and he's said as much himself.

If you want a Watchmen film, you're going to have to accept some changes in order for it to work as a film. Some of the depth of narrative will have to come out, and exposition will have to be punctuated in order to bring it in under a running time of three days.

However, it never ceases to amaze me that people can judge the quality of a movie on a trailer that's less than two minutes long, and purposely designed to be a teaser, and as such usually takes a great deal of artistic license with how the film will eventually 'feel'.

For me, my feelings would be cautiously optimistic, as some of the visuals, especially Dr Manhattan, look superb, but I'm not going to go one way or another until I see the final version.

[drinkblatzbeer]

Can anyone tell me what song that was? I loved the hell out of the trailer! It's quite awesome!


the beginning is the end is the beginning from the batman and robin soundtrack...
by smashing pumpkins...
track 15...

don't know if anyone answered this yet...and for anyone else who wants to know...

[drinkblatzbeer]

You know, I've been thinking about the mini-series argument. I don't know if even a mini-series could capture the complexities captured in print, in words and images.



best line in this topic thusfar...

and that's why they didn't go that route...

it brings up the old and ridiculous argument of which was better, the book or the movie...
let's see, thousands of pages and words with no budget to what ideas you express, or a limited form with a budget and time constraints...

that is why watchmen is a movie...
i think zack snyder set out, and is capable of, taking what was already a brilliant story, tweaking it and making it a larger than life motion picture...different in it's own medium, but just as powerful...
from knowing his work, reading interviews by him, I don't think he'd settle for anything short of that...

comic movies in general can only benefit from him hitting this one out of the park, following up very strong showings from iron man and the dark knight, this is going to, i personally think, be the barometer for the next decade to follow...just as long as it doesn't stink as bad as V for Vendetta did...

[Radical]

http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/watchmen/trailer

Check it out!

Looks faithful, but I'll reserve judgment till I actually see it.

[The Xenos]

Hurm. The odd thing is V for Vendetta didn't quite stink. It just wasn't anywhere near as potent and ballsy and far gone as the book.

[Ryan Day]

I've gotta say that anyone who thinks you can't make a faithful and marketable adaptation of Watchmen needs to take look at The Dark Knight. Nolan made an incredibly dark and brutal movie, and it's easily going to be the biggest blockbuster of the year.

And while I'll admit that being able to make a movie about Batman and the Joker gives a film a certain marketability, I'd also suggest you don't need $150 million to make Watchmen. You just need a lot of talent and a little bravery.

[mauisunset]

THE GOOD:

I'll reserve judgement until I see it. It seems that Snyder has more respect for thesources-material than other "Moore-inspired" movies.

And c'mon, the first bitch on here was the "costumes are too shiny." Shit rolled down-hill and everyone's gonna pre-judege. Don't be snobby, folks, this is gonna be a lot of fun, no matter what.

For a movie, it looked intresting, not what we'd have expected, but when did you ever get a great piece of art that you were "really expecting."

It would look different in live action no matter how you filmed it, and if Gibbons gives a thumbs-up, I'll check it out.. Trying to make it look like the art from the book would have involved so much digital manipulation... you might as well just animate it. And that stuff could have been great, or Ang Lee could come around and throw "panels" on it . Wouldn't that have been great? I'll take shiny.

And, yeah, Nightowl's gonna look a lot more holly-supe-standard.

-Hate to say it, but what I was really waiting to judge it on was whether Dr. Manhatten had full-frontal.--Not that I really need to see dicks, but I think it's a tell as far as how willing the studio was to stay close to the source. You could've thrown the man-panties, but, no, they apperently went for it. (Also impressed that they stuck with the eighties setting-instead of the almost-inevitable "update." I'm even excited to see the afore-mentioned opening sequence which intros the viewer to this "alternative history" of Watchmen-that'll be something created whole-cloth by Snyder & Co. I'll weigh a LOT of the movie IF they add ANYTHING not in the source on how good will that is. If he can even make it seamless in his own movie-He's either done a great job on a great story, or a shitty job on a bad adaptation.

I think we're all together hoping they "add" as little as possible. Were I god, I guess Robert Rodriguez would have been the director (co-director with Moore in a just universe) cause we all know, he wouldn't have changed a damn thing-for better or worse. FM's SC didn't hold up under that light-it would have been better ADAPTED. Alan Moore doesn't need adapting.

In the end, if he sticks to the story, it'd be pretty hard to screw up- this is OUR citizen Kane, people.

THE BAD:

OK, haven't seen any mention of these:

#1
IIRC Snyder gave a quote I'll paraphrase..."Since Watchmen was so referentual to the medium and genre it belonged to, we wanted to do the same with the movie-That's why you'll see Ozy's suit has sculpted muscles and NIPPLES -ala Batman and Robin" All I can say is that paraphrase MAKES ME SCARED ABOUT THIS.

"And subverting a song previously used for a Superhero movie which was the polar opposite of everything Watchmen stands for? Haha great."

-If that's the strongest subversion in this film, somebody just did not get it.

#2
They just put out a CBR column on the coming Watchmen GAME. Watchmen is not open-ended (in the game sense). If there are Watchmen characters hocking Spaghetti-O's, then I'll sit this one out. Watchmen is not a GAME. It's a story and it is what it is, or what it should be, at least.

#3
They're leaving out "Tales of the Black Freighter." Instead they'll animate it for the DVD. Again, does NOT bode well.

What it comes to: I'm tenatively excited. It will not be the book. Give that up now or tear your hair out after you've seen it, but it won't be the book.

However, it does look like the closest adaptation of a Moore book thus far, and that alone is exciting.

However, if I see Ozy on a Wheaties box between now and then, I'm out.

Cross your fingers, lower your expectations, and I think we'll make it through, though. (sorry so babbling). And remember-If you're not too old, and this ends up really bad-we'll see it redone eventually-if supes, bats, and Hulk deserve "requels" Watchmen seriously does.

[The Xenos]

Actually, I almost wouldn't mind Ozymandias on a Wheaties box. He was the sell out fo the group. Kinda fits in a meta sorta way.

[BigBoss]

Well they really misunderstood what Watchmen is all about, huh? I mean, forget the unfortunate choice of music - look at how shiny everything is! The characters, the city streets - even the dirt and dust is shiny! Watchmen isn't shiny, Nite Owl isn't a bad ass character, Zack Snyder isn't the right director for this movie. This looks like a decent superhero movie trailer (if nothing else, it's got me thinking it might be possible to pull off a passable JLA film), but it looks like an expensive Saturday Night Live gag. This isn't how you do Watchmen, for goodness sake, this is all wrong. Someone suggested the trailer might be pumping up the action to take people by surprise, but I doubt it. It would be nice, but I doubt it.

If nothing else Moore and Gibbons will get som well-earned Hollywood cash, but then again, that might mean more leisure time and less comics. Guess no one wins in the long run. Oh, well, The Dark Knight still looks promising.
Dont act like moore is doing this for money hell, man moore hates the idea of this being made into a movie. He want's nothing to even do with it!

[Crash-Man]

I was against Snyder as director of this movie from the get-go.

But between this trailer and the snobby, far-fetched and downright sickening sort of criticism he's been getting from the critics among us, I'm slowly becoming a supporter.

It's almost as if people have just decided to hate the movie beforehand and will go to any lengths to justify the preconceived notion. And the compromises and different perspectives they would have accepted, if not praised, if another director had done the project, are forming the foundation of some of this silly talk.



Also, V for Vendetta was a fantastic movie. It wasn't the comic, but I think it did a great job of transferring the essence of the comic to the big screen. The only real moral ambiguity that was lost was a result of V becoming less of an anarchist and more of a super-liberal...which really wasn't that different from what he was in the comic.

Which version of Zorro kidnaps young women and forcibly feeds them his own perspective on a political conflict? Poisons middle-aged repentant women? Or makes deals to kill despots outright?

Silly.

[The Xenos]

I'd say V was more of a super libertarian. Super liberals are more for big nanny states. Well, unless you consider libertarians as true liberals as opposed to what the near solcialists running the Democrats pretend to be. But that's just me nitpicking that comment.

Yes, V was more of a pure anarchist in the book and they toned that down much in the film. I still say as watered down as he may have been, it was still enough of a much needed shock to the system that America needed. Moore wrote the book to reply to Thatcher. The Watchowskis made it a movie in reply to Bush Jr.

Another bit of moral ambiguity that I felt was still in the film was wheter or not V was on his quest for justice.. or if it was just a vendetta against the people that locked him up.

[Ghost Shark]

I know the book and, presumably the movie, take place in 1985, but my God those are some phenomenally bad hairstyles in that trailer!

[Ryan Day]

Which version of Zorro kidnaps young women and forcibly feeds them his own perspective on a political conflict? Poisons middle-aged repentant women? Or makes deals to kill despots outright?


You make a couple good points, but they're the stuff the movie took almost verbatim from the book. (Although killing a despot? Not particularly radical, and what V did to the Leader in the book was much nastier, though admittedly less cinematic.)

But then the Wachowskis put their own ideas in to the movie: Concocting a conspiracy theory to show the bad guys are really really bad guys? Surrounding the leader with blatant Nazi imagery, just in case you missed how bad they are? Somehow manufacturing and distributing 10,000 V masks? And that particularly awful scene that spells out in excruciating clarity that the guy in the fake beard with the tip who sounds kind of like Hugo Weaving is actually V in disguise?

[GRKiller]

Can anyone tell me what song that was? I loved the hell out of the trailer! It's quite awesome!
"The Begining is the End is the Begining" by Smashing Pumpkins



- Sorry if this has already been posted, didnt feel like reading through four pages of replies. But anyways, this movie looks promising so far.

[Jack Sparrow]

#2
They just put out a CBR column on the coming Watchmen GAME. Watchmen is not open-ended (in the game sense). If there are Watchmen characters hocking Spaghetti-O's, then I'll sit this one out. Watchmen is not a GAME. It's a story and it is what it is, or what it should be, at least

from mtv.com:

"The "Watchmen" game is a prequel to the saga first chronicled in Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' legendary 1980s DC Comics miniseries."

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1591385/20080723/id_0.jhtml

[The Xenos]

A Watchmen video game. Wonderful. Alan Moore must be rolling over in his grave. Well, not that he's dead. He just sits in graves sometimes channeling spirits.

[Ryan Day]

One thing I noticed in the trailer, and it was reinforced with the new posters, is that they seem to be telegraphing the ending a little bit - Ozymandias is looking fairly sinister.

[CoreyB]

One thing I noticed in the trailer, and it was reinforced with the new posters, is that they seem to be telegraphing the ending a little bit - Ozymandias is looking fairly sinister.

They designed the ads after the original ads for the comic books. They're extremely faithful. Most people reading the comic when it originally came out didn't guess it, so I don't really see it being an issue.

[GRANT!]

One thing I noticed in the trailer, and it was reinforced with the new posters, is that they seem to be telegraphing the ending a little bit - Ozymandias is looking fairly sinister.

They all look kind of sinister.

[40yearoldnovafan]

Well they really misunderstood what Watchmen is all about, huh? I mean, forget the unfortunate choice of music - look at how shiny everything is! The characters, the city streets - even the dirt and dust is shiny! Watchmen isn't shiny, Nite Owl isn't a bad ass character, Zack Snyder isn't the right director for this movie. This looks like a decent superhero movie trailer (if nothing else, it's got me thinking it might be possible to pull off a passable JLA film), but it looks like an expensive Saturday Night Live gag. This isn't how you do Watchmen, for goodness sake, this is all wrong. Someone suggested the trailer might be pumping up the action to take people by surprise, but I doubt it. It would be nice, but I doubt it.

If nothing else Moore and Gibbons will get som well-earned Hollywood cash, but then again, that might mean more leisure time and less comics. Guess no one wins in the long run. Oh, well, The Dark Knight still looks promising.

Just have faith. I opened up my trade paperback and found every scene in the trailer. You have to remember, there are action scenes in the book. When a trailer is put together, you want the action to draw the non readers in. If they put a trailer together with just exposition, interrogation, dirty streets, etc, only the hardcore fans are going to watch it. Trailers clip together the action scenes.

Did you not watch Snyder's version of "300"? He tries to make accurate depictions of the books. Plus, when interviewed, he stated how he is being true to the book and is having a hard time editing it down because if you edit too much, there's a point where the Watchmen is no longer the Watchmen.

We fans are usually the hardest on these movies. We need to give them a chance, at least until we see them and verify they are no good. Do we want Hollywood to stop attempting to bring these stories to life? If that was the case, we would have no Spider-man, no Iron Man, no Batman, no Hulk, etc.

As long as these guys are staying true to the characters and stories, give them a chance.

I have read the Watchmen numerous times, and this trailer matches it. I have a feeling, if you watch this, it will rock your socks off. And about the color - the comic had some color. The trailer was gritty, and so was the feel of the trailer. Yes, the outfits (like Silk Specter's) looked slick, but it is a plastic or rubber thing, like in the book. Plastic and rubber are slick.

Lets discuss this again once we see the movie.

Jimmy

[40yearoldnovafan]

This looks amazing. Watchmen changed the way I understood comic-books and this has been a long-time coming for old-school fans of this series. I'm willing to look past the "flash" of this film as long as they nail down a good portion of the story. You have to keep in mind, this story is extremely complex and no one would green light this for a long time because no could could find the balance between keeping the story and finding a market.

So, you're going to find compromises, get over it! The Owl might not be a shlub, some things may be "clean" and there will be more action and less socio-political undertones. It's about marketability. The demand was overwhelming, so the studio said, okay, but we're doing it this way. That's what we have to accept as fans, at least we got the darn thing.

If we had it our way, the film would never be made, as the marketability would be insignificant, the theaters would be packed with middle-aged purists. To make back the studio investment, they need a wide market and fans that have never even heard of the Watchmen, that's where the money is! So I suggest we lay off the "owl looks lame", it's too "flashy" comments. You're just going to set yourself up for a real crappy time.

Sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. Watch the film for what it is, an adaptation of a comic-book series, emphasis on adaptation.
Amen!

Jimmy

[stillanerd]

I believe that Alan Moore's Watchmen is one of the greatest graphic novels, if not one of the better modern classic of 20th century literature, ever made, so don't take it the wrong way when, after looking at this teaser trailer, that I have this feeling that...

This movie adaptation is going to suck, and suck HARD.

Oh, sure, some things look pretty damn impressive. Rorschach looks pretty bad-ass, and his voice--not to mention his line about "The world will look up and scream 'Save us!' And I'll look down and whisper 'No.'"--is pitch perfect and gives you an instant feel for who the character is. And the shots of Dr. Manhattan, while looking a little too CGI, from Jon's transformation to the creation of his Martian hideaway, looks stunning.

However, the reason why I think it's going to suck (and I hope it doesn't but it's based on my initial reaction) is the whole look of the movie is completely wrong given the source material. The premise behind Watchmen is that it speculates what superheroes and costumed vigilantes would be like if they were dropped into the real world at a certain time in history, which means the environment for the movie should look as close to being EXACTLY like the real world as much as possible. This? This looks like Zack Synder was ripping off Tim Burton and Joel Scumacher's Batman films, in which everything looks like it takes place on either a backlot or a soundstage. The scenes of Vietnam look like absolute crap, and the scenes with Nite Owl, Silk Spectre, and Ozymandius remind me too much like Batman Forever--and it's SO wrong for Watchmen, IMO. If part of the story takes place in Vietnam, then film something that looks like they are in an actual jungle and OUTSIDE. If part of the story takes place in New York, then have it be filmed on location in New York City or something that looks like it could be New York, not some generic studio backdrop.

Maybe the script and acting will be all right, but I just have a bad feeling that, because the look of the film doesn't appear to have the sense of realism that the actual comic attempted to project, it's going to come off as cheesy when it's meant to be serious.

[Jack Sparrow]

I believe that Alan Moore's Watchmen is one of the greatest graphic novels, if not one of the better modern classic of 20th century literature, ever made, so don't take it the wrong way when, after looking at this teaser trailer, that I have this feeling that...

This movie adaptation is going to suck, and suck HARD.

Oh, sure, some things look pretty damn impressive. Rorschach looks pretty bad-ass, and his voice--not to mention his line about "The world will look up and scream 'Save us!' And I'll look down and whisper 'No.'"--is pitch perfect and gives you an instant feel for who the character is. And the shots of Dr. Manhattan, while looking a little too CGI, from Jon's transformation to the creation of his Martian hideaway, looks stunning.

However, the reason why I think it's going to suck (and I hope it doesn't but it's based on my initial reaction) is the whole look of the movie is completely wrong given the source material. The premise behind Watchmen is that it speculates what superheroes and costumed vigilantes would be like if they were dropped into the real world at a certain time in history, which means the environment for the movie should look as close to being EXACTLY like the real world as much as possible. This? This looks like Zack Synder was ripping off Tim Burton and Joel Scumacher's Batman films, in which everything looks like it takes place on either a backlot or a soundstage. The scenes of Vietnam look like absolute crap, and the scenes with Nite Owl, Silk Spectre, and Ozymandius remind me too much like Batman Forever--and it's SO wrong for Watchmen, IMO. If part of the story takes place in Vietnam, then film something that looks like they are in an actual jungle and OUTSIDE. If part of the story takes place in New York, then have it be filmed on location in New York City or something that looks like it could be New York, not some generic studio backdrop.

Maybe the script and acting will be all right, but I just have a bad feeling that, because the look of the film doesn't appear to have the sense of realism that the actual comic attempted to project, it's going to come off as cheesy when it's meant to be serious.

Funny, because IMHO the look of the movie perfectly captures the feel of the comic. Kind of reminds me of the joke "what do opinions and a-holes have in common?" :biggrin:

[stillanerd]

Funny, because IMHO the look of the movie perfectly captures the feel of the comic. Kind of reminds me of the joke "what do opinions and a-holes have in common?" :biggrin:

Well, message boards have to have at least one opinionated a-hole such as myself.:wink:

But seriously, I've seen the websites with the trailer vs. comic book comparisons, and have read some interviews Synder did concerning Watchmen, so I have no doubt that he respects the graphic novel tremendously and wants to be as faithful to it as he can (and some scenes in the trailer, especially when Jon in the molecule chamber are on target). However, would it have killed Synder to make the Vietnam scene look like they took place in Nam as opposed to a sound stage? Or that all the stuff with Nite Owl didn't look like Outtakes from Burton and Schumacher's Batman films? It's just my gut reaction watching the trailer was that a good portion of it just looked so...well, fake. And fake is not something I would think should be associated with something like Watchmen.

[Jack Sparrow]

Well, message boards have to have at least one opinionated a-hole such as myself.:wink:

But seriously, I've seen the websites with the trailer vs. comic book comparisons, and have read some interviews Synder did concerning Watchmen, so I have no doubt that he respects the graphic novel tremendously and wants to be as faithful to it as he can (and some scenes in the trailer, especially when Jon in the molecule chamber are on target). However, would it have killed Synder to make the Vietnam scene look like they took place in Nam as opposed to a sound stage? Or that all the stuff with Nite Owl didn't look like Outtakes from Burton and Schumacher's Batman films? It's just my gut reaction watching the trailer was that a good portion of it just looked so...well, fake. And fake is not something I would think should be associated with something like Watchmen.

just curious, but asside from the dr. manhattan, what exactly do you think looks SO unrealistic about these pics?

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/Everitt_Cage/watchmennampic.jpg

[stillanerd]

just curious, but asside from the dr. manhattan, what exactly do you think looks SO unrealistic about these pics?

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/Everitt_Cage/watchmennampic.jpg

For one thing, the grass looks a little too neatly placed for it to be genuine. Also the lighting in the foreground, or lack thereof, doesn't quite match that of the background with the setting sun. The characters are lit differently, I think, than they would normally be if the scene was taking place outside during oncoming dusk, even with the light from the Comedian's flamethrower and the background infernos; same with the helicopters, although I'm sure the effect is that they are supposed to be silhouetted against the sunset. The sky itself looks like it could be a green screen projection than an actual sky, and the helicopters look more like models than actual helicopters. Maybe it's just the way Synder shot it, but my impression is that the Vietnam sequence looks too much like it was shot on a soundstage than something actually filmed outside.

[GRANT!]

For one thing, the grass looks a little too neatly placed for it to be genuine. Also the lighting in the foreground, or lack thereof, doesn't quite match that of the background with the setting sun. The characters are lit differently, I think, than they would normally be if the scene was taking place outside during oncoming dusk, even with the light from the Comedian's flamethrower and the background infernos; same with the helicopters, although I'm sure the effect is that they are supposed to be silhouetted against the sunset. The sky itself looks like it could be a green screen projection than an actual sky, and the helicopters look more like models than actual helicopters. Maybe it's just the way Synder shot it, but my impression is that the Vietnam sequence looks too much like it was shot on a soundstage than something actually filmed outside.

I won't argue with that but... all this stuff is being finessed as we speak. The final shot will look different. I won't say it will look more realistic but it might gel better with the overall film. Apparently the ComicCon footage looks very different.

[The Xenos]

Well, if you can find the money to build a time machine that flips into alternate realities circa 1986, feel free. You simply cannot film Watchmen in New York because Watchmen's New York simply doesn't exist. Neither does a Vietnam with a giant blue superhero. Backlots and green screen are simply how movies are mostly made, especially when dealing with other worldly places and events like Watchmen. It sounds like Watchmen's budget is already surprisingly big.

Also, I'm very nit picky about CGI and accurate costumes, and Doctor Manhattan is amazing to me. There's a gracefulness that I thought captures the character well.

[blueharvest]

Hi all
Huge fan of watchmen, not sure about the movie though. I've been disappointed by all previous Alan Moore adaptations. I'm optimistic that it won't completely suck.
Anyway, I created a Watchmen video last year using images from the comic and a song by Soul Asylum. The lyrics have an uncanny resemblance to some images from the comic. Check it out here and let me know what you think!

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=I3Aiaufkwp4

Laters

J

PS sorry if this isn't the best place to post this.

[Jack Sparrow]

For one thing, the grass looks a little too neatly placed for it to be genuine. Also the lighting in the foreground, or lack thereof, doesn't quite match that of the background with the setting sun. The characters are lit differently, I think, than they would normally be if the scene was taking place outside during oncoming dusk, even with the light from the Comedian's flamethrower and the background infernos; same with the helicopters, although I'm sure the effect is that they are supposed to be silhouetted against the sunset. The sky itself looks like it could be a green screen projection than an actual sky, and the helicopters look more like models than actual helicopters. Maybe it's just the way Synder shot it, but my impression is that the Vietnam sequence looks too much like it was shot on a soundstage than something actually filmed outside.

TBH, it sounds like your just looking for things to criticize, and looking pretty hard at that.

[stealthwise]

TBH, it sounds like your just looking for things to criticize, and looking pretty hard at that.

Actually, his observations seemed to be dead-on.

That's what happens when you actually analyze something rather than swallow it whole-hog. It's what film critics and people with even a somewhat critical sense do from time to time.

[stillanerd]

Actually, his observations seemed to be dead-on.

That's what happens when you actually analyze something rather than swallow it whole-hog. It's what film critics and people with even a somewhat critical sense do from time to time.

Thank you. Maybe I am being a little pessimistic, but I just believe that if there's going to be a Watchmen film, the filmmakers need to bring their A-game. So when I see in a trailer with scenes that look a little too "fake" and the filming style looks far too slick (i.e. excessive slow motion) for a film whose whole premise is what would superheroes and costumed vigilantes really be like if they were real and what the world would be like if they did exist, then I'm more than a little concerned when I see images that emphasize how "unreal" it is. Maybe the effects will be cleaned up, and from what I've heard the original David Hayter script that Synder and Tse are working from was pretty good, and perhaps the actors might sell it. They may even have a lot of visuals that look like they came right off the comic book page. But if the film is too focused on the visuals and little else, especially since Watchmen is way more than just visuals, then that's going to be a big problem for the film if it emphasizes style over the substance.

[Jeff-E]

I know I run the risk of being hunted down and killed by fan boys waving rabbid weasles at me, but, I didn't much care for the Watchmen series, but I think the movie looks phenominal.

[Black Vespa]

I agree with what this guy says. Furthermore, - i assume it would be easier for snyder to direct a movie, like say--Frank Miller's 300 which in it's original format looks as though it was written for the big-screen...like a storyboard for visuals, whereas alan moore's work is more literary and cerebral, - yes the artwork's there, but it's what he writes that carries the story. I'm not overly hyped about the movie, especially after seeing the trailer, but i will go see it nonetheless.

Well they really misunderstood what Watchmen is all about, huh? I mean, forget the unfortunate choice of music - look at how shiny everything is! The characters, the city streets - even the dirt and dust is shiny! Watchmen isn't shiny, Nite Owl isn't a bad ass character, Zack Snyder isn't the right director for this movie. This looks like a decent superhero movie trailer (if nothing else, it's got me thinking it might be possible to pull off a passable JLA film), but it looks like an expensive Saturday Night Live gag. This isn't how you do Watchmen, for goodness sake, this is all wrong. Someone suggested the trailer might be pumping up the action to take people by surprise, but I doubt it. It would be nice, but I doubt it.

If nothing else Moore and Gibbons will get som well-earned Hollywood cash, but then again, that might mean more leisure time and less comics. Guess no one wins in the long run. Oh, well, The Dark Knight still looks promising.