ShareThisMaking a movie out of the comic-book-miniseries-turned-graphic-novel "Watchmen" is like trying to carve a sculpture out of a glass of water.
It's a foolish, unnecessary task, but sizzling-hot director Zack Snyder ("Dawn of the Dead," "300") tamed comic writer Alan Moore's labyrinthine, flashback-laden work into an intelligible action film.
It's set in a version of 1985 in which Richard Nixon has managed to stay in office by winning the Vietnam War and painting the Democratic Party as communists who look to undermine the nation's fabric. The government has outlawed masked vigilantes (called "Watchmen" in the movie, unlike the book) and seems bent on taking on the Soviets in a nuclear Armageddon.
Visionary title scenes establish the mood and history of two generations of Watchmen, who take "Forrest Gump"-like part in memorable historical scenes. In the prologue, a silhouette-shrouded assassin murders a hero-turned-government-operative called the Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Other Watchmen, led by the obsessive Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) investigate. Sadly, Snyder all but reveals the identity of the mystery villain early on.
Although the "Watchmen" film lacks mystery, it excels in action and visuals, with gorgeous, computer-aided special effects and goose-bump-inducing fights, rescues and escapes.
What carries the film is Snyder's determination to replicate powerful moments from Moore's text. You get the feeling the director so loves the book that he made the movie as a 163-minute commercial to convince others to share in his adoration.
As a side effect, "Watchmen" tends to play like the "SportsCenter" version of the big game. It's got all the highlights, but little of the tension and atmosphere that give those moments impact.
Snyder stays true to the tone of the book while making a few bold choices -- especially in the final act -- that ground Moore's outlandish, pie-in-the-sky twists.
The movie works as an emotionally heavy, spandex-strewn action film in the vein of "X-Men 2." Even though there are too many characters to keep track of, and no actor gets enough screen time to carve out a level of intimacy with a character, Snyder's focus keeps the movie from buckling under its own weight.
Of course, whether or not there needs to be a "Watchmen" movie is up for debate.
Filmmakers have attempted to bring the book to screen since the comic-book series' release in 1986, and now that the movie is finally here it seems a couple decades too late. Its Cold War themes ring hollow in the post-9/11 era.
Another black mark on the otherwise well-crafted film is Snyder's musical selections. He largely eschews period music -- other than the well-chosen Nena's "99 Red Balloons" -- for overused standards, such as Simon and Garfunkel's "The Sounds of Silence" for a funeral scene and Jimi Hendrix's "All Along the Watchtower" when heroes assault the villain's lair.
Films like "300," "Iron Man" and "The Dark Knight" have so ratcheted up expectations for what's expected of high-end comic-book adaptations that "Watchmen" disappoints almost by default.
Snyder's film is a mixed bag that matches the comic book's iconic image of a smiley face tainted by a splatter of blood.
3 stars out of 4
Rated: R for strong graphic violence, sexuality, nudity and language.
Family call: Strictly for adults.
Running time: 163 minutes.
(Pvillarreal(at)azstarnet.com)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
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