Who's watching the Watchmen? Everyone, evidently. It smashed attendance records this opening weekend. The comic book adaptation about a team of retired, flawed superheroes took $55.7 million - the biggest opening weekend of 2009 so far. Obviously, more then just drooling fanboys took in the show. Some of them may have actually brought dates.
Anything's possible in an alternative history. That's the case here, another speculative distopia, a what if? This title sequence sets up the backstory, to the tune of Bob Dylan, in which the Vietnam War ends in a US victory and Richard Nixon is elected for a third term. That's just the set-up. The original comic series by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons came out in 1986-87 to wide acclaim. Time Magazine ranked it in the top 100 novels of all time. I kid you not.Is it worth all the fuss? I don't know. Honestly, I'm tired of movies made from comic books and the general dumbing down of film storylines. I haven't read the comic or seen the movie, but I intend to, otherwise my cartoonist buddies will treat me like the Furies treated Orpheus. The comic looks like beautiful work, so maybe I'll start there.
'Nuff said!
A page from the comic--click to enlarge.
2 comments:
The book is definitely a must. I'm in no hurry to see the film, myself.
You're right. The book is the way to go.
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