Watchmen

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by GuardianAngel82, Mar 20, 2009.

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  1. GuardianAngel82

    GuardianAngel82 Senior Member

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    I've seen it twice with my son, and varying groups of others. I'm about to see it with one of my old Company Commanders and his son for the third time. Bert seems to think I'm a good influence on his son. Which is hard to understand, because he has always thought I was a little rough around the edges. A little too prone to direct action.

    If you are not a fan of the original series, or the genre, I am not sure I would recommend it. On the other hand, the charecters are fairly well done and complex, even though they are caricatures. At least they aren't the usual 1 dimensional crap Hollywood usually spews. The overall plot is the usual insipid Hollywood paranoia.

    The movie intrigues me because none of the "Super Heroes" have any special powers except one, and he is so out of touch with reality that he seems retarded. The costumed "regular guy" is a good synonym for the Guardian Angels, though the movie "public" is more concerned with social issues than the real one is.

    The other thing of note is that my son and his half-brother insist that I am the character Rorsach. Who is a violent, misanthropic maladapt who refuses to compromise his "principles". They even admire the character for that. I hope I'm not really that inflexible, but both of them have showed themselves to be iintelligent and insightful young men. I do, indeed, have a profound disrespect for those who are willing to hurt others, which is why I don't like the Rorsach charecter. I hope they are only responding to SOME of the charecter's aspects. I have to think about this.
     
  2. Hugh Manetee

    Hugh Manetee Established Member

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    Maybe like newspaper horoscopes, cartoon characters contain generalities which seem to be valid but don't stand up to scrutiny in the real world.
     
  3. GuardianAngel82

    GuardianAngel82 Senior Member

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    So, did you see the movie? :gotmyatte
     
  4. Hugh Manetee

    Hugh Manetee Established Member

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    No.
    I was speaking in general.
    I'm going through a dry patch at work so we are hunkering down in the bunker.
    So no fun until the next contract comes in.
     
  5. Scryler

    Scryler Night's Wordsmith

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    Their 'take' on things may have more to do with their age than with you, GA82.
     
  6. GuardianAngel82

    GuardianAngel82 Senior Member

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    Their Mom was in the Angels 25 years ago. I'm sure she's told them a few stories. Those were rough times.

    My main worry is they might think being vengeful or inflexible is admirable. You always have to remember that the kids are watching.
     
  7. GuardianAngel82

    GuardianAngel82 Senior Member

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    You might like this movie. Good and evil are not black and white (except in Rorsach's case). But it DOES a few false comic book assumptions. That major problems can be addressed in the time span of a comic book or movie, for example.
     
  8. Hugh Manetee

    Hugh Manetee Established Member

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    I probably will see it, unless I read to many reveiws and lose the will.
     
  9. GuardianAngel82

    GuardianAngel82 Senior Member

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    Wait till the dvd. :thumbsup:
     
  10. Idolon

    Idolon Member

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    I've seen it almost twice.

    About half way through the movie the people in the back row lost the thread and just started talking (really annoying), so I jumped out of my seat and cought the beginning of the 3'oclock imax show. :D

    Ultimately I'm glad I got to see it in high-res. If I can help it I'll never see another low-res movie.

    If I had the available cash I'd definitely see it a few more times. Right now I'm just waiting for the DVD.
     
    Last edited: Apr 9, 2009
  11. GuardianAngel82

    GuardianAngel82 Senior Member

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    Like I said, it means more to me, because most of the "heroes" have no super powers. They are just costumed dorks like the Guardian Angels.

    The movie has many of the same issues: Too much public confidence, police confidence, betrayal of same, corruption by power, that many who join have issues, constant decay of performance after a good start, new leaders who have no clue,...

    But I disagree with the Comedian, most people do good. But, be careful.
     
  12. Idolon

    Idolon Member

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    I know what you mean, I'm not really into supers, but I love the Watchmen because they're real people in a real world and not just 'regular' people in a super-normal world.

    I find the psychology behind it very interesting. For instance if Comedian was a sociapath (which he was probably supposed to be) he might have truly believed that everybody was out for themselves and just pretending not to be, because he might just not have had the ability to conceive the basic 'humanity' of 'normal' people. The scene where he cries his heart out to Moloch seems strange, but I don't know that much about psychology so I couldn't say it wouldn't happen.
     
    Last edited: Apr 9, 2009
  13. Cujo

    Cujo Mad Hatter Veteran

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    I havn't seen it or read the comic either, Tim from Ctrl-Alt-Del gave it a good review though (with spoilers and a comparison to the comic pointing out changes which he though worked or didn't)
     
  14. Idolon

    Idolon Member

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    I don't think there was a single bit of it I didn't like.

    Compared to 'average/standard' cinematic faire I thought it was exceptional.

    I'm really looking forward to the DVD, so I can see it again.
     
  15. Shiningted

    Shiningted I want my goat back Administrator

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    I haven't seen it, but I still manage to have a unique viewpoint :eyebrow:

    Last Friday I gathered with friends to watch the Rugby League, then insisted we turn it off half-way through because the Eels were playing so atrociously (they lost again last night in an almost identical fashion, yet played infinitely better. But I digress). Instead, we watched a bootleg of South Park which hasn't been shown here, where-in Cartman moonlights as a superhero called 'the Coon".

    Now, 2 of my mates there are insane comic book fans (and by insane I mean entire rooms of their houses stacked with comics worth many 10s of thousands of $$$). They said, "this episode is based on the Watchmen movie".

    I haven't seen it, but i have recently seen Dark Knight and The Spirit.

    Halfway through the episode I said, "this seems to be a combination of the plot of Dark Knight with the sililoquies of The Spirit" ("this is my city" etc etc).

    "No no," they said, "its The Watchmen".

    So, for obvious reasons, I don't hold high hopes for the Watchmen being the breakthrough piece of originality it is hailed as by some. But I'll watch it and see.
     
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