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There’s no denying super hero movies are cool. Who doesn’t like good looking people, extraordinary visuals, stunts, banter, and ass-kicking, all in one film? There’s also no denying that they’ve changed drastically since the days of tight pants and catch phrases like “Up! Up! And Away!” The latest Batman films, Batman Begins and The Dark Knight seemed determined to prove that comic-book movies are not just for nerds and kids, they’re for adults too. The days of sappy, save the day heroics (think Superman, Fantastic Four, Spiderman, and Erin Brokovich) must be very close to over.
Zack Snyder’s latest offering, Watchmen, is here to show us why that’s a good thing. Set in an ambitiously re-imagined America, Watchmen, converted from one of the most popular serials of all time, promises to take the superhero genre to a whole new dimension. The parallels between this and Snyder’s earlier work, 300, are obvious. Both are conversions from graphic novels, both deal with gifted individuals, and both have super-slick graphics. But this is not Sparta! What sets Watchmen apart is its epic scope and awe-inspiring imagination. In the trailer we see an experiment gone wrong, a blue figure made entirely of shimmering energy (with the polite name of Dr. Manhattan), the burning fields of the Vietnam War, rioting protesters, and all the sock-bam-pow of body-suited heroes, set in a gorgeously rendered film-noir landscape. Think Sin City meets the Incredible Hulk.
Watchmen promises to be epic, complex, and, let’s face it, incredibly cool. Like many recent American action and sci-fi films (Traitor, Iron Man, even Transformers) it seems to be concerned with the harder aspects of being a hero, and may just be that perfect blend of blockbuster and cult film. With Snyder in the driver’s seat, you can bet it will be stacked with an edgy soundtrack, jaw-dropping visuals, and best of all, tonnes of sex and stylised violence.
Credits: Directed by: Zack Snyder. Writing Credits: David Hayter, Alex Tse
Terry Gilliam considered directing this film in the early 90s, but after several unsatisfactory drafts of the screenplay changed his mind. Then Tom Cruise and Jude Law expressed interest in the role of Ozymandias.