WHO WATCHES THE WATCHMEN?
I just saw the movie “The Watchmen.” I’ve been looking forward to that movie for a while, and I will tell you why.
The comics, later combined into a graphic novel, were written in the late 1980’s by writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colorist John Higgins. It was published by DC comics.
It is set in a world where superheroes exist, where the US won the Vietnam war, and because of that, Nixon remained president for more than two terms.
The graphic novel was voted by TIME magazine as one of the top 100 novels from 1923 to the present, and Entertainment Weekly placed it at number 13 on its list of the best 50 novels printed in the last 25 years.
This is not your average comic book, as the characters are set in a more modern and realistic world than any other. And how would they fit in to such a scenario?
The characters are many, but the main ones are:
Silk Spectre – Second generation superhero, and the only female in the core Watchmen group, forced to retire
Doctor Manhattan – The only ‘actual’ Superhero, accidentally created by being exposed to a special kind of radiation
Ozymandias – The ‘smartest man in the world’
Nite Owl – The average Joe superhero, almost like Batman, forced to retire
The Comedian – Sanctioned US superhero, his murder puts the plot into motion
Rorschach – In my opinion, the best character of the bunch. His mask constantly shifts to different Rorschach ink-blot patterns based on his mood, he investigates the Comedian’s murder and is therefore the catalyst for all the events that occur
The movie was very good, but not as good as the book. You can only appreciate the movie if you’ve read the graphic novel. So, go ahead, read/buy/download it … whatever, just read it and see the movie. You’ll thank me for it!
Here are the opening credits for the movie, best viewed in FULL-SCREEN, posted by the company that created them. Notice any symbolism at the retirement party? Or how about the Kennedy shot?
Enjoy!
Or, of you’d prefer, here is the link:
Watchmen Opening Credits
