Director Zack Snyder happens to be an alumni of the school I am now attending and as a favor to the entertainment department, invited current students to attend a pre-screening of Watchmen last night (March 4th) followed by a Q&A with Zack and a couple of people who worked on the film. (Sidenote:yesterday also happened to be my birthday, so not a bad way to spend it. Oddly enough, on my last birthday I ran into none other than Frank Miller at a comic book store in Hollywood. There seems to be a theme emerging here, must remember to investigate...)
Let me first say that, much as I enjoy previews, for this screening there were none which was oddly refreshing. I will do my best not to spoil anything by the way, though most people know the story already. The film was about as close an adaptation of an Alan Moore comic anyone is likely to see ever. The music choices were for the most pretty spot on. I'm a sucker for Simon and Garfunkel and Bob Dylan so that didn't hurt. The opening credit sequence was arguably one of my favorite parts of the film. If anyone knows what tableaux vivant is, and appreciates this oddity of the art world, you will probably enjoy it on a different level as well. So overall review? I will definitely spring for the special edition DVD when it comes out. I wanted to see it again immediately afterwards so I guess that's a good sign.
My two gripes: SPOILER ALERT!!!!!! :1 Night Owl II/Silk Spectre sex scene was way too gratuitous, I will never hear "Hallelujah" the same way again. 2. During the Rorschach origin segment, they showed his childhood, and the finding of the little girl/murdering of the murderer thing, but not the part about Kitty Genevese and how he makes his mask. I asked why Snyder chose to cut this particular part during the Q&A and I got kind of a dodgy answer about editing and time and what not but, let it be noted that in the young Rorschach scene, the child actor who played him was none other than Eli Snyder, the director's son (also young Leonidas in 300) and I suspect the Kitty Genevese/mask element was edited for time in an effort to give his son more screen time. I'm only theorizing here so take it for what it's worth. That said, Rorschach was spot on, kudos on the casting.
overall I give this film a B+/A-
