I Watches the Watchmen. Skeptically.

Tuesday, 19 August 2008

I Watches the Watchmen. Skeptically.
I am not sure that there is a point to this post. You have been warned.

Saw Speed Racer yesterday, the movie. And I loved it. Wachowskis -- you are forgiven for the soulless drivel that you beat the Matrix to.

Then, through events not under my control, I saw the Watchmen trailer again. Last time I saw it, it made me read the book once more. With the book fresh in mind, the song used in the trailer took on new meaning. I think it's the perfect song for Watchmen. It describes the characters and the plot so well, that it's scary. Now, I am not sold on the movie yet** but this song has certainly given me hope.

With that, I am going to indulge in the most blatant act of fanboyism known and practised throughout the internet. I am going to break the song and then present which lines reflect which characters and moments from the book. SPOILERS AHOY!!! Listen to the song, with lyrics, here. Then, read on.

(I feel like diry fanboy. Tee hee.)

Send a heartbeat to
The void that cries through you
Rorschach, the mommie-abused fascist

Relive the pictures that have come to pass
For now we stand alone
Manhattan's miserable life (esp. that bloody awesome photo montage; on Mars was it?)

The world is lost and blown
And we are flesh and blood disintegrate
With no more to hate
Silk Spectre (the mommy that was raped)

Is it bright where you are?
Have the people changed?
Does it make you happy you're so strange?
Manhattan's and Comedian's lonely existence

And in your darkest hour
I hold secrets flame
We can watch the world devoured in its pain
Adrian Veidt's gameplan for the world

Delivered from the blast
The last of a line of lasts
Could be all of them but I'd like to think the Comedian (although, more literally re: blast -- Manhattan)

The pale princess of a palace cracked
Silk Spectre (the daughter) after she realizes the truth

And now the kingdom comes
Crashing down undone
And I am a master of a nothing place
Veidt, after he lets loose the squid and Manhattan walks out on his question, leaving him alone

And I am a master of a nothing place
Of recoil and grace
Rorschach again, when his mind is unravelled to us during the interrogation and the prison scenes

Time has stopped before us
Manhattan

The sky cannot ignore us
Rorschach/Night Owl

No one can separate us
For we are all that is left
Night Owl/Silk Spectre in the end

The echo bounces off me
Veidt, not listening to Night Owl's pleas

The shadow lost beside me
Comedian, when he breaks down and cries

There's no more need to pretend
Cause now I can begin again
I'd like to think Silk Spectre when she meets her mom in the end

I REAAAAAAAAAALLY doubt this movie can deliver. But after TDK, I believe in miracles. Also, I would really like to watch the world devoured in it's pain. Sounds fun. Oh and if nothing else, the trailer sold more books. Which is great. Everyone should buy a copy and fill Moore's pockets so that he can bring us more porn.

**If there ever was a book that you shouldn't adapt to motion picture, Watchmen would be it. It is so rich is information -- every panel a treat, stories interweaved, characters that and grow in depth, then surface shallow, adrift with the pages like that marooned sailor in the metastory... Why would you pin something so fluid to a film medium? It's the most bizzare act.

I am equally skeptical on the movie's ability to paint the characters with the richness they deserve -- there simply won't be enough time to do them justice. And then there's the ending. Yeah, don't see that happening either. There is already talk of Tales of the Black Freighter being released separately from the movie and then included into the DVD release. If true, the movie will suck. That metastory is so integral to Rorschach's character that they might as well not bother. Because Rorschach, the fascist murdering bastard that he is, is the soul of the book. Him and the Comedian.