Watchmen: The Official Film Companion

[Dick Whitman]

I have always been very apathetic towards the idea of a Watchmen movie. I just never thought it could be pulled off. Plus in did not care for the 300, so Zach Synder directing it did not give me much confidence. The early trailers just reaffirmed this feeling.

But the most recent trailer started to change that. The visual effects look much better now. These are more fully rendered than before. For example Dr Manhattan does not look as cartoony as before.

Today I saw Watchmen: The Official Film Companion at a bookstore. I figured I would just page though it But I was blown away! One warning though it gives away everything. Or close to it. Of course much of this is from the comic itself. Its similar to DK's Visual Guides. It has pictures of all the characters. But also with detailed pictures from the whole plot of the movie.

I was amazed by the attention to detail that went into this film. This looks nothing like the 300. It looks real. The graphic novel come to life. Including all the flashback scenes.

I bought the book. I was not expecting to buy anything for this movie. I don't know if the finished film will work but at least it will look fantastic. Not in a stylized for stylized sake either. But to service the story.

 

[Admiral James Kirk]

I have always been very apathetic towards the idea of a Watchmen movie. I just never thought it could be pulled off. Plus in did not care for the 300, so Zach Synder directing it did not give me much confidence. The early trailers just reaffirmed this feeling.

Don't worry. I've read two drafts of the screenplay. The David Hayter draft and the final polish by Orci and Kurtzman based on Hayter's script. They got it right. They got it real right. There are only two things I didn't care about from the screenplays. They didn't handle the revelation of Laurie's paternity well. In fact it was an outright insult to the viewers intelligence. In the book Laurie figures it out for herself and we figure it out as she does. In the screenplay Jon tells her outright. It robs the moment of its power. The other fault of the script is Adrian's final fate. In the novel it was ambiguous. In the script it's final and it's Hollywood movie lame. Still the rest of the script is so powerful and good you can almost forgive those two miststeps.

I hope this movie is a hit. It's a far better story than last years Dark Knight and it's a shame this flick doesn't have a chance in hell of touching DK's box office.

 

[GodThingFormerly]

I hope this movie is a hit. It's a far better story than last years Dark Knight and it's a shame this flick doesn't have a chance in hell of touching DK's box office.

Why does it matter unless you are hoping for a Watchmen II?

TGT

 

[Admiral_Young]

I've been meaning to pick this up but my chapters doesn't have it in yet. It's reasonably priced (22 bucks Canadian) so I will pick it up. I am looking forward to seeing the movie as well and the only other merchandise that I will be getting from it will be the score if it's good or not (will have to wait and see during the film).

 

[label]

They didn't handle the revelation of Laurie's paternity well. In fact it was an outright insult to the viewers intelligence. In the book Laurie figures it out for herself and we figure it out as she does. In the screenplay Jon tells her outright.

Hmmm. That's not good, but not too bad I suppose......you have to assume the average american needs to be spoon feed the answers so it's hard to fault movie makers to much there.

The other fault of the script is Adrian's final fate. In the novel it was ambiguous.

What do you mean? He lives. And if things continue to go as planned he'll actually play a significant part in shaping the new peace on earth.........what part's ambigous?

In the script it's final and it's Hollywood movie lame. Still the rest of the script is so powerful and good you can almost forgive those two miststeps.

If he dies at Jon or someone else's hand that'll completely undercut the ending. I sincerly hope they don't decide that the "bad" guy needs to be punished because that would miss the point and feel of the story's ending completely.

 

[Ethros]

Aye, I really hope this movie is as good as we all hope, esp when there's a tonne of cash-in stuff for it.
I went to Waterstones the other week, and along with the Movie Companion book there's an Art of Watchmen book, a Watchmen: Portraits book, the reissue of the TPB, the Watching the Watchmen book (which is a making of for the comics by Dave Gibbons, which I have and is very good)
Then there's the two cash in DVDs with The Complete Motion Comics, and the Tales of the Black Freighter animation too

But I think I'll wait and see if the film is any good before buying any of them though.


Also, I really hope it does do well at the Box Office, but if it is great and yet bombs anyway, I won't mind too much, as TGD says it's not like we need it for a sequel

 

[Admiral_Young]

I'm wondering why there is no novelization of the movie...lol. Maybe because the graphic novel is considered the novel?

 

[Admiral James Kirk]

I hope this movie is a hit. It's a far better story than last years Dark Knight and it's a shame this flick doesn't have a chance in hell of touching DK's box office.

Why does it matter unless you are hoping for a Watchmen II?

TGT

Good question. I don't have much of an answer. Obviously I have no personal financial stake in the success of Watchmen. I don't really want a Watchmen II. I mean I have an idea for a sequel but believe me... nobody wants to see it. Not even me. Still... I guess the reason I want it to be a hit is because... the material is worthy. I've enjoyed the past works of the director and want to see him continue to work on big pictures. Because I want Alan Moore and all the fans out there that said it couldn't be done to eat crow.

That's all I have. Not much of a reason but... It's all I have.

[
What do you mean? He lives. And if things continue to go as planned he'll actually play a significant part in shaping the new peace on earth.........what part's ambigous?

The ending of the graphic novel implies that Rorschach's journal is made public and that Adrian's work is undone.

If he dies at Jon or someone else's hand that'll completely undercut the ending. I sincerly hope they don't decide that the "bad" guy needs to be punished because that would miss the point and feel of the story's ending completely.

The David Hayter draft is available at this link http://www.watchmencomicmovie.com/watchmen-movie-scripts.php. It isn't quite the shooting script but it's very close and Adrian's fate is the same as in this draft.

 

[DarkHelmet]

Because I want Alan Moore and all the fans out there that said it couldn't be done to eat crow.

That works for me.

 

[label]

What do you mean? He lives. And if things continue to go as planned he'll actually play a significant part in shaping the new peace on earth.........what part's ambigous?

The ending of the graphic novel implies that Rorschach's journal is made public and that Adrian's work is undone.

Ahhh. I guess I never took the end of that story that way but I can see how some people go there. I always thought the Truth in Rorschach's journal would go undiscovered either due to people being oblivious to the truth even when it's literally right under their noses or because no one would buy rorschach's word in the first place.

In some ways though, having the journal going public and the truth getting out there would be an even darker ending than we already got rendering Rorschach and every one who died as all for naught.

If they end it that way, that'd be almost as morbid as the movie version of Stephen King's "The Mist".

The David Hayter draft is available at this link http://www.watchmencomicmovie.com/watchmen-movie-scripts.php. It isn't quite the shooting script but it's very close and Adrian's fate is the same as in this draft.

Thanks for the link.

 

[OdoWanKenobi]

I read the end of the Hayter script and dear god, I hope they don't decide to go with that ending. It really would cheapen the end of the story. Not to mention that it would be totally out of character for Dan.

 

[Dick Whitman]

Understanding Watchmen involves a lot of reading between the lines. Multiple references that shade in or suggest a certain fact. But is never stated out right. Hooded Justice's history is a perfect example of that.

Whether or not the movie can really capture this is a big question.

 

[OdoWanKenobi]

That is one concern of mine. Watchmen is not just a single story. It is practically a fully fleshed out universe. Those little nuances and backstories are almost impossible to do in a film. Especially becuase in a book you can have irrelevant things that help to flesh out a universe, while a movie has a time limit and cannot have those things.

 

[Admiral James Kirk]

I read the end of the Hayter script and dear god, I hope they don't decide to go with that ending. It really would cheapen the end of the story. Not to mention that it would be totally out of character for Dan.

Well that ending was also in the Orci/Kurtzman final polish so I'm sure it'll be in the movie. I have the feeling that scene was studio mandated. I find it hard to believe that either David Hayter or Zack Snyder wanted that scene to go in the movie since they hold the graphic novel in such high esteem.

 

[OdoWanKenobi]

Hmmm, another source that I trust to be very very knowledgeable about this film has said that the scene in question is most certainly not in the movie. I guess we'll have to find out March 6th.

 

[Admiral James Kirk]

Hmmm, another source that I trust to be very very knowledgeable about this film has said that the scene in question is most certainly not in the movie. I guess we'll have to find out March 6th.

Well if that's the case then good. All I know is what I read. It's certainly possible that on set rewrites occurred since the draft I read. I read the Orci/Kurtzman draft last year. Hell the script was watermarked with Stephen McHatties name on it so it had to be a pretty late draft of the script and the scene was in that draft. Hopefully your friend is right and saner heads have prevailed. I hated that fuckin' scene.

 

[Praetor]

That scene is awful. It defies the plot structure of the whole frakking story, and reading it, it comes across just as clunky and needlessly inserted as it is.

I may be overreacting here, but if that scene is actually in the movie, I will personally write both Warners and 20th Century a letter demanding $16 back, followed by a letter to Alan Moore apologizing for ever questioning his wisdom.

 

[OdoWanKenobi]

Where do you have to pay $16 to see a movie?

I don't know the truth value to this, but I did read somewhere else that Snyder threw out large sections of the script during filming and essentially used the novel as the script for those sections. But that could just be fanboy wishful thinking.

 

[Praetor]

Two tickets, plus tax. I'm not going alone.

 

[Admiral James Kirk]

Where do you have to pay $16 to see a movie?

I don't know the truth value to this, but I did read somewhere else that Snyder threw out large sections of the script during filming and essentially used the novel as the script for those sections. But that could just be fanboy wishful thinking.

I read that too. In fact I remember reading that he would check the individual comics panels and then check to make sure his shots lined up exactly with those panels. I realize that Snyder could have been embellishing but... I don't think he is.