Watchmen: Chapter I

Although it might seem surprising, there was a time when people said that “Watchmen: Chapter I” by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons could never be made into a film. It was the Citizen Kane of superhero comics after all with its unique blend of storytelling, critical art and visual creativity which harnessed the potential of the medium to the fullest. Not to mention that it would be expensive as hell to make and, if ever made, likely R rate — which is a double whammy squander in the studio system in Hollywood.

That was long ago; this is the situation now. It’s been 15 years since Zack Snyder made “Watchmen” and the same budget to gross US $185 was devoted to it though the on-screen treatment was respectful until it wasn’t when it changed one particular plot point that was central in the entire story when it didn’t need to.

Superhero movies efficiently built all attention of crazed audience for years and existed and failed to change the superhero movie landscape as its source material did to comic books. In 2019, a sequel series developed by Lindelof and set years after the events of the original story was released and received critical praise but – quite rightly – wasn’t an adaptation of Moore and Gibbons’ work so had its own problems.

The latest adaptation of ‘Watchmen: Chapter I’ is in the form of two-part computer graphic animated films which have used the voice and visual reproduction of the elements of the comic to tell the story. However, we will not lose a grip on the storyline adding the slightest risk of offending the TV screen.

The filmmakers appear to be challenging the audience with “Watchmen: Chapter 1,” for there are no flaws to be criticized other than regarding the implementation of the comic. It’s highly regrettable that this is in fact not the case. It does tell the story quite well on most accounts but the visuals are weak and there are few new ideas when it comes to how to deal with the big issues relating to how to make “Watchmen” into a film instead of going around it.

For those who have never come across a graphic novel and for that matter “Watchmen” or for that matter even the earlier movie, the plot is set in an alternate 1985 where the super heroes who existed were not very heroic and super. Every single one of them waded to the business of crime fighting not with golden interests but usually unsavory ones and certainly did not help the humanity in any way.

The only contended characteristic is the last and ultimately the only honest to God super hero, Doctor Manhattan, who changed the Vietnam war and created a Nixon outcome that persisted for almost twenty years. The bomb that was to kill billions is now ready to be detonated and mostly to blame for it are our heroes.

The story gets driven in the opening when an unintended beating finishes with a professional solicitous souse The Comedian (Rick D. Wasserman) being overzealously pushed out of the window. Rorschach (Titus Welliver), a fan of the antique “masks”, believes someone is on a hunting spree and attempts to get hold of his ex-league of the threats.

Crime fighting, and subsequently the idea of crime-fighter himself, has become too much for Nite-Owl (Matthew Rhys). Ozymandias (Troy Baker) has compromised completely by licensing out his superhero brand and running a company entirely unconnected to any heroic endeavors. Laurie, aka Silk Spectre (Katee Sackhoff), is only a superhero because she wants to impress her mother; now she is with Doctor Manhattan, whose powers have estranged him from her and from life.

It might be called ‘Watchmen: Chapter 1’, however this content does not apply for the first chapter of the comic book, it applies for the first chapter of the mini series. Even if Moore and Gibbons’s works were camera comic books printed into comics, so it portrays very nice -there is always a buildup after a significant reveal to the story and when it feels that it indulgently dropped corners its back again.

Very few visions of the story have concentrated on the screen like this one and stayed faithful to the ear screeching traditional that it has to give: To be episodic considering any of this is of course nonsensical: It is part of a bigger story serialized in parts. There are the odds.

The issue that’s apparent in every scene of “Watchmen: Chapter 1” is a problem in good measure. The CG-animation technique for recreating the artwork reproduces lines and framing, but not the mood. Everything is bright, thankfully there are no more dim lights and as good as it gets realism for this comic book film has gone — out of the window along with the Comedian.

The plot is there, but the way of presenting it does not work well each time. It doesn’t help that character animations aren’t always convincing either, the first instances involve general public moving as if it’s still the era of Hanna-Barbera’s initial animation styles.

Taking no prisoners is one thing, and it is laudable to try and cut out certain panels from the comics, yet the biggest problem with attempting to make a motion picture out of ‘Watchmen is not even the images or the plot. The issue is that the works of Moore and Gibbons were always meant to be comics, and comics are more than just moving pictures on a paper, they are art in itself.

There’s a chapter in the book where Doctor Manhattan, who has renounced the earth forever and retired to Mars, explains his view of time which is not chronological. All of his memories and his present all exist simultaneously, just like how everything is in one piece of paper where there is no beginning or end.

Snyder’s adaptation Seek and to capture any visual show throughout composition “watchmen chapter 1”, attempts to carry out the motion of battle of memories of Doctor Manhattan which contain elements of non-linear narrative. However, cinema as a medium occurs over a specific time in relation to space, which is the case, put primary focus on ‘progression’ and only gives a brief on ‘non-linear’.

We know what happens, the basic ideas are conveyed, however the two mediums are fundamentally different and ‘Watchmen’ was internally constructed to take the best out of only one of these two mediums. When we say this: ‘the comics were impossible to film’ it is this type of situation which holds true, which is what it was intended to convey: there is a difference between having a general idea of something and actually comprehending it.

Of course, I have no great expectations regarding any “Watchmen” adaptation, and even though the visual style is fully competent but notably unremarkable, “Chapter 1” is still able to retell the given story quite well.

The score by Tim Kelly recaptures most of the ambience which the animation lost due to soft and moody drones comparable to Vangelis’ compositions. The acting is also mainly up to par, and often lends texture as well as depth to the words spoken. Opting for such extreme strategies, Welliver manages to show different aspects of Rorschach, whose violent, ironic, and belligerent intimations are breaking into almost tyrannical growling monologues.

As he thinks to himself, ‘…and I will internally say no and listen to the all the whores and politicians shout out ‘Save us!’ when the situation is hopeless,’ one wonders whether he expects such a theory, or whether he describes such a derogatory illusion of supremacy. Even off-the-shelf superheroes have to do some very ordinary tasks like float some egos out of sorts. That’s why some of them put on costumes in the first place.

The opening “Watchmen: Chapter I” is written by Brandon Vietti. The director has rather good television experience as he scripted and directed Young Justice, which is one of the gold standards in animation and superhero storytelling. What he has set out to though is a difficult, possibly thankless task and the very fact that is works even to such an extent at all his talent deserves to be acknowledged.

It is not obvious however what the point is, other than to draw as complete and direct as feasible a picture for the said novel. One could say, well, if it cannot lose its fascination, then there is no point because the comic so to speak does it better, only more interesting and more intricate. If it was to achieve any higher aim, I suppose we will have to wait for ‘Chapter 2’ until then.

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