The Academy Awards suck. Every now and then, they get it right, but the pomp and circumstance, coupled with the self-important acceptance speeches make it generally not worth watching. Nevertheless, I watch every year. And I firmly believe that they have not picked the correct Best Picture since Gladiator in 2001. They came very close in 2006, picking The Departed over United 93. (By the way, the “They” that I am referring to is everyone who has a say in who wins these awards.) So I put very little stock in that category, because I will just assume that I have picked a better picture than the so-called Best Picture. But when it comes to the Acting awards, I actually do care what they think. I have my own picks, of course, but I am interested in what others think about the best performances of the year. However, I am usually not as interested in the Best Actor or Actress, but rather the Best Supporting one. Why? Because a single great performance by a lead does not always amount to the best movie. But if the movie has great supporting performances, you can bet that it will be awesome.
Take 2007 for example. Daniel Day-Lewis won Best Actor for There Will Be Blood (which I have not seen). Viggo Mortensen should have won for Eastern Promises. However, the best movie of the year, according to me, was Gone Baby Gone. This is because of the supporting cast. Casey Affleck was not the best actor of the year, but Amy Ryan sure as hell was the best supporting actress. (She lost to Tilda Swinton.) Also, Ed Harris should have had his name in the running for best supporting actor. So what’s the point here? My point is that a great ensemble performance dwarfs a great individual performance any day of the week.
And that brings me to Watchmen, the second of my graphic novel-based movies that I’ll be talking about. Watchmen has no lead actor or actress. There are arguments to be made for Jackie Earle Haley, Patrick Wilson, Billy Crudup, and to some extent Jeffrey Dean Morgan, but in reality, there is no defined lead actor in this movie. However, as a group, the acting is incredible. Every individual in the movie provided a great performance, (except Matthew Goode, who disappointed me after a great job in The Lookout,) which lead to an exceptional movie.
I’m going to back up for a second before I continue. I mentioned in my previous post that I have read Watchmen. What I did not mention is that it is my second favorite book of all time. (Ender’s Game is the first. Still waiting for the movie.) So I had very high expectations going into the theater to see the movie. While the movie was great, the book was better. If you have not read Watchmen, I highly recommend that you do. It is your duty as a citizen of the world. Especially if you were alive during the Cold War, but even if you were not, it will still rock your socks.
Ok, let’s return to the movie.
First comment: The opening twelve minutes may very well be the best twelve consecutive minutes of cinema ever put on film. This is both a good thing and a bad thing. The good part is that you will never see anything like it. I’ll try not to give anything away, but the two musical pieces could not fit any better, and the visuals are perfect. And I mean perfect. However, all of that quality comes with a catch. The rest of the movie does not match the opening twelve minutes. That’s not to say that it gets bad, it just gets slightly worse. And for a movie as long as Watchmen, (two and a half hours in the theatrical version,) providing the best part in the very beginning is not my idea of a brilliant cinematic strategy.
Second comment: My favorite part of the book was conspicuously absent from the theatrical release, that being The Tales of the Black Freighter. However, Zach Snyder (the director) provided me with a remedy only available to those with Blu-Ray players. And that is the Ultimate Cut, which is truly the Ultimate Watchmen Cinematic Experience. If you have a Blu-Ray player, and are interested in seeing Watchmen, accept no substitute for the Ultimate Cut. It adds a full hour of content to the original release, including Gerard Butler’s voice as the captain in the Tales of the Black Freighter. If you’ve got the time, it is absolutely worth your while.
Third comment: The soundtrack is impeccable. From the opening track of Nat King Cole’s Unforgettable, to the closing credits accompanied by My Chemical Romance’s cover of Desolation Row, there is not a single piece of music that does not fit perfectly into the movie. I have never heard a soundtrack that good in my life. It’s not just that the songs are incredible, (which they are,) but they fit into the context of the movie in such a complementary way. If you are familiar with the music, great, but even if you are not, you should still appreciate how good the soundtrack is.
Fourth and final comment: The ending differs from the book. And in my opinion, it’s slightly better. Purists will complain. But I won’t, because quite frankly, it makes more sense. Alan Moore, for all of his mad genius, could not quite but the finishing touches on what was otherwise a perfect book. But the ending of the movie is perfect. Which means that the movie is bookended by perfection. And that is pretty darn cool, if you ask me.
In closing, Watchmen is a great movie. It is great because of the whole cast, not any one actor or actress. Also, the effects, visuals, and sounds are out of this world. I would highly recommend the movie, though not as highly as I recommend the book. Seriously, everyone in the world should read Watchmen. It is then up to you to decide whether or not to see the movie, but you should know that I thoroughly enjoyed it. And that’s all for now.
Until next time,
Harry
