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Yesterday the day I had waited for had finally come. Watchmen hit theaters this week and with this one of the most anticipated superhero movies of the year was released. Could it live up to the expectations? Would all the hype be justified? Well these questions can be answered with a small and simple word: YES!
Without talking too much about content I can honestly say, that it is one of the most respectful and true adaptations of a graphic novel I have ever seen. Zack Synder follows the comic books page by page, which gives the viewer many 1:1 snapshots which immediately bring the exact panel from the book to mind. There was a lot of discussion about some of the scenes from the comic book that were initially deemed to be to strong for a film (the rape scene comes to mind). But the director managed to leave everything in and as a big fan of the original I can say that this really surprised me (in a good way). There were no: “Awww why the hell did they change this” moments and even the slight change in the ending (and it really isn’t as big of a change as some people had thought in the weeks leading up to the movie) works perfectly. It is also for that reason that it is not a typical superhero movie, which tend to be all about the action and less about the characters as such. All of the important character developing parts where left in and as such, there are no leaps forward in time which would distort the experience, just so that the movie would be shorter. I must say that I’m looking forward to the BluRay / DVD release to see if they really include the real ending.
While watching the movie you will see so many Easter eggs, little details and allusions to scenes that had to be left out (although there are not many) that you will probably have tears in your eyes (at least if you are a real fan). The actors were perfect for the roles, especially Nite Owl II and Rorschach, and the musical choice was just pure genius. Special effects wise there are no complaints and the slow motion effects really make it feel like you are reading an action sequence panel by panel. That is in my opinion the strongest point of the film: it feels like a comic book the whole time you watch it. I’m still not sure if I would call it the best superhero movie ever made, but it is definitely up there. In my opinion, everybody who like good storytelling should see it. Alan Moore could be proud (although we all know he won’t be). And as for the comic book fans out there: what are you waiting for? Go see it already!!!
Watchmen at the Internet Movie Database
Watchmen at Rotten Tomatoes
“Strength
Through
Purity
Purity
Through
Faith”
One of Alan Moore’s most famous works is probably the ten issue series (published between 1982 and 1988) V for Vendetta, depicting a dystopian view of Great Britain, in which the general populace is controlled by a totalitarian regime. Similar to Orwell’s 1984 the people are spied on by their government and most of their freedom is taken from them. The regime also has similar traits to the Nazi regime under Hitler, as they lock up and kill foreigners and homosexuals in special camps.
In this hostile environment, most people give in and follow their leader Adam Susan out of fear of prosecution. Only one man decides to stand in the way. In the beginning of the story this character is only known as V and he wears a long cape, an elaborate hat and a Guy Fawkes mask. Only later we learn his story and why he decides to stand up for the people (but that is for you to find out). Early in the story V rescues the young Evey Hammond and gives her shelter at his secret hideout “The Shadow Gallery”. On November 5, 1997 V blows up the Palace of Westminster and thus starts off his year long terrorist activities in which he rattles the cage of the totalitarian regime. He kills specific party members and blows up other buildings of major importance and introduces chaos into the rigidly controlled nation. During her stay at the Shadow Gallery, Evey slowly learns off V’s intentions and he tries to liberate her mind and make her an ally, but only if she voluntarily chooses to comply. In the meantime Eric Finch, Chief of Scotland Yard and Minister of Investigations, tries to stop the vigilante and discover his secret identity, before order is replaced by chaos.
Moore couldn’t have chosen a better artist than David Lloyd, as he incorporates both the dystopian flair of the story and manages to make V look like a real anarchist from the 16th century. As with Watchmen it is important to remember that both graphic novels have been published in the 80s and therefore still have a typical 80s art style, which is not a bad thing in my opinion, as it fits the more realistic storytelling. V for Vendetta reads like a novel and holds everything you need for an interesting, yet intellectually stimulating evening.
Story 10
Art 8
Reread Value 9
Overall rating 9/10
In 2006 the Wachowski Brothers released a movie adaptation of V for Vendetta, starring Hugo Weaving and Natalie Portman. Although Alan Moore did not collaborate on the project, I thought the movie was quite good and worked for itself. Sure, several parts and characters were altered, but I think that a lot of the core material was still there and the main message remained. But in the end it all comes down to personal taste and I guess you have to make up your own mind. Read the graphic novel and watch the movie and feel free to express your own opinions right here. Until then!
“Remember, remember the Fifth of November
The Gunpowder Treason and plot
I see no reason why Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot”
V for Vendetta at the Internet Movie Database
V for Vendetta at Rotten Tomatoes
“People once believed that when someone dies, a crow carries their soul to the land of the dead. But sometimes, something so bad happens that a terrible sadness is carried with it and the soul can’t rest. Then sometimes, just sometimes, the crow can bring that soul back to put the wrong things right.”
It might seem strange to review this movie, especially since I have not yet written anything about James O’Barr’s graphic novel. But when I rewatched the movie this week, I knew I had to write something about it. I also put the graphic novel on my reading list, so when I have reread it, I will tell you all about it.
After reporting an eviction notice to the authorities, Shelly Webster and her fiancé Eric Draven are attacked and killed by a gang of criminals in their apartment on October 30, called Devil’s Night. One year later Eric is resurrected by a crow, to avenge his and his girlfriend’s deaths. While killing off his murderers’ one by one, he learns that a bigger conspiracy is at work and that his work will not be done until he has freed the city from the clutches of Top Dollar and his crazy half-sisters.
Even though the story sounds like a typical vengeance tale, it is quite different. Brandon Lee, who is playing Eric Draven, died while filming The Crow, when a prop gun accidentally fired off a bullet that had been lodged in the barrel. This makes the tragic story of the movie even more depressing. On the other hand there is the beautiful love theme underlining the act of revenge. It is almost impossible to describe the feeling you have at the end of the movie. The Crow satisfies both action fans and chick flick lovers and will probably be one of my favorite movies forever. The movie is sad and extremely awesome at the same time and I can only say: see it now, if you haven’t already!
“If the people we love are stolen from us, the way to have them live on is to never stop loving them. Buildings burn, people die, but real love is forever.”
The Crow at the Internet Movie Database
The Crow at Rotten Tomatoes
The Dark Knight (the newest Batman movie) has only been running for 3 weeks now and it has already become one of the most successful movies of all times. It already holds 27 box office records with probably more to come. Of course this is partly due to the hype that was created around the movie after the death of Heath Ledger, but I can honestly say that it deserves the success. Batman Begins was the first of Christopher Nolan’s Batman adaptation. His take on the superhero myth is very “down to earth” and lacks most of the cheesy tongue-in-cheek references from the previous films. That is one of the reasons, why Nolan’s Batman feels “possible” and not over the top.
Let’s talk about the movie now. I was happy to see that the previously released six minute long prequel video (which was supposed to be only in IMAX versions of the film) made it into our copy. I don’t know if it was part of the movie all along, but it is a great introduction to the two-hour-and-forty minute long epic. When the Joker first appears I actually got goose bumps. As I said yesterday, Heath Ledger manages to be very true to the Joker we learned to love and hate in the comics, but at the same time he introduces an element of maniacal creepiness, which makes him very unique. Christian Bale delivers a steady performance as Batman and Bruce Wayne. His portrayal of Wayne as an arrogant spoiled playboy is reminiscent of his role as Patrick Bateman in American Psycho. Aaron Eckhart plays Harvey Dent, the incorruptible D.A. of Gotham City, who plans to rid the streets of organized crime. The only part I didn’t completely like was Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes.
As I don’t want to spoil anything, for those of you who haven’t seen the movie yet, I’ll finish this review by saying: This is definitely the best superhero movie that was ever made. It stays very close to the original vision of Batman and it is as dark as it should be. The movie is an absolute must-see. Bob Kane would be proud!
The Dark Knight on Rotten Tomatoes
I just returned from Utopolis (the major movie theatre complex in Luxembourg) and I wanted to share some of my first thoughts about The Dark Knight before I head to bed. I initially wanted to review it immediately, but I want to sleep over it and let it replay in my mind, before I write about how awesome it is.
I must say I had my doubts, especially with all the hype and the glorification of Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker. Most people, who say he is the best Joker that will ever exist, have probably never read a comic book before and so I wanted to see for myself. And yes, he is good. He is not only good, but he does something to the character that is amazingly true to the comic version and yet he still manages to make it his own. Pure genius really, but more on that later.
Our screening of the movie was sadly interrupted during one of the most intense moments, which basically ruined the whole atmosphere. The climactic moment was annihilated and the tension ruined. The movie was still very good, but that moment managed to rip me out of the dark atmosphere and I had to re-immerse into the world of the movie. Afterwards the manager of the cinema complex reimbursed us for the botched viewing, but only after we complained about it. It would have been better for them to explain what had happened and offer some kind of recompense on their own.
This is also the main reason, why I want to sleep on it again. I want to be as objective as possible and I don’t want my review to be biased due to the negative performance of the cinema’s staff. More about the Dark Knight, tomorrow!
P.S.: You won’t get the picture above unless you’ve seen the movie. The image is taken from Bam!Kapow!, who made a t-shirt out of it, which you can get here.
After the initial release delays (what’s up with movies suddenly coming out several weeks later in Europe?) I managed to see Wanted yesterday. I must say during the viewing I had a strange sour feeling of disappointment, which only changed a bit afterwards, when I discussed the movie with a friend. For those who have not yet read the graphic novel, I suggest to first go and see the film or you might expect something different, like I did. There is not much left over from the book accept the introduction, the training montage and the fact that the hero joins an organization that is above the law. The moral abyss from the graphic novel is replaced by a deep sense of righteousness, which gives the hero of the movie a more likeable character. He is not a heartless killer anymore, but a fighter for the good of mankind. This fact alone (changing the tone so drastically) left me with a deep feeling of: “something’s just wrong here”. Still, the movie is good enough in the way that it works as such. The story they have created is by far not the one that Mark Millar had conceived in his book, but the changes are consistent with each other and the story works.
So what is this movie about? First of all it might be pointed out that if you are a bit squeamish and close your eyes, when you see blood, you should see another film. The hero is a Joe Everybody, who hates his job and his life and is given the opportunity to join a group of assassins called the Fraternity and take control of his life. His father, one of the best killers in the world (yet apparently not good enough) is killed by a rogue agent, and the Fraternity believes that his son is the only one who could kill the renegade assassin. Style and violence wise, this flick can compare itself with The Matrix and Equilibrium (which you should see if the name doesn’t ring a bell). There are an abundance of bullet cam slow-motion shots, close-ups of bullets entering all kinds of human extremities and massive amounts of blood and gore to make every action fan happy. Most of these action sequences are visually stunning; the assassins can curve bullets around corners, they are such perfect shots that their bullets deflect bullets in mid-air (which becomes a bit repetitive after the third time) and they apparently have a special bath salt which makes them heal faster.
The action and visual effects are all very well done, but I can’t help to be disappointed by the outcome of this movie. The main actor James McAvoy didn’t convince me, Angelina Jolie was hot but not really good and Morgan Freeman’s career has also seen better days. All in all it was a cool movie that was missing something to make it special. And no, extremely cool and stylish ways to shoot bullets alone won’t cut it anymore.
So as I mentioned previously I finally got around to see the newest Marvel adaption, the Incredible Hulk, this weekend and I have a few things to say about it, so here goes.
Most people didn’t like Ang Lee’s Hulk movie on account that it was too flashy, had those strange comic book like transitions and had a terribly confusing end fight. Personally I liked it, as it was pretty true to the comic series and that’s always a big plus for me. Also it showed the deep emotional impact the Hulk takes on Bruce Banner. Anyway, director Louis Leterrier tried to recreate the Hulk franchise with this reboot. Edward Norton plays Bruce Banner this time around and I have to say that he fits the role perfectly, portraying a hunted social outcast on a personal crusade to fight the monster in him. Liv Tyler plays Dr. Elizabeth Ross (Betty) and although I usually love her I was a bit disappointed by her portrayal of Banner’s love interest. I just didn’t believe the emotions and couldn’t feel for her. Tim Roth plays Emil Blonsky a Special Forces officer hired by General Ross (William Hurt) to hunt Banner and bring him in. When he learns that the scientist is actually the Hulk he starts to enhance his body with a super soldier serum (and this is where most of the fans in the audience should have made a connection to Captain America) to match his strength to that of the Hulk. Later on he gets an overdose and turns into the Abomination, a hideous monster obsessed with fighting his green nemesis. It all comes down to a big showdown, which is visually stunning and will give all the action fans their fix.
Now for the things I really liked about the movie. First off all, there are a lot of winks to the 70s TV show, which I adored as a child. You can see a short clip featuring Bill Bixby when Banner’s watching TV in Brazil and Lou Ferrigno both voices the Hulk and has a short cameo appearance as a security guard. The accident that turns Bruce Banner into the Hulk for the first time is also almost exactly the same as it was in the original series. The main theme of the show is also featured in the new movie, which I personally really loved. Then there are the multiple hints to other superheroes and movies, like a cameo appearance of Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark or the introduction of psychiatrist Leonard Samson (Ty Burrell) as Betty’s boyfriend (he will probably turn into Doc Samson in one of the next movies – a superhero friend of the Hulk). Dr. Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson), Banner’s scientist relation, who is supposed to help him find a cure for the Hulk, is actually also a super villain, mainly the Leader and you can see his transformation in the movie. Just as in Iron Man, in the end of this movie, there is also a hint to the Avengers initiative. Sadly the supposed appearance of Captain America had landed on the cutting floor and didn’t make it into the movie (let’s hope for the DVD extras).
Things I didn’t like included once again (the ever so popular) product placement, the not very convincing chemistry between Edward Norton and Liv Tyler and the fact that they cut so many scenes from the movie that were supposed to link it further to the other superhero movies coming out over the next few years. Still I have to say that I really enjoyed The Incredible Hulk and can only recommend it to any Hulk fan, but also to those who like their movies to pack a little punch. HULK SMASH!!!!!!!
The Incredible Hulk on Rotten Tomatoes
Yesterday I managed to see Hancock, the new Will Smith movie, in which he plays an alcoholic, antisocial superhero, who does more bad than good when he tries to help his fellow man. John Hancock has super strength, super speed and the ability to fly, but on his vigilante “rescue missions” he manages to constantly destroy more of the city around him than he actually rescues. This however will all change when he saves the life of Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman), a PR spokesman, who was about to get hit by an oncoming train. Ray is grateful for the rescue and convinces Hancock to take responsibility for his rampages through town, in order to change his image, much to the dislike of his wife Mary (Charlize Theron), who thinks that the superhuman is just a jerk, who will never change and only cares for himself. Ray helps Hancock to turn himself into what he should be, a genuine superhero.
When I had first seen the trailer, I thought this might be an enjoyable movie, heavy on comedic relief and probably less focusing on traditional superhero lore. After I saw the movie yesterday I was however positively surprised, as this turned out to be a real origin story of a new hero. The movie establishes, who Hancock is, and why he behaves the way he does, while still setting up enemies and allies. It is of course a less sinister take on the whole “lonesome hero” mythos and Will Smith really helps to lighten the mood, but the movie still manages to have a fair share of believable dramatic moments.
For all of you, who are still planning to see this movie, let me say this: Don’t read a summary of the story, because you will probably spoil yourself a big surprise. That’s all I am going to divulge on that subject. I really liked the movie and I think Hancock is an interesting hero with an interesting past. If this was a comic, there would probably be a ton of sequels to the story as it is, as I previously mentioned, only an introduction to a new superhero. They could have done with a few less running gags and the product placement was also a bit blatant, but in conclusion I really have to say that I liked the movie. I hope you will too.
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