Monday, November 26, 2007

The Watchmen Movie

Alan Moore's and David Gibbons' "Watchmen" is the finest example of comic book storytelling, ever. It is even listed on Time Magazine's 2005 list of the 100 best novels from 1923 to present. I have read it myself at least 50 times and still find new things every single time. It was a 12-issues series, published in 1986 and 1987, and people are questioning how it can be made into a movie. I have heard arguments that state that there's no way it can be done in less than a 12-hour miniseries, and that it will lose too much in the translation if done in a shorter form.

I don't care.

Unlike a lot of people, I was completely satisfied with the adaptation of Alan Moore's (and David Lloyd's) "V for Vendetta." It went against the source material in many ways, substituting the ideology of libertarianism for anarchy and so forth. Yet, I thought the tones and rhythm of the story were still there. It managed to fit most of the story into the two-hour package, and I think the Watchmen movie can do the same. And if I don't like it, the graphic novel is still there, and it's so ingrained into my memory and consciousness that it will never fade. I'm sure I will see the movie once, as I always do the first time with an adapation of a work I have loved, with an eye for what they changed. I'll wait a week, digest it, and then go back and watch the movie for what it is: a movie! I've done the same thing with other translations, like John Grisham's "The Firm," (loved both the book and the movie, independently and for different reasons) and the Harry Potter movies.

What I've found that is really cool is that the producers have set up a blog tracking the production of the film and you can monitor their progress here. I think it's really cool to see the Gunga Diner sign in actual neon lights and to see Rorschach walking the street, no matter how the movie comes out.

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