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What makes this comic book cult sensation so special? And why
should you uninitiated see the film?
By Don Kaye
Special
to MSN Movies
Get tickets, showtimes and more at MSN
Movies
If you live in Los Angeles, or any major metropolitan city, and you've driven down any street lately, you've probably felt the presence of a big, blue, bald man with glowing white eyes peering down at you from a wall or billboard. If not him, then perhaps you've seen a guy in a vaguely Batman-like costume, or a woman in sleek, skin-tight latex and thigh-high boots. No, these aren't the latest fashion trends lighting up Hollywood (although you never know). They're part of the marketing push for "Watchmen," the first major superhero movie to come charging into theaters since last summer's "The Dark Knight" (we'll just forget about the "The Spirit," shall we?). Images of the movie's six main characters are everywhere, the trailers are ubiquitous online and in theaters, and the fanboy universe is about to go supernova. So what exactly is all the caped commotion about?
In 1986 a comic book was published that forever changed the nature of the
medium. Titled "Watchmen," the 12-issue series was written by famed comics
scribe Alan Moore, illustrated by artist Dave Gibbons, and colored by John
Higgins. The impact of "Watchmen" was immediate on a commercial level; it was an
instant best-seller and even briefly lifted its publisher, DC Comics, above its
eternal competitor, Marvel, in the two companies' never-ending battle for market
dominance. But more importantly, on a cultural level, the effects of "Watchmen"
are still being felt today throughout the comic book world and, by association,
the film, television and even literary realms as well.
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Along with, arguably, Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns" (issued around the same time), "Watchmen" took the comic book medium to an entirely new level of sophistication, maturity and dramatic potential. Moore and Gibbons brought the story to the page in groundbreaking new ways, while the narrative itself was a rich mélange of action, sci-fi, mystery, politics, social satire and philosophy, steeped in symbolism, subtext and allegory. "Watchmen" took the very idea of the superhero and became, as author Bradford Wright wrote in his study "Comic Book Nation," "Moore's obituary for the concept of heroes in general and superheroes in particular."
Now, 23 years after its initial publication, and almost as long since the idea of a film version of the story was first developed, "Watchmen" is coming to the screen. The project's long struggle to get there is almost as complex and dramatic a tale as the actual book, and for many years "Watchmen" was close to being deemed one of those "unfilmable" projects that would never see the light of day. Now, at last, it's here, under the guidance of "300" director Zack Snyder.
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