Rorschach’s Journal tonight a comedian
died in New York welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’re counting
down our picks for the top ten things
the Watchmen movie did right before we
begin we publish new content every day
so be sure to subscribe to our Channel
and ring the bell to get notified about
our latest videos for this list we’re
taking a look at the most positive
attributes from one of the most divisive
graphic novel adaptations ever made
number 10 the opening credits we’re a
lot of modern movies forego opening
credits Watchmen reminded us how a
stylish title sequence can immerse the
audience in the story about to be told
through a montage that practically feels
like a living graphic novel were given a
summary of the film’s alternative
history showing rather than telling the
sequence is full of clever moments
revealing that the comedian shot JFK and
a recreation of the Last Supper
featuring the Minutemen
what’s more the sequence is brilliantly
accompanied by Bob Dylan’s the times
they are a-changin which works on
multiple levels not only does the music
convey the passage of time but it also
signifies how the times are literally
[Music]
number nine the action much like dr.
Manhattan people either think that Zack
Snyder is a God or a false prophet no
matter where you stand it’s hard to deny
that Snyder is a visually interesting
filmmaker and if you can match his knack
for action
Snyder carefully mapped out Watchmen
with storyboards that didn’t deviate
from Dave Gibbons original artwork this
shines through during the action
set-pieces
particularly the comedian’s downfall and
the prison riot the fight choreography
manages to be fast paced while also
burning certain shots into our memories
as if the characters leapt out of the
panel’s and into the third dimension the
result is like reading a comic book
while still having a cinematic
experience number eight the balanced
plot Blake saw society’s true face chose
to be a parody of it like joke there was
no way Snyder could cover 12 issues and
over 400 pages of material in this film
adaptation even with the 215 minute
ultimate cut given the constraints that
come with adapting any book to film
however Snyder and company do a
respectable job at keeping the story
balanced the source material naturally
goes into greater detail regarding each
character’s backstory David Hayter and
Alex a screenplay keeps everyone’s
origin story brief but we essentially
learn everything we need to know about
these characters in that condensed a
time this is no easy task but the
filmmakers ultimately demonstrate how
number 7 dr. Manhattan good evening
dr. Manhattan you know why I’m here
yes but you’re going to leave
disappointed
dr. Manhattan is a key example of why
Watchmen was considered unfilmable for
the longest time since the graphic novel
came out in a pre CGI era the only
alternative back then would have been to
paint an actor blue I’m afraid I just
blew myself while computer-generated
imagery plays an essential role in
bringing Manhattan to life he doesn’t
feel like a special effect the audience
is convinced that he’s really there this
is largely because Billy Crudup was
actually on set performing opposite his
co-stars the mix of motion capture
technology crude ups commanding presence
an innovative use of LEDs and
state-of-the-art CG amounts to a visual
feat that gets Manhattan just right
Thank You Adrian they’re just a man the
world’s smartest man poses no more
threat to me
then does it smartest termite number six
it’s timeless tone truth
you’re a better Nite Owl than I ever was
Danny Boy I was we both know that’s
a lot of comic-book adaptations
are clearly products of their time but
Watchmen feels like hodgepodge of
different eras the story mainly takes
place in the 1980s but the setting comes
off as both futuristic and retro the
film has the dark grit of an 80s action
picture while also satirizing the camp
you would have found it in something
like the 60s Batman show this creates a
look-in tone that doesn’t belong to one
time period making the experience
timeless the film’s themes concerning
war identity and the greater good can be
applied to any generation as well you
could even argue that watchmen predicted
our current obsession with superheroes
and nostalgia mother this is gross
number five
[Music]
although Snyder’s strive to remain as
true to the source material as possible
he did make several notable changes the
theatrical release notably excluded the
tales of the black freighter which was
later added into the ultimate cut the
ending has the most apparent change
however in the comic Ozymandias plans to
prevent nuclear war by having a giant
squid like alien attack New York thus
uniting the world against a common enemy
it was me in the film the squid is
replaced with a massive explosion and
dr. Manhattan becomes the common enemy
whether or not you thought this change
was an improvement it’s certainly an
easier pill to swallow from mainstream
audiences than a giant squid alien that
seemingly comes out of nowhere number
four the ensemble when an a-list actor
plays a superhero it can be difficult to
look past the celebrity and see a
character Watchmen wisely enlisted
actors who weren’t complete unknowns but
weren’t household names either Jackie
Earle Haley steals the show as Rorschach
getting so much personality across
despite being masked most of the time at
least I’m not the one still hiding
behind a mask you’re hiding in plain
sight as a night owl Patrick Wilson
balances out the colorful cast with a
voice of reason Jeffrey Dean Morgan also
shines as the comedian and with later
bring the same charisma to negan on the
walking dead people
your Moloch’s back in town get your
panties all in a bunch
you think catching any Mathers justice
matters justice justice is coming to all
of us number three it went for an R
rating
I understand there’s even a movie in the
works I’m not hearing a question
although our rated superhero movies
weren’t unheard of in 2009 it was still
rare at the time to see a big-budget
studio picture go beyond pg-13 even the
Dark Knight as gritty as it was didn’t
enter restricted territory Snyder stated
in interviews that Watchmen was
initially intended to be pg-13 in order
to satisfy fans and remain true to Alan
Moore’s vision though it quickly became
clear that the film needed to be rated R
it might have been a risk but the
graphic violence sexuality and profanity
proved integral in producing a more
adult superhero movie number two it
captures the look of the source material
just as Snyder did in 300 Watchmen
faithfully converts the print page to
the silver screen with numerous shots
that match the graphic novel to a tee
this time around though Snyder didn’t
rely as heavily on green screens opting
for a solid mix of CGI and practical
effects the world and characters of Alan
Moore’s magnum opus are brought to life
through the stunning
sets and meticulously crafted costumes
even audiences who weren’t fans of the
film generally agree that Snyder did his
homework in recreating the source
material turning in a visual feast for
the eyes number one it remained true to
the story tonight a comedian died in New
York somebody knows why with future DC
films like Man of Steel Batman vs
Superman and Justice League Snyder
demonstrated that telling an original
coherent story isn’t his forte with
Watchmen though Snyder knew that he had
one of the greatest literary works of
all time gift-wrapped to him so he
didn’t veer too far away from the
story’s roots with many moments and
lines of dialogue ripped right from the
comic some people believed the film was
too loyal to the graphic novel and that
there’s no point in exactly replicating
a work of art for another medium
considering the liberties so many comic
adaptations take however Snyder’s
dedication to the source material was
more than welcome here not a comic book
villain do you seriously think I’ll
explain my masterstroke to you even the
slightest possibility you could affect
the outcome do you agree with our picks
check out these other great clips from
WatchMojo and be sure to subscribe and
ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos
died in New York welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’re counting
down our picks for the top ten things
the Watchmen movie did right before we
begin we publish new content every day
so be sure to subscribe to our Channel
and ring the bell to get notified about
our latest videos for this list we’re
taking a look at the most positive
attributes from one of the most divisive
graphic novel adaptations ever made
number 10 the opening credits we’re a
lot of modern movies forego opening
credits Watchmen reminded us how a
stylish title sequence can immerse the
audience in the story about to be told
through a montage that practically feels
like a living graphic novel were given a
summary of the film’s alternative
history showing rather than telling the
sequence is full of clever moments
revealing that the comedian shot JFK and
a recreation of the Last Supper
featuring the Minutemen
what’s more the sequence is brilliantly
accompanied by Bob Dylan’s the times
they are a-changin which works on
multiple levels not only does the music
convey the passage of time but it also
signifies how the times are literally
[Music]
number nine the action much like dr.
Manhattan people either think that Zack
Snyder is a God or a false prophet no
matter where you stand it’s hard to deny
that Snyder is a visually interesting
filmmaker and if you can match his knack
for action
Snyder carefully mapped out Watchmen
with storyboards that didn’t deviate
from Dave Gibbons original artwork this
shines through during the action
set-pieces
particularly the comedian’s downfall and
the prison riot the fight choreography
manages to be fast paced while also
burning certain shots into our memories
as if the characters leapt out of the
panel’s and into the third dimension the
result is like reading a comic book
while still having a cinematic
experience number eight the balanced
plot Blake saw society’s true face chose
to be a parody of it like joke there was
no way Snyder could cover 12 issues and
over 400 pages of material in this film
adaptation even with the 215 minute
ultimate cut given the constraints that
come with adapting any book to film
however Snyder and company do a
respectable job at keeping the story
balanced the source material naturally
goes into greater detail regarding each
character’s backstory David Hayter and
Alex a screenplay keeps everyone’s
origin story brief but we essentially
learn everything we need to know about
these characters in that condensed a
time this is no easy task but the
filmmakers ultimately demonstrate how
number 7 dr. Manhattan good evening
dr. Manhattan you know why I’m here
yes but you’re going to leave
disappointed
dr. Manhattan is a key example of why
Watchmen was considered unfilmable for
the longest time since the graphic novel
came out in a pre CGI era the only
alternative back then would have been to
paint an actor blue I’m afraid I just
blew myself while computer-generated
imagery plays an essential role in
bringing Manhattan to life he doesn’t
feel like a special effect the audience
is convinced that he’s really there this
is largely because Billy Crudup was
actually on set performing opposite his
co-stars the mix of motion capture
technology crude ups commanding presence
an innovative use of LEDs and
state-of-the-art CG amounts to a visual
feat that gets Manhattan just right
Thank You Adrian they’re just a man the
world’s smartest man poses no more
threat to me
then does it smartest termite number six
it’s timeless tone truth
you’re a better Nite Owl than I ever was
Danny Boy I was we both know that’s
a lot of comic-book adaptations
are clearly products of their time but
Watchmen feels like hodgepodge of
different eras the story mainly takes
place in the 1980s but the setting comes
off as both futuristic and retro the
film has the dark grit of an 80s action
picture while also satirizing the camp
you would have found it in something
like the 60s Batman show this creates a
look-in tone that doesn’t belong to one
time period making the experience
timeless the film’s themes concerning
war identity and the greater good can be
applied to any generation as well you
could even argue that watchmen predicted
our current obsession with superheroes
and nostalgia mother this is gross
number five
[Music]
although Snyder’s strive to remain as
true to the source material as possible
he did make several notable changes the
theatrical release notably excluded the
tales of the black freighter which was
later added into the ultimate cut the
ending has the most apparent change
however in the comic Ozymandias plans to
prevent nuclear war by having a giant
squid like alien attack New York thus
uniting the world against a common enemy
it was me in the film the squid is
replaced with a massive explosion and
dr. Manhattan becomes the common enemy
whether or not you thought this change
was an improvement it’s certainly an
easier pill to swallow from mainstream
audiences than a giant squid alien that
seemingly comes out of nowhere number
four the ensemble when an a-list actor
plays a superhero it can be difficult to
look past the celebrity and see a
character Watchmen wisely enlisted
actors who weren’t complete unknowns but
weren’t household names either Jackie
Earle Haley steals the show as Rorschach
getting so much personality across
despite being masked most of the time at
least I’m not the one still hiding
behind a mask you’re hiding in plain
sight as a night owl Patrick Wilson
balances out the colorful cast with a
voice of reason Jeffrey Dean Morgan also
shines as the comedian and with later
bring the same charisma to negan on the
walking dead people
your Moloch’s back in town get your
panties all in a bunch
you think catching any Mathers justice
matters justice justice is coming to all
of us number three it went for an R
rating
I understand there’s even a movie in the
works I’m not hearing a question
although our rated superhero movies
weren’t unheard of in 2009 it was still
rare at the time to see a big-budget
studio picture go beyond pg-13 even the
Dark Knight as gritty as it was didn’t
enter restricted territory Snyder stated
in interviews that Watchmen was
initially intended to be pg-13 in order
to satisfy fans and remain true to Alan
Moore’s vision though it quickly became
clear that the film needed to be rated R
it might have been a risk but the
graphic violence sexuality and profanity
proved integral in producing a more
adult superhero movie number two it
captures the look of the source material
just as Snyder did in 300 Watchmen
faithfully converts the print page to
the silver screen with numerous shots
that match the graphic novel to a tee
this time around though Snyder didn’t
rely as heavily on green screens opting
for a solid mix of CGI and practical
effects the world and characters of Alan
Moore’s magnum opus are brought to life
through the stunning
sets and meticulously crafted costumes
even audiences who weren’t fans of the
film generally agree that Snyder did his
homework in recreating the source
material turning in a visual feast for
the eyes number one it remained true to
the story tonight a comedian died in New
York somebody knows why with future DC
films like Man of Steel Batman vs
Superman and Justice League Snyder
demonstrated that telling an original
coherent story isn’t his forte with
Watchmen though Snyder knew that he had
one of the greatest literary works of
all time gift-wrapped to him so he
didn’t veer too far away from the
story’s roots with many moments and
lines of dialogue ripped right from the
comic some people believed the film was
too loyal to the graphic novel and that
there’s no point in exactly replicating
a work of art for another medium
considering the liberties so many comic
adaptations take however Snyder’s
dedication to the source material was
more than welcome here not a comic book
villain do you seriously think I’ll
explain my masterstroke to you even the
slightest possibility you could affect
the outcome do you agree with our picks
check out these other great clips from
WatchMojo and be sure to subscribe and
ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos
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