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Mar. 16th, 2009 03:23 pmI saw The Watchmen last night. ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
lady_babalon asked me afterwards if i liked it, to which the best answer i could give was, "I have a complex set of reactions and strains of thought inspired by the movie which i could summarize with 'No.'"
Set aside the rather imbalanced production - for all that it is visually stunning, there are minor problems that jump out, like a CGI character whose mouth sometimes moves out of time with his voice. Seriously, having a complaint like that makes me feel like a fussy quibler, but isn't lip synching what you learn on day one of Animation 101?
Set aside that every major female character (all two of them) and several of the minor female characters are portrayed for a significant portion of their screen time in sexual situations. I say "set this aside" not to minimize it, because for many this alone will be sufficient reason to despise the movie; i say it because this is not my biggest beef with it.
After seeing the movie i found myself asking, "What is it that we look for in art, in literature, in film?" I can't say i was enriched by seeing this film. In fact i feel like the filmmakers were trying to tear something out of me.
I know there are those who might imply that i sound like a doe-eyed innocent clinging to lofty illusions and idealistic daydreams. It wouldn't be the first time.
But it's not the grittiness, the overblown choreographed fights and questionable characters that cause me to react to the movie as i did. In fact, i like very much the main character, Rorschach. He stood out to me as the best part of the graphic novel and he stands out in the film, too. Yep, he's a twisted mess, a reactionary car crash of a human being, someone i would stay as far away from as possible in real life. As a fictional character, he's fantastic. I can handle my heroes conflicted and morally ambiguous, can even say i prefer them that way.
So, yes, i "get it;" even in an alternate universe where there are people who put on costumes and fight crime there are no real heroes. In fact i think we can live with more fiction that doesn't break people down into categories like "hero" or "villain."
Do i think there's a place in the world for nihilistic masterpieces which leave us thinking that maybe brain is just another kind of brawn, and the end justifies the means? I suppose so, if we must.
lady_babalon asked me afterwards if i liked it, to which the best answer i could give was, "I have a complex set of reactions and strains of thought inspired by the movie which i could summarize with 'No.'"Set aside the rather imbalanced production - for all that it is visually stunning, there are minor problems that jump out, like a CGI character whose mouth sometimes moves out of time with his voice. Seriously, having a complaint like that makes me feel like a fussy quibler, but isn't lip synching what you learn on day one of Animation 101?
Set aside that every major female character (all two of them) and several of the minor female characters are portrayed for a significant portion of their screen time in sexual situations. I say "set this aside" not to minimize it, because for many this alone will be sufficient reason to despise the movie; i say it because this is not my biggest beef with it.
After seeing the movie i found myself asking, "What is it that we look for in art, in literature, in film?" I can't say i was enriched by seeing this film. In fact i feel like the filmmakers were trying to tear something out of me.
I know there are those who might imply that i sound like a doe-eyed innocent clinging to lofty illusions and idealistic daydreams. It wouldn't be the first time.
But it's not the grittiness, the overblown choreographed fights and questionable characters that cause me to react to the movie as i did. In fact, i like very much the main character, Rorschach. He stood out to me as the best part of the graphic novel and he stands out in the film, too. Yep, he's a twisted mess, a reactionary car crash of a human being, someone i would stay as far away from as possible in real life. As a fictional character, he's fantastic. I can handle my heroes conflicted and morally ambiguous, can even say i prefer them that way.
So, yes, i "get it;" even in an alternate universe where there are people who put on costumes and fight crime there are no real heroes. In fact i think we can live with more fiction that doesn't break people down into categories like "hero" or "villain."
Do i think there's a place in the world for nihilistic masterpieces which leave us thinking that maybe brain is just another kind of brawn, and the end justifies the means? I suppose so, if we must.
