Watching the Watchmen

Watchmen -- the astonishing and reverent adaptation of Alan Moore's classic graphic novel -- brings to life a fascinating alternate world....Public fear is reaching a breaking point, and it appears that nothing and no one can prevent humanity's extinction. Not even our superheroes....Watchmen tells of the terrible consequences that can ensue when an individual or a nation assumes unwarranted and unlimited powers; for with the donning of the hero's cloak of righteousness, everything becomes permissible.

--Michael Dudley, Alternet, America Is a Dangerous Vigilante, Heroes Are Sociopaths: The Not-So-Mythical World of 'Watchmen'



The much awaited film adaptation of the graphic novel Watchmen finally hit the movie screens. Judging by who you ask, it was either a disaster or pure genius. Myself, I fall into the latter camp. Not only did I find the film visually stunning (twice), but I thought the on-screen translation of the 1985 classic managed to retain enough of the original novel to remain true to its essence, and yet was not so slavish that it needed another hour (piled upon the already 2 hrs and 45 minutes) to tell the story in full. They even managed to make the much-awaited ending spectacular without a several tons of gigantic psychic squid. I was going to write my own review, but I could not figure out how to unpack all the philosophical and political elements the Watchmen lays bare--from the brutal ugliness of American Empire in the form of Dr. Manhattan and The Comedian, to the anti-hero misfit vigilante Rorschach, to Ozymandias' maniacal plan for global peace.

Thankfully, someone did so for me. Check out Michael Dudley's review at Alternet. Any other thought-provoking pieces will be added as they become available.