who watches the watchmen?

Everybody watches the Watchmen, apparently.

Which is weird. It's weird how comic book movies are made to be mainstream blockbusters, when in reality comics are for such a niche community. Of the 100 people in the theater last night, how many of them actually read the graphic novel? Because of all the hype, I wonder if a lot of people are going to be disappointed. Reading the comic, all I could think was how are they going to make this into a movie? It's dark, and long, and generally not the type of story everyone "gets" or likes.

Going in, I wasn't expecting much. But you know, maybe because I had low expectations, I actually thought the movie was really good. I really liked it.

What I enjoyed most about it was it's visual aspects. It was filmed very fluidly, and in a way that kept you stimulated throughout (even though it was long... oh so very long...). And I could appreciate all the little set details and the peripheral characters in the background who played a larger role in the book. The movie looked just like the comic. And it made my geeky little heart happy.

The movie was amazingly faithful to the graphic novel. But since everything was condensed, it lacked the same emotional heft of the book. Which is really the whole point of the story. I mean, they took out Tales of the Black Freighter! Understandable, but that story within the story was the most haunting and powerful part of the story.

Watching the film is kind of like watching a tribute band. The notes are right and the lyrics are correct, but something fundamental is missing. I can imagine most people who haven't read the book leaving the theater thinking, "What's the big fucking deal?" And by just watching the movie, they'd be right.