"No. Not even in the face of Armageddon. Never compromise." That isn’t just Rorschach’s ultimate cry of defiance, it’s the mantra of legions of Watchmen fans hoping that director Zack Snyder remains faithful to Alan Moore’s dystopian superhero epic.
I don’t know about you, PopWatchers, but is this a good sign or what? The melancholy sight of Dr. Manhattan—a CGI-transformed Billy Crudup—standing with Ozymandias (Matthew Goode) and Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson) over the rain-soaked grave of their fellow caped crusader, the Comedian, looks like such a faithful panel-to-screen translation that not even the mudslingers at the New Frontiersman could complain. So with that in mind, a quick PopWatch poll!
More on ‘Watchmen’:
‘Watchmen’: An Exclusive First Look
‘Watchmen’: A Chat with Director Zack Snyder
A ”Watchmen” primer — A beginner’s guide to the film’s characters including The Comedian, Rorschach, Dr. Manhattan, and more
Kevin Smith says ‘Watchmen’ is astounding (insert ‘but’ here)
Comic-Con: Talking with the ‘Watchmen’ cast
An interview with ‘Watchmen’ creator Alan Mooore
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Wow, great exclusive. I can barely even see it. Why don’t you offer a bigger version.
i have no idea what the movie is about (other than superheroes) but it looks interesting.
This movie looks so faithful, it’s almsot creepy.
thanks for the thumbnail
You know, you have the exclusive, why not give a normal resolution poster, not this thumbnail?
a great peak at what seems to be one of the next great movies. I have to agree though whats with the tiny thumbnail, I kept looking for the link to the bigger picture…haha thanks ew
THERE IS NO SQUID. NOT FAITHFULL
Yeah, great poster, not to great size, I actually saw all 6 posters in great size at http://www.movieweb.com, not that Im promoting the site, but they have them real nice.
Sorry, but if you’re not already a devoted Watchmen fan, you’re probably watching the trailers and looking at these posters saying “That looks weird, what is that all about?” Face it, Watchmen will be adored by geeks and just tolerated by mainstream America…not to mention the fact that it’s a 2 hour and 45 minute R-rated obscure comic book movie. I’ll go see it, but I don’t know many non-fans who care about this right now.
I don’t know Shannon. I read The Watchmen because of all the hype that it kept getting in EW and loved it. But I never would have found it without things like this article. I’ve recommended it to a ton of people – many who aren’t comic/graphic novel readers. Their interest is peaked, but they said they’d be more likely to just see the movie.
You’ve never gone to a movie where you didn’t already know the story? Did you already know the story before you read Watchmen?
To answer your poll question, I look forward to the movie wholeheartedly, but the tiny image (ecspecially compared to all the other exclusives) does nothing but make me dissapointed in EW for dropping the ball.
I just read the comic this year, and I could not be more excited for a film adaptation. Regardless of wether Watchmen: The Movie is good or bad, I’m still excited someone is even attempting to create a (supposedly!) faithful adaptation. And I want to see it real, real bad!
I haven’t read the comics, but I couldn’t be more excited for this film. Trust in Snyder.
I own the comics, have read them and the graphic novel format, I have the first motion comic. I am a fan, this image does not move me. Yes it is correct, no it is not pertinent to the story. I would prefer a veil of secrecy for this project at this time, let the movie speak for itself when it is released. (After all the fans know what we want to see on the screen.)
mage, a veil of secrecy would prevent people like me who weren’t aware of Watchmen before from getting interested in it. I read it after seeing the teaser trailer last summer, and I loved it! And now I can’t wait for the movie to come out. Would you rather it didn’t get as wide an audience as possible and therefore tank?
I get it. This is a picture of the leeetle baby Dr Manhattan. It’s like a hint at the new direction of the character for the movie. I dunno if I like it. I hope in the movie he’s taller than the 14 pixel size of him on this page…
As a huge “Watchmen” fan I have been following of the film adaptation’s progress and feel that it has nailed, for the most part, the visual aesthetic that was so vital to the series as a whole. That being said, it seems very few have actually read “The Watchmen”- this whole “who’s watching the watchmen? we are” comment makes a poignant statement sound like a catch-phrase for a bad 90s sitcom. Keep the cute to “Twilight” and “27 Dresses”- “Watchmen” deserves due reverence.
As a huge fan of the graphic novel, I am extremely excited about this film! I believe in Snyder and that he will stay true to the vision, while adding his own personal touch to it. If he makes minor changes, I can deal. It’s not like I have unrealistic hopes that it will be EXACTLY like the graphic novel, frame by frame.
I don’t think EW got the rights to show the image any bigger than this. Think of it as them getting the short straw of the bunch. Either a sign of EW’s relevance or perhaps the cgi in the photo doesn’t stand up to inspection at a bigger size. Still looking forward to the movie though as long as they don’t change the ending.
You posted…we listened. Hope the bigger size photo is better!
I’m huge WATCHMEN fan and I think the movie needs to be over at least 2 hours and 40 minutes to stay true and I dont care that they changed the ending just as long as it doesn’t leave plot holes aka why Comedian needed to be killed (could say the same thing but just tweak it a little/island)
In answer to Jeanne, I feel that less is more in this case. The story has some wicked twists in it and it would benefit it as a film to be a surprise to some people.In addition, as a longtime fan of genre fiction and comics I am afraid of backlash from the conservative American pop culture. I want it to be a hit, but I agree with Alan Moore on the state of his work.
This is a brilliant piece of work and I hope the movie does well, I just don’t want to have defend my Fandom to the average person ever again.
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I love the graphic novel but f@#$ the squid… I thought it was hokey when I read it and am interested to see what Snyder & Co. will blow our minds with…
I love the liberal bias of this site talking about the New Frontiersman being bad for doing nothing in the story but writing about their opinions yet Nova Express, the liberal magazine in watchmen is duped by Ozymandias into helping drive Dr. Manhattan off the planet by being willing to print a false story. Shades of liberals like Dan Rather’s knowingly running a story based on forged documents.
i read watchmen well before the film was greenlit. i think it has a better chance on screen than other moore books because it can be clearly (snarf!) interpreted two opposite ways, with rorschach and his worldview as either hero or villain (pretty sure snyder will make it hero). also because snyder’s a fanboy, unlike, say, the poor schlub who directed ‘league of extraordinary gentlemen’.
Patrick Wilson is so yum!
Dear Mudslinger, keep your conservative garbage to yourself. In case you aren’t living on Earth, your party just got massacred in the elections last week. That means nobody wants to hear/read lunkheaded, typo-ridden right-wing screeds anymore. Let’s keep focus on the movie, which will rock.
every scene i have viewed in trailers and other snippets (including this poster) has been lifted frame by frame directly from the graphic novel. i am very excited for the movie. i have been telling my family and freinds for some time about how amazing the book is, though they still refuse to read it because despite the “novel” format- its a comic book to them. We’re over 40. i have them all convinced they need to see it. they do. oh…one thing that i should mention. i read a few entries in here that bag on the fictional right wing “new frontiersman” newspaper and likewise real life far right politicos in the real world; though i personally disagree with much of the knee jerk stupidity of the real extreme right, in the book-they and their champion (rorschach) were the only ones who did the right thing. every time. even in the face of armageddon. if only comics were real, huh?