We’re still eight days away from Watchmen Day (March 6, for those of you who don’t follow such things), but people are beginning to lay eyes on Zack Snyder’s epic superhero treatise/action spectacle. It had its World Premiere in London a few days ago, and it’s been screening here and there for select parties — and with the Cone of Silence starting to lift, we’re getting a sense of the early reaction. In a word: mixed.
As anyone with half a brain might’ve predicted, from the Fan quadrant, Watchmen is, for the most part, a life-changing, Holy Grailicious event. But the mainstream media — mostly made of critics who haven’t spent untold hours digesting Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ seismic graphic novel — isn’t quite as rapturous.
A quick early-reviews rundown, after the jump. And, of course, be sure to check back next week for the official EW review.
DAILY MIRROR (UK)
Verdict: Positive
"Watchmen was never likely to exceed the huge weight of expectation, buthere is a performance which does. And the film itself? It’s closer thanyou’d think." — Steve Anglesley
EMPIRE
Verdict: Positive
"Okay, it isn’t the graphic novel, but Zack Snyder clearly gives a toss,creating a smart, stylish, decent adaptation, if low on accessibilityfor the non-convert." — Ian Nathan
HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
Verdict: Negative
"There is something a little lackadaisical here. The set pieces aresurprisingly flat and the characters have little resonance. Fightscenes don’t hold a candle to Asian action. Even the digitaleffects are ho-hum. Armageddon never looked so cheesy." — Kirk Honeycutt
THE TIMES (UK)
Verdict: Positive
"As the first attempt to make atruly post-adolescent comic book movie, Watchmen is, literally, peerless." — Kevin Mahler
VARIETY
Verdict: Negative
"As Watchmen lurches toward its apocalyptic (and slightly altered)finale, something happens that didn’t happen in the novel: Wavering intone between seriousness and camp, and absent the cerebral tone thatgave weight to some of the book’s headier ideas, the film seems toyield to the very superhero cliches it purports to subvert." — Justin Chang
More ‘Watchmen’:
‘Watchmen’: An exclusive first look
‘Watchmen’: Inside Zack Snyder’s outrageous new movie
‘Watchmen’: 17 stunning portraits
‘Watchmen’: An oral history
‘Watchmen’ lawsuit: It’s settled
‘Watchmen’ vs. Star Trek: Pick best trailer
‘Watchmen’ worth the fuss: Kevin Smith
‘Watchmen’ Creator Alan Moore: The EW Q&A (July 2008)
Comments (1-15) of 17 Add your comment
I am sure that there are going to be a few changes as there were with V. But overall it’s going to be a great movie.
Its a movie with sci/fi fantasy based on a graphic novel. If you are looking for real and boring. sgo see Benjamin Button again.
This movie will be great.
Don’t bother with the Watchmen, check this one out instead:
[url][/url]http://failedscreenwriter.com/2009/02/25/heroine-cheek-r/[url][/url]
Sorry – this one will work better:
http://failedscreenwriter.com/
This makes me equal parts nervous and excited. For the most part, critics only gave Batman: The Dark Knight such high ratings because of Heath’s crazy-awesome joker performance, so I don’t put a lot of value in their opinions. But also, some critics know what they’re talking about, comic book or not. I trust Snyder to make Watchmen as kick-assiest as he possibly can. Yay!
don’t listen to the variety and hollywood reporter reviews. I found them badly written and poorly thought out. Take a look at some of the positive reviews on rotten tomatoes and you’ll get a better feel for what is about to be released.
I’m keeping expectations low. I HATED 300 with a passion. The previews for Watchmen look great, just like the comic…which might be the problem. I’ve read the comic, I’ve seen these images. It’s cool that Snyder made the movie look exactly like the comic, but the original concept for the comic was “What if superheroes really existed?” Instead of making this story look like it is unfolding in the real world, Snyder chose to make it look like a cartoon…poor choice thematically. Still, I hope he pulls it off…but that requires him making the characters feel real which, from the looks of it, he was not able to do.
Yes, who trusts shifty rags like Variety and The Hollywood Reporter? Surely the people at the Daily Mirror know what they’re talking about!
it has a 76% on RT…is that mixed?
Acai berries are not dangerous! And this movie looks ridulously good!
Rose, I want to date you and not some millionaire! you can spam from home while I leave comments and watch the kids!
Zack Snyder is the best director to come out of hollywood in the last three years! I didn’t like 300 at first but it’s good as a late night, HBO, can’t sleep thing to watch. I’d ratehr watch Snyder over Taratini
this movie rocks out, and as always most movie critics bash it, simply because they bash everything they are forced to see. It’s a disgrace really. Why pay people to watch movies that they don’t like before they sit down in the theater. I have read the Graphic Novel, and I can tell you that this film is a masterpiece. So enjoy.
Is it weird that the Brits like it and the Americans don’t?
maxwell19596, get back to us when you actually SEE the movie. The comic is great, we know. But movie critics review MOVIES and are not, and should not be, a bunch of fanboys like yourself that give rave reviews to comic-movies just because of its source material. You are probably one of those people that kept insisting that Spider-Man 3 was great and that all the haters just didn’t “get” it.