Watchmen

It finally happened yesterday. I made the trip over to the local cineplex with much anticipation to see Watchmen. The commercials have looked incredible and Warner Bros. certainly upped the advertising budget, perhaps hoping for another The Dark Knight. It just so happened that I saw the movie with two friends that hadn't read the book and one friend that had, so I was very interested to hear the perspectives of those that came into the movie knowing nothing about the story.
Spoilers Follow:
As far as a movie goes I would give it a B+, 3 out of 4 stars, whatever rating system you prefer. The visual pop of the film really sets it apart from previous comic book adaptations or even surrealist sci-fi films. Say what you want about Zack Snyder, the man knows how to work a camera. I guess that is what they mean by "visionary". Unfortunately, some of the special effects and make up completely fall flat. At several points during the film the actors appear obviously before a green screen, and I won't even get into the portrayal of Richard Nixon. It was sad to see them handle his character, even though he is a minor one, with so little care.
Which brings me to the music. Wow did Mr. Snyder drop the ball here. Some moments work extremely well, Bob Dylan in the opening credits, and others sound like a bad mix tape, "Sounds of Silence" at the Comedian's funeral. He gives snippets of familiar songs but only just enough for you to get a chuckle out of it or to say, "Oh, I love this song!" The original music is exciting and works great in the action sequences and I wish that he had done something similar to what he did in 300 and used more orchestration with and used familiar songs more sparingly.
The actors do a decent job of playing their perspective roles, especially Jackie Earle Haley and Billy Crudup. The only problems with the characters arise form the changes to the original story with regards to the nature of the characters. Dr. Manhattan is made into a redemptive character through a convenient plot device that prevents him of having knowledge of Ozymandias's plan. In the novel he is completely detached from world and even though he knows what Ozymandias will eventually do, he does nothing, he sees the logic of it. A logic the movie completely disregards. Another small nitpick is the way the movie spends too much time building up an energy crisis (a plot point I could clearly see a studio executives fighting for thinking people will be able to relate to without having read the source material or understanding the extent of Dr. Manhattan's power) and not enough time on the finer aspects of the character development. It skims over the reasons that people would fight for justice in the first place and that prevents the characters from having any inherent nobility later in the film.
End Spoilers
Overall the film was enjoyable for myself and the people I saw it with. It should be noted that the two people that hadn't read the novel left the theater slightly overwhelmed by the complexity, weight, and bleak nature of the story. These are certainly not the same kind of super heros that have 12 year old kids lining up to see it. When all the hype has settled the film will leave studio executives disappointed, audiences confused, and long time fans ultimately pleased. Strangely enough I think that this fits the nature of the comic better than it had been a monumental block buster. Those involved in the production that truly understand the source novel, I think, realize that this isn't for everyone and those that allow themselves to get involved in philosophical discussions about human nature and Machiavellianism will find a movie that will really get there blood red juices flowing.