Watchmen: Directors Cut Blu-ray
Comic film shines on Blu-ray
Hollywood has become enamored with comic books for the past several years. X-men seemed to have kick start a big slew of movies trying to capture the true essence of the superhero onto the big screen. Watchmen is a definite departure from the standard comic books that have hit the screens for the last several years. Watchmen was originally created by writer Alan Moore and artist David Gibbons in 1995 and is still considered a classic piece of literature. It stands alone on top of many comic books because of its deep introspective of society and human-beings. This is a true telling of the rise and fall of heroes. Director Zack Snyder (300) tackles Watchmen with stellar results.
The Story of the Watchmen
The movie is set in an alternate 1980s setting where President Nixon has been re-elected for a third term and the United States is in a potential nuclear war with Russia. In this alternate time in America, society at one time had put the law into the hands of the Minutemen, a similar group of costumed-heroes who preceded the Watchmen. The film’s plot begins in 1985 were the once herald Watchmen are now outlawed. At the heart of Watchmen is a detective story. Within this detective story, a bigger story begins to unravel and Snyder truly dives deep into the history and characters of these Watchmen. Snyder guides the audience through numerous flashbacks and subplots in order to give true understanding of the heroes and the dark world in which they live in. Snyder meticulously dives into each character and leaves the audience questioning how heroic are these Watchmen, these supposed heroes.
Characters are what drive a movie to either succeed or fail. Snyder truly succeeds in creating these truly unique and troubling heroes. The movie opens with the introduction and death of Edward Blake (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Blake, known as the Comedian, is a disturbing and inhumane character. Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) is another character that can be best described as a psychopathic, yet committed, person of justice He is the driving force in the investigating of the death of the Comedian and arguably the character who steals the show. Dan Dreiberg (Patrick Wilson), known as Nite owl, probably the most normal of the Watchmen, is another complex character who seems out of touch with himself and society. Laruie Jupiter (Malin Akerman), known as Silk Spectre, is a troubled young woman with a complex history with men and her mother. Adrian Veid (Matthew Goode) known as Ozymandias, is a wealthy business man who used his former alter ego as a profit driving force for his company. Finally, but not least, Doctor Manhattan (Billy Crudup), is arguably the most tragic character in the film. It’s easily evident that these characters are all fighting their own personal battles. All these characters are brought together in attempt to unravel a great mystery, and as the film progresses, the death of one Watchmen becomes just a small piece in a much more bigger story.
This movie is not for the faint of heart. The movie is graphic and violent. Rape, murder and death are some of the areas in which the movie depicts graphically and thoroughly. The violence and graphic nature of the movie serves as an illustration of human nature.
For those who watched the theatrical cut of the film, the director’s cut features 25 extra minutes. The extra 25 minutes is features more scenes straight from the comic book. The extra 25 minutes pushes the film to a running time of 186 minutes. The director’s cut features some interesting scenes that were originally left out in the theatrical cut. It does provided an extra action and scenes of dialogue.
Video, Audio, Features
Warner Bros. presents this 1080p/VC-1 transfer beautifully and faithfully. Snyder purposely created this raw look to the film. Preset in this film are a lot of shadows and darkness in order to faithfully present the underlying darkness of the city.
The audio is also top-notch. The DTS-HD Master Lossless Audio truly packs a powerful punch for audiophiles. The great soundtrack is clearly cued and the dialogue is clearly heard even during the action sequences.
Along with a few commentaries, most notable feature is the Immersive Maximum Movie Mode where Director Zack Snyder pops onto the screen and gives commentary. When he pops up, there are two screens on the television, one displaying the movie while the other is the behind the scenes look on how the scene was made. He also will pause the movie and discuss all kinds of interesting details. Also included is BD-Live in where Blu-ray players with internet connections can access additional features online via their Blu-ray player.
Watchmen is truly a unique experience and should be watched by those looking for a smart and different kind of comic book movie. These heroes may not be pretty and clean cut, but they are sure fun to watch. Zack Snyder brings a faithful adaption of the classic comic book to the big screen. Superb storytelling, great extra features, and near flawless video and audio transfer, Watchmen is a true gem among comic book movies.
9/10
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