The year is 1985, the place is an alternate America in which masked vigilantes have been outlawed and the U.S. and Soviet Union are on the brink of nuclear annihilation. This is the backdrop in which the murder of an ex-superhero prompts his former teammate (Rorschach) to investigate the crime. The investigation will uncover a larger and sinister conspiracy that will determine the fate of humankind.
WATCHMEN feature actors Billy Crudup (Dr. Manhattan), Patrick Wilson (Night Owl 2), Jackie Earle Haley (Rorschach), Jeffrey Dean Morgan (The Comedian) and Malin Ackerman (Silk Spectre 2). The film is written by David Hayter and Alex Tse and directed by Zack Snyder.
The plot of the film is a murder mystery, a Who-Dunnit and that’s what kept me glued to my seat. The opening collage of scenes that establish the film's reality as parallel to our own is intricately done. In this America costumed crime fighters were commonplace but are now outlawed by President Nixon who is serving a fifth consecutive term in power. The film begins with the murder of ex-Watchmen team member, The Comedian. This initiates Rorschach's inspection into the killing and into his suspicions that ex-superheroes are being targeted. The characters are portrayed as imperfect and therefore more human. They are not typical superheroes like Spiderman and Superman; they are flawed individuals with their share of social and psychological problems. Rorschach can be considered the protagonist of the piece and the mystery unravels through his eyes. The back stories of the main characters are explored at opportune moments. Simultaneously clues are provided to answer the nagging question…who's behind this hullabaloo? Although a few exaggerated slo-mo action scenes and an extended sex scene jolts you into attention, keep in mind that the pace is of a drama and not an action blockbuster.
The dialogue is rich and constantly reminds us that this is a mature drama made for adults. Rorschach's monologues are complex, Dr. Manhattan's lines are filled with philosophical depth and even the other characters bring a gritty realism with the dialogue.
The cinematography is a feast for the eyes, but certain scenes unintentionally appear cartoonish. The editing is adequate but something that hinders it is the repetitive slowing down and speeding up of many scenes. I understand that every director strives for a visual trademark, but Snyder simply over does it to the point of being annoying. Something else that is overused is the soundtrack; a moody original score is replaced by song after song from the 60's, 70's and 80's. Yes we know its 1985, but we don't need to be reminded of it every scene.
The acting is definitely this film's strong suit. The male actors have been perfectly cast in their respective roles. The stand out performance is by Jackie Earle Haley who plays Rorschach. Even wearing the mask doesn't diminish his acting and screen presence. But the only kink in the armor is Malin Ackerman, who is clearly incorrectly cast as a key figure in the story. Her portrayal of Silk Spectre 2 is superficial and stands out like a sore thumb.
WATCHMEN is based on the beloved graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. Having not read the novel prior to viewing the movie, I cannot comment on how faithful the film adaptation is to its source material. What I can say is that the film experience is indeed novel (pun intended). The film isn't great, it isn't bad either it's just an ok movie. Director Zack Snyder (300) has come reasonably close to making a good film. Probably the most significant dilemma faced by the director was trying to compress the expansive story from novel to film. Snyder's attempt is commendable although many of the revelations in the plot came as no real surprise. Even the ending seems like much ado about nothing but I'm sure the version in the novel is dissimilar. This is Snyder's Watchmen and not Moore's so some credit is deserved by the filmmaker. Whichever way you view it, cinema or rental WATCHMEN is unique and worth the watch.
The murder of his girlfriend forces fugitive Dominic Toretto out of hiding and back into Los Angeles. In order to avenge her death Toretto must reluctantly join forces with onetime friend and betrayer Brian O'Conner. Together they must infiltrate a drug cartel to flush out the killer.
FAST AND FURIOUS reunites the original cast which includes Vin Diesel (Dominic Toretto), Paul Walker (Brian O'Conner), Jordana Brewster (Mia Toretto) and Michelle Rodriguez (Letty). John Ortiz (Ramon Campos) rounds up the cast as this film's villain. The film is written by Chris Morgan and directed by Justin Lin.
FAST AND FURIOUS picks up five years later from where the original THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS left off. It can also be considered as a prequel to the sequels 2 FAST 2 FURIOUS and TOKYO DRIFT. If that didn't confuse you just think of it as Part 4. Judging from the title alone, the filmmakers really couldn't care less about making this version bigger or better. The film's tagline declares "New Model, Original Parts," but after watching it the more appropriate tagline would be Salvaged Model, Bootleg Parts. The film opens in the Dominican Republic where Modern Day Robin Hood, Dom Toretto leads his band of thieves in a daring convoy heist of something they like to call "liquid gold." All that trouble to steal some petrol? I guess that's the Hollywood method because simply knocking the driver out cold and speeding off with his tanker truck would be too humdrum. The plot is just a hybrid of the first two movies, minus the cool cars, the urban humour and the underground street racing world. What remains is a washed up thug looking for revenge and a confused FBI agent trying to make amends. Toretto and O'Conner are conveniently looking for the same drug lord and the only way into that world is to win an audition race. This little plot point is identical to that used in Part 2 of the series. Even the entire dynamic of distrust between Toretto and O'Conner has been cloned from the first movie. The death of a loved one being the cause for revenge (Letty) and the rekindling of a long lost love (O'Conner and Mia) are clear examples of the generic plotlines exploited in the film.
The dialogue is a treat for the true lover of clichés. With such lingual gems like, "ride or die," "this is where my jurisdiction ends…and this is where mine begins," and my personal favourite "to the ladies we've loved, and to the ladies we've lost," the talk is a mix of the Old West and a Julio Iglesias song. It is understandable that movies like this cater to a certain demographic, but Hollywood writers need to desist from insulting the audience's intelligence so deliberately.
The technical aspects of the film also fall short when compared to its predecessors. The cinematography is unoriginal, the sound is forgettable, the editing is passable and the soundtrack does not enhance the images. It's as if the director used one of his I-Pod Playlists and selected some random hip hop songs to give the film some urban flavour. What really stands out is the videogame-like action scenes used in the race sequence as well as the cave-drive sequence. It didn't feel like I was watching a movie, instead it felt like I was watching someone play a game of Gran Turismo.
It seems the actors put in exactly the same amount of effort into their roles, as did the filmmakers in trying to come up with the title for the film. Michelle Rodriguez as usual is playing the same role she has played in every single film she has ever done, the tough girl. Jordana Brewster is proof that good looks will not get you everywhere. If you were to replace Jordana with a mannequin, I'm sure none would be the wiser. Paul Walker gives his trademark Surfer-Dude delivery and Vin Diesel gives his typical stone-cold performance. Having acted in such primo films like MIAMI VICE, AMERICAN GANGSTER and the upcoming PUBLIC ENEMIES (with Johnny Depp and Christian Bale) it is surprising to see John Ortiz playing a mediocre role in Part 4 of a waning franchise.
Since this is a conventional formulaic Hollywood action flick, one cannot be too critical. The fact is this entire thing had been done before, but Universal Studios still went ahead and did another one. This is evidence that the Hollywood Idea Machine is running out of concepts. Justin Lin is merely a director for hire, having helmed the third film THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS: TOKYO DRIFT he is the logical choice for directing this one. Lin is better suited for directing automobiles and not actors. But all the blame should not be placed on Lin alone; Chris Morgan the writer deserves much of it for penning such a shameless script. FAST AND FURIOUS is an unashamed copy of an uninspired, uninteresting and purely unexciting film. Try saying that 4 times, really fast and furiously!
