Film, Literature, & the Human Condition

The film adaptation of what can be considered Alan Moore’s magnum opus, Watchmen, is just around the corner. Moore’s rich oeuvre has not just cemented his authority in the realm of comic books, but the themes and commentaries of his work have also established him a visionary with a very unique perspective about humanity. Watchmen will be the fourth adaptation of one of his graphic novels, and while it seems to be given the expensive treatment it deserves, I’m not sure how great it’s going to be. Moore himself has made a habit of distancing himself from the films of his books, understandably so. Two of them are good in their own right, whereas the one in the middle, the godawful League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen, is nothing but a brutal assault on the imagination of Alan Moore. While From Hell and V for Vendetta were good films, I don’t understand why the filmmakers always stray so much from the source material as adhering to it may well have elevated the movies to a high degree of complexity and excellence. From Hell was so different that I felt it should have been marketed as a separate film about Jack the Ripper. V for Vendetta followed the basic narrative of Moore’s book, but made a completely different discussion than he did. Moore was discussing anarchy and fascism. The movie talks more about liberalism and neo-conservatism. It was still amazing and very relevant to our modern climate, but having read the graphic novel, I was a little disappointed in the drastic transformation of content. Nonetheless, most of the action remained accurate. I have a bad feeling the action might be the only aspect the filmmakers of Watchmen have set their focus on. At least with Vendetta, while departing from the source’s ideas, the screenwriters brought their own intriguing ideas to the table. The writers were the Wachowski Brothers so it’s no surprise. But the makers of Watchmen are the same bunch behind 300. I might be one of the few who wasn’t very fond of 300. I had no problem with the visual dazzle and focused direction. It was the writing. I have not read the source material by Frank Miller so I might be out of my element in criticizing the movie. I just felt it was turbocharged in gore and less in concept. If it’s any indication about what kinds of films Zack Snyder wants to make, I don’t think he’s the right director for Watchmen. (continue reading…)