"Watchmen" Director's Cut

The greatest problem with "Watchmen" is that I feel as if you need to have read the graphic novel in order to truly appreciate it and love it. This is perhaps illustrated best when I expressed my discontent with the movie to a coworker and he asked if I had read the graphic novel. I answered no and he proceeded to tell me that that is why I didn't like it. Now, the greatest problem with that problem is that that is the filmmakers' fault. As popular as a book, television show, graphic novel, comic book, or any other source material that a movie is based on is, you cannot count on that select group of people to give you an adequate, let alone a successful, return. The art of adaptation to screen requires artistic license. You have to ensure that this translates to the general population as well as the specific followers and that requires sacrifice. This was my second viewing of "Watchmen" because the first time, when it was first released in theaters, something was lost on me. Not that the themes were over my head (maybe they were) or the story was too complex (maybe it was), but that it just didn't do it for me, it was missing something. Upon this viewing I watched the director's cut in hopes that a second viewing and added material would fill that void. Unfortunately it didn't. This is a movie filled with great moments, but that don't add up to a great film. We see great individual performances, but are juxtaposed by hollow performances. We hear genuinely smart dialogue and concepts, followed up by poor one-liners, over simplified explanations, or gargantuan leaps in logic. This movie was very much hot and cold for me. I'd like to say that upon further thought afterwards I enjoy this movie, and for the most part I think I do, as long as I don't think about the ending too much. The end certainly begs the question, "who watches the watchmen?" Does the accomplishment of their goal justify the measures they took to get there? Are they the ones who decide what is right, what is permitted? If so, what makes them the moral and lawful authority? My problem isn't necessarily the ending itself, but the acceptance by the characters of such an ending when it seems contrary to all of their nature's throughout the film and they all seem to have an instant shift in their moral paradigm. Up until the ending it is a very character driven story, perhaps to a fault. You have these characters in the overall story, but you also take the time to tell each of their back stories and this often takes away from the main story, which wasn't very strong or original in the first place. The overall story of the movie could probably be told in 27 minutes, the other 153 minutes is filled with character driven scenes and backstory. Generally I think this is a good thing, just not for the format of a feature length film. Miniseries, television show, multiple movies (similar to the "Kill Bill" movies or perhaps the more recent Avengers treatment done by Marvel), something that expands your limitations of a 2 to 3 hour movie. Now, with all that said, I still do like this movie. Upon more viewings I think this is a movie I would appreciate and grow to like more, which is not a bad thing. I will certainly give it another try and even read the graphic novel to see how that enhances or diminishes my movie experience. For now, this is a movie that didn't quite do it for me, flashed brilliance at points, settled for mediocrity in others, and should have, and I think could have, been a lot more.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0409459/