We have something in common with Kevin Smith, (no, not that we wear shorts all the time) we have (finally) seen new footage from Zack Snyder's Watchmen adaptation. Ok, he's seen the whole movie and we have only seen about 25 minutes, but close enough. The folks at Warner Brothers were kind enough to let us (and folks from G4TV, IESB, Chud and others) get a look at some all new footage, take a closer look at Nite Owl's Owlship (which we saw at Comic Con) and have a few questions answered by director Zack Snyder.
What we saw:
The Comedian's final fight
Fight is too timid a word for what happens in this scene, this is a brawl. The scene is fast moving and brutal and culminates with an iconic shot of blood splattering on the smiley face button before Blake goes through the window.
A title sequence featuring the Minutemen
The opening sequence is a great piece of exposition that introduces the audience to these early crime fighters. The intro is a live action photo montage that shows the team together and in action and then transitions to their later (and sometimes grisly) days.
Dr. Manhattan's origin
Like in chapter 4 of the graphic novel, this sequence starts on Mars (which looks better here than it did in the trailer). We see Jon Osterman as a scientist, meeting his future wife and as a child learning to make watches. We also see the events that lead to Osterman's transformation in to Dr. Manhattan and his subsequent military training and personal request by current president Nixon to take part in the Vietnam war, which he ends in four days. One other thing that shows up in this sequence is (wait for it) Dr. Manhattan's dong, which seems to have been toned down for the trailer, but is practically starring in one of the origin scenes.
Nite Owl and Silk Spectre break Rorschach out of prison
Some of this is seen briefly in the Watchmen trailer. In this sequence we get a good look at the Owlship in action and a great fight scene featuring Nite Owl and Silk Spectre fighting a group of inmates. We also get to see and hear Rorschach as he casually murders a dwarf in a prison restroom.
A brief montage
This was a collection of short clips which included some footage from the trailer as well as new footage, like Spectre and Owl kissing during a nuclear bomb blast, Ozymandias at Studio 54 (with the Villiage People, Bowie and Mick Jagger) and the Comedian shooting JFK from the Grassy Knoll.
What we found out:
Zack Snyder says that the film currently has a running time of 2 hours and forty three minutes, but that could change since they are still editing the film.
The effects are not completely finished and the scenes with Dr. Manhattan are close but not quite completed.
The film was shot so that the Black Freighter elements could be inserted in to it at a later date.
Zach wants nothing to do with directing a Watchmen sequel or prequel.
What we heard:
The music was a mix of period music. There are two Bob Dylan songs in the film and Nat King Cole's “Unforgettable” plays during the early fight with the Comedian. Zack Snyder described Tyler Bates' (300, Doomsday & Dawn of the Dead) score as having horns and synthesizers, similar to Vangelis' score of Blade Runner.
What we think: It is still too early to tell how the film will turn out, but the footage looks good. The sequences look interesting and the set and costume design keep you in the world of the Watchmen. Expect a lot of visual cultural references in the film that interact with the characters; this is done in the same manner as the film Forrest Gump. The cinematography is great and the finished effects look good, there were many unfinished effects in the footage we saw. Gore and nudity (both in the footage we saw) are both generally new to the cape and cowl films, as is the tone of the film which almost guarantees an R rating.
The bottom line: We are interested, but we need to see if these sequences can fit together to make a cohesive film.
