ETA: Spoilers in the comments!
I thought Watchmen was a very good movie. Pretty close to perfect actually, with the look and the actors and the music. I sat their with a huge grin on my face just thinking how much fun I was having. I love movies like that.
It did get me thinking though, about how completely your expectations can effect your enjoyment levels. It’s also something that’s come up a few times in conversation lately. For example, if you go into a movie expecting/fearing that it will be shite then generally you will be impressed. Of course, in your mind it is then a good movie, because it exceeded your expectations. That’s fine. Up until you start telling people that it was an awesome movie, because then you’re giving them the expectation of something great. Then they may get disappointed. This has happened to me with a couple of movies, so I have taken to tempering my opinions somewhat.
The worst one was probably Shakespeare in Love I saw it after a heap of my friends had seen it and a lot of people were coming up to me and saying ‘this is the best movie ever’ or ‘this movie was made for you’ or ‘you, Jenni, will totally love this movie.’ So I went along with these huge expectations which no movie could really live up to. Afterwards I was saying ‘yeah, it was a good movie, but it wasn’t the best movie ever.’
I loved Watchmen, but then I am a fan of the comic and I really enjoyed how they made it happen. I loved the opening credits and the faux diorama photography backstory. I liked Rorsharch and Laurie. I liked the music an awful lot.
It’s hard to say if the movie’s any good if you haven’t read the book, but Chelle and Jase seemed to like it so I guess it still stands up on some level. Lee thought some scenes were a bit long and he had pacing issues, but I know that if it had chopped and changed through the story stuff super fast with no breathing room he wouldn’t have liked that either. He would have said it was like an early Harry Potter film.
So what I’m trying to say is, I thought Watchmen was an awesome film, but I am coming at that from the stand point of a comic fan who loves superheroes and loves movies that are artsy and subvert their genre in clever ways. I also went in fearing that it wouldn’t be very good. I hoped, but it was a small timid hope. No movie will please everyone so don’t go blaming me if you don’t like it.
In other news….I finished reading Debbie’s book, I tidied some more stuff away in the spare room, got some scrapbooking done, failed to have a good sleep, painted my toenails and found my camera.
Point of Fashion: Juno
Current Obsession: the bacon bambino burger I had on Thursday.
Talula 
I thought the movie was fine but long.
I really enjoyed the first two thirds, but felt the closing act was a little rushed, and would probably have enjoyed it more if I’d known going in that the ending had been changed…
Just read the stuff review, which seems a little conflicted. She says at the start how awful an adaptation it is and how right Alan Moore is not to see it and then she wants more story or emotional depth.
I think some of the critics may be missing the point that it’s not supposed to be a traditional superhero movie, that the costumes are supposed to be ridiculous, etc.
Matt, I didn’t really mind the change at the end, because the events and the results were all pretty much the same, it was just the scapegoat that was different, and I can’t see them setting up Adrian’s original one very easily.
Yeah, I don’t mind the change at the end – it’s pretty minor and did allow the film to finish in less than 3 hours. I was just looking forward to seeing the giant space squid all asploded in NY 🙂
Had I known the ending had been tweaked I would have avoided that one small disappointment.
@Matt and Jenni,
Yeah, I agree with Jenni that I thought the change was relatively minor in who the scapegoat was. I even felt that it made more sense within the context of the film.
Having said that, I went into the film having heard that the ending had been changed slightly, but I didn’t know what it had been changed to, which was probably the perfect frame of mind.
whoops.. probably shouldn’t have read this til i’d seen the movie, on account of spoilers in the comments! ;P
movie-advertising has been irking me on account of the constant referencing to ‘superheroes’, implying super-powers, when in the main they really aren’t. and in fact, the comic really only refers to Dr M. in that way, from what i recall.
hopefully i’ll be able to go see it soon. J is about 1/3 of the way thru the book now.
Zephfi: I’ve put in a warning sign at the top now 🙂
🙂
funnily enuff, i’d expected any spoilers that i’d come across online would be about the plot of the novel (that i’d already know). it’ll be aages before i get to see it, i suspect, so i’m bound to have forgotten the novel’s plot by then, let alone anything else! 🙂
Yep we enjoyed it. Jase is hanging out for the extended blu ray version. I’m interested in seeing it too but am more keen on reading the novel. From what I’ve read online about the movie, I think it is the whole wrong promotion info that has meant people haven’t enjoyed it the best. As Zephfi says above, superhero really isn’t the right term yet thats what people are expecting. One of workmates was kinda surprised that only Dr M has any actual powers.
We liked it and went with people who had seen it before. My only regret is that I drank a large coke at the beginning and spent the last half hour waiting for it to end so I could go to the bathroom. Le sigh.