Watching The Watchmen With Zack Snyder And Dave Gibbons

By Katey Rich: 2008-10-06 19:36:17

"It's very Watchmen-y, and I don't know how else to say it." There was probably nothing Zack Snyder could have said to introduce 30 minutes of Watchmen footage that would have been more encouraging to the graphic novel's fans. Bringing what's been called the "Watchmen roadshow" to New York, Snyder presented the first 12 minutes of his movie, along with a handful of other scenes, to an assorted group of journalists. It'll take me a while to gather my thoughts on the footage, which has already been described in great detail elsewhere, but "phenomenal" is a pretty good description for now.

Snyder took the stage before the first clip, which depicted the murder of The Comedian as well as the intricately detailed opening credits, and explained his history with Watchmen. He started as a fan of the comic book magazine Heavy Metal, which managed to be even darker than Watchmen with its depictions of nudity and gore. When he first read other graphic novels, Snyder said, "No one's really fucking or dying in this, so I don't get it." When he picked up Watchmen, however, he was sold: "It has a little of both."

Initial discussions with Warner Bros. had the Watchmen movie set in the present day, with the war on terror as the focus instead of the novel's Cold War setting. With the leverage he earned from 300's massive success, though, Snyder says he was able to steer development closer to the novel's original vision; after all, he said, "Who gives a fuck what I think about the war on terror."

When all the scenes had been screened, with Snyder introducing each of them with clear comic book geek expertise, he and the novel's co-creator Dave Gibbons took the stage to answer audience questions. Gibbons gave Snyder effusive praise for the way he translated the characters to live-action, particularly Rorschach, whose masked face is, obviously, stationary in the novels, but changes before your eyes in the movie. "I've seen people at costume masquerades who've got the static masks. That's unnerving enough. But the way that swirls around, it's got all the creepiness and the disorientating feeling that I allways thought of."

Snyder didn't go into many details about which elements of the book had been cut, and based on the footage seen and the movie's current running time-- two hours and 45 minutes-- there's probably not much missing. But the pages and pages of background information in the book, from memoirs to doctor's reports, have been incorporated in other ways. "For example, when Wally [Dr. Manhattan's former colleague] says 'I never said the Super Man is real and he's American, I said God is real and he's American' that comes from the text. It was something that really struck me as really awesome. For instance, you se Dollar Bill with his cape stuck in ar evolving door-- that's from the text. " Much of what Snyder is talking about comes from the title sequence, which rapidly covers much of the superhero history that's laid out in the book's background information.

As for that gigantic running time, Snyder seems to have resigned himself to the idea that his cut might not be the final one. "It's really to strike a balance. It's hard with an R-rated superhero movie with a naked blue guy in it and two hours and 43 minutes long. You can tell they get a little anxious. Snyder then added that the difficulties, and the length, are what make Watchmen the revered story it is. "You can go see Fantastic Four if you want." Snyder was also careful to distinguish between his movie and the graphic novel, which he asks audiences to consider as separate entities. "Certainly the graphic novel is another experience. It is not my intent in any way to have the movie replace the book. There are big parts of the book that we didn't even touch. There's still discovery to be had when you read the book."

Pressed on details of which parts of the book are gone entirely, Snyder couldn't come up with any. But he and Gibbons were matter-of-fact on the notion of a sequel, which is rumored to be in the actor's contracts. "That's crazy... I don't know what that means, Snyder stammered, while Gibbons added, I don't think there is a sequel possible." Comforting to know.

Check later for my thoughts on the footage that screened, including some confusion and a qualm or two about Snyder's style of directing action. Don't worry, it's all impressive. But why not start critiquing the movie before it's even finished, right?

More CB Headlines:

Joe Johnston Talks Jurassic Park 4

Gwyneth Paltrow Stands By Her Man: Nicole Kidman

Eminem Returns To The Big Screen In Shady Tales

The Killer Inside Me Trailer: Casey Affleck Has Issues

First Twilight Eclipse Teaser Poster

New Moon Clips: High-Octane Action From Twilight?

A Single Man Trailer: Colin Firth Makes His Oscar Bid

Why Did I Get Married Too? Trailer Will Have You Screaming

more...