The Comedian. Rorschach. Dr. Manhattan. Silk Spectre. Nite Owl. Ozymandias. A week ago, these might have not have been household names but after the $55.7 million opening weekend, the superheroes of “Watchmen” are stepping into the spotlight.
But to the die-hard comic book fans, the central characters of “Watchmen” are cherished figures. “Watchmen” was first published in 1986 by DC Comics and hailed by TIME magazine as one of the 100 best novels of all time, so when the film adaptation exploded into theaters last week, the audience came to witness the supposedly unfilmable comic book.
“Watchmen” is a 12-chapter book and the film’s running time is 163 minutes. Naturally, not everything made it on to the screen. Don’t worry though, the important parts are still in it. The Comedian’s murder, the blood-splashed smiley-face button, Rorschach’s introduction, Jonathon Osterman turning into Dr. Manhattan — it’s all there. It’s what’s lacking that might start a panic.
One of the most noticeable changes is the absence of “Tales of the Black Freighter,” a comic book within the comic book. “Black Freighter” is considered to be important since it parallels the novel’s storyline.
Raymond Power, a junior electrical engineering major, said he didn’t mind the omission of “Black Freighter.”
“It would have been nice to have it in,” Power said. “But there’s a chance that people might lose interest because it would have extended the movie even longer and the casual viewer might not see the significance of it.”
“Tales of the Black Freighter,” an animated film, is set to be released on DVD later this month as a companion to “Watchmen.”
Also missing from the film are many characters from the book. Hollis Mason, the Minutemen, Dr. Malcolm Long, and the people on the Manhattan street corner were all put on the back burner, but they do make brief cameos.
Calvin Bienvenu, a junior majoring in computer engineering, said he wanted to see more of Dr. Long.
“It [would’ve given] us a chance to see why Rorschach is the way he is,” Bienvenu said.
Power said he agrees.
“Seeing the doctor more fleshed out would have added more depth to Rorschach,” he said. “I also wished they had given Mason more screen time.”
There are also other changes in the film that weren’t in the book, such as a scene where the Comedian assassinates President John F. Kennedy. Bienvenu said it was amazing.
“It’s a joke on society,” he said. “It shows that society isn’t all that civilized.”
But the biggest change in the film is the ending. In the book, Ozymandias fakes an alien psychic attack, leaving the buildings standing but still killing millions. In the film, the deaths aren’t blamed on the alien; instead it’s pinned on Dr. Manhattan.
Power said he wished they stayed true to the book, but the movie came out fine for him.
“For books, you can interpret it your own way,” Power said. “But in movies, it’s different because it’s the vision of the director that you’re getting.”
Bienvenu said the lack of the squid-like “alien” didn’t ruin the film for him and he sees the reasoning behind, it but he also prefers the book to the film.
“It would have been nice to see the squid, but I understand that it’s more realistic to have Dr. Manhattan as the scapegoat than the external alien force,” Bienvenu said. “But [the ideals behind the ending are] still there from the book and that’s what made ‘Watchmen’ popular in the first place.”