Directing the Watchmen Movie as Faithful as Possible

The trailer of this much-awaited film adaptation of the hit comic book series already has fans waiting with much anticipation. The movie is set in an alternate America in the year 1985, with the only difference is the presence of caped and costumed superheroes. But unlike most stories with superheroes having superhuman powers, only of the characters in the Watchmen movie has obvious superhuman powers:  Doctor Manhattan. Most of the characters are just caped vigilantes all with distaste for crime and criminals.

Alan Moore didn’t want his story to become a film. In fact when asked about this, he pointed out the incompatibility of these two very different mediums of story-telling. A comic book can be easily flipped to a previous page, to check about past lines and dialogues, giving a chance to the reader to compare lines and analyze plot progression. Watching a film, on the other hand, leaves the viewer not much choice in the dialogues and lines. Once the lines are spoken and you’ve heard it, that’s it. Also, a comic book allows a person to stare at and study a certain scene or examine details for as long as he likes. But in a movie, the moment is gone, with the viewer forced to take in all the detail displayed by a scene. To Moore, the pleasure of reading a comic book is sitting comfortable at a chair, while enjoying a nice cup of coffee. Indeed, the experience of enjoying a comic book contrasts greatly with enjoying a film. Alone and quiet are two best things needed to enjoy a comic series, while movies are better seen with company.

Fortunately, the director chosen to direct the Watchmen movie is Zack Snyder, the director responsible for directing the movie adaptation of 300, which was also based on a comic book. Moore didn’t want any involvement in the development and making of this film adaptation of his story, citing examples of movies that were far-off from their comic counterparts. When tasked to direct this, Snyder based his decisions and work on the actual comic book itself. He used this as his storyboard, even claiming that the script is just a guide and that the graphic novel should primarily govern the film-making process. There were instances where Snyder found himself at odds with the production of the movie. They would want the movie not to be so lengthy, but Snyder would not compromise scenes that need to be placed in the movie. Film-wise, some shots can safely be deleted but in order to be as true to the comic book as possible, Zack Snyder felt that they should still be included. In fact, some of the scenes need to be there in order to appreciate the Watchmen.

The director wanted to meet the writer of this story to make the Watchmen movie as true to the comic book as possible. Unfortunately, Moore believes that a comic book story can hardly be told from the medium of cinema. If it weren’t for this belief, Moore would have found himself a filmmaker more concerned about the writer’s story than his own directing showcasing. All these show that this adaptation would surely be a treat to watch and enjoy, just like your favorite comic book.