Watchmen. A fan base died tonight.

We read comics; we clamber around the new unknown superheroes. Favouritism we find our personal likeness within the pages itself and the producers notice. “It’s only pictures, we make the move and we’ve got a fortune.” The fans wish for more, they shout for something equivalent to the beauty of their obsession. But they always look down in laughter; leaking slow snippets of a mediocre representation of our love online they look down and whisper:
“No.”

Maybe they do care; maybe they want to create something wonderful. Our graphic novels and sci-fi shows may matter as much to them as they do to us. Or maybe, maybe someone’s picking off costumed crazes.

It happened to Marvel and to DC, firefly fans applauded the new movie, disbanding their complaints, supposedly satisfied with the studios telling them “No more.” They get what we want but not what they deserve, our fandom’s slowly dissolve into nothing, and maybe it’s not what they intend but maybe they’re planning something more, something terrible; maybe they just want us out of the way so we can’t stop it.
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Like a slow motion king Leonidas crashing through thousands upon thousands of enemy soldiers slowly meeting his inevitable doom; I feel this movie will, although being quite outstanding and generally of royal standard amongst fellow movies, never hold up to the army of expectation built up over the last twenty odd years by the print counterpoint. Hoping the movie wont reflect this portrayal of destruction in our minds I will go into the cinema on March the Sixth on high hopes the movie will be excellent and along with my popcorn and premium seats I’ve already guaranteed to myself that I will enjoy it and probably actually like the movie despite the unnerving fact it will never hold up to the book.

The tiny insignificant aspects in the story which I personally found to make every chapter the ultimate in graphic novel experiences could easily be left out by director Zack Snyder. The producers, critics and generally all Hollywood millionaires won’t even notice, let alone care about a botched failure of a movie. In our eyes this movie could be the epitome of idiocy, it could be the representation of everything wrong with the world and us fans could hate every second of it but unfortunately because they will we making money, because everyone will go to see it and because we’ve already told the critics we like it before the movie is even out, they will be praised for their genius, the reviews will be brilliant and the revenue generated will most likely be record breaking.

There is a reason this book has never been made into a movie, a reason the graphic novel was so successful and a reason even the people producing it now has planned for a reported three hour and ten minute directors cut. Simply put, every single panel within this novel has been written or drawn with such superb intent, every reader, admirer and fan enjoy different aspects and all come up with their own personal discoveries as to what this story means to them in such a way that if you cut out anything then someone will be devastated.

On the flip side to all of this I can see the producer’s viewpoint. Watchmen as a book is set in two timeframes, including a different reality where both advanced technology and the existence of masked crusaders who actually survive, get jobs done and help maintain the balance in power, even the actuality of two real life superheroes with powers and abilities out of reach to the common person, this environment breeds branding opportunities and promotional goods. Even within the book itself Veidt has used the environment which as accumulated around him to sell products and make money.

I think that because this is all within a graphic novel that fans can read and enjoy it, seeing all the little inventions, the alternate world from a spectator’s point of view but the movie world is different. When you watch a film you feel part of it, the world seems more real and the actuality of it all appeals to the part of our brain which can suck you in. This means, and we all know it, products and services will be sold to us; after this film is released, to an extent already, we will find ourselves in a supermarket full of Watchmen sweets and toys, from the classic lunchbox style children’s playground merchandise to Watchmen pocket watches, executive Flask and Cufflink sets or just the nerdy extra large T-shirts found in comic stores worldwide. This movie will make more money in these sales then possibly even their own Box Office numbers and this fact has blinded everyone involved in deciding to make it.


My Personal Point:
As some of you know I’m taking a business course, I’m online a lot and I grew up on Spiderman comics and the toys that came with them. I see that this movie will make a lot of money, and I will only judge the movie as “a movie” once I see the extended DVD cut announced to be out late July, possibly even waiting for the version which includes the “Black Freighter” storyline coming out Autumn 2009. I will also be looking online and in stores for the countless Watchmen products, the limited edition Watchmen goods available from existing companies and the Watchmen based Happy Meals available within the upcoming months surrounding this movie. I understand the great franchising opportunity the producers have stumbled upon here and I hope that works out for them, but I do hope Zack has laid off a little on the slow motion and has actually used the graphic novel as reference as often as humanly possible; I don’t care if he changes the ending as long as he doesn’t change the meaning and the messages behind it.

I see the necessity behind making this book into a franchise, and I see the easiest way to do that is to make a movie. It’s not the best direction for the world to be spiralling, maybe we do need our own Minutemen to help us, but it’s already here and at this stage we as fans can only hope that the movie is at the least entertaining because well sooner or later this was going to happen.
It’s better than another High School “There’s-a-reason-Straight-to-DVD-Disney-movies-are-straight-to-DVD” Musical, but is it really worth it?
-White667 (Jamie Burgoyne)