To squid or not to squid
0 Comments Published by Steven Friedman on Monday, March 09, 2009 at 4:25 PM.
That's the question. Or at least I'm sure it must have been one of them on director Zack Snyder's mind while translating Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons' canonical graphic novel WATCHMEN to the big screen. To the uninitiated, the absence of a monstrous, city-destroying, intergalactic squid in the film might seem higly inconsequential, but to the Watchmen-zealots it means the world. Apparently.I consider myself an avid fan of Watchmen. It's one of the few books I can take off the shelf again and again - and still enjoy every single read. That's the beauty of the dark, dystopian world Moore and Gibbons invite us to be a part of in Watchmen. There's always something new to discover in the shadows. Be it Rorschach's sociopathic view on life, Dr. Manhattan's moral dilemmas or the violent comic-in-a-comic Tales of the Black Freighter; this is so much more than just a comic book. For fans, it's the Holy Grail.
Back to the squid: did I miss it? Short answer: hell no. I saw the film for the first time last friday and seriously enjoyed every second of it. I think Zack and writers David 'Solid Snake' Hayter and Alex Tse did an absolutely terrific job in bringing the 'unfilmable' to the big screen. Is it flawless? Of course not, but I can honestly say this is the best and most uncompromising Watchmen-film I could have hoped for.
Not wanting to spoil anything for anyone: the writers managed to work their way around the squid-issue nicely. They knew the squid is not the point. Ozymandias' plan - and its moral implications - is. Dare I say it? I think maybe, just maybe, this ending is a tad better than the one in the graphic novel. Not only does it make more sense to the less Watchmen-savvy, it also adds more weight to Dr. Manhattan's storyline, opening a door to the fascinating philosophical issue of 'The Visible God'. I mean, what would God do if He - to quote Joan Osborne - was 'one of us'? Would He pick sides? Would He be feared? Revered? Mistaken? Interesting stuff...
Anyway, I can't wait to see Watchmen again - in Imax Digital this time. And for those of you who really can't live without the intergalactic squid, check out the Saturday Morning Watchmen below. At least he's in there.
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