An Open Letter from David Hayter

[Ace of Knaves]

Snyder was the best choice for this film IMO. Who else would of stuck to the source material so closely despite it maybe not being to the "general audience" tastes?

 

[chosen1]

Snyder was the best choice for this film IMO. Who else would of stuck to the source material so closely despite it maybe not being to the "general audience" tastes?

Wait a minute! I thought most of the changes of the movie were so that IT WOULD be to the general audiences taste. You see this is why I have always said dont market to the Masses because THEY ARE FAKE. Satisfy the hardcore guys and everyone else will follow suit. Dont go for these people. because the general audience will turn on you in a second. Example,Chris Nolan is supposedly the hottest director in Hollwyood now. Let him make one bomb, and then second bomb. HE IS FINISHED. All of these people who jumped on the batman bandwagon after The Dark Knight Made a billion dollars makes me sick. Heres the thing with Watchmen. I truly believe that Snyder wanted to put this movie on the screen more than ANY other Director. I have no doubt that synder is a fan and that it was about more than just money. But just because he is a fan like us doesnt mean he was qualifed to do this movie. This movie in My opinon is all surface and no depth. Yes he got the greens the yellows the reds. Lines straight out of the book the look according to him. But guys when youre watching thos clips what does all of that add up to? the answer is not very much. I wanted this film to be amazing. Snyder was one of the worst guys you could choose. I'm sorry its just my opinion. Now I would say this. Snyder has a talent like no Other. This guys Visuals are off the charts good. The problem with snyder is that he is doing the wrong kinds of movies. Thats It. If snyder was to do films like Spawn. Or a Mortal Kombat remake. That would epic. I'd be on the snyder ship for sure. I'd be saying he's cool and awesome just like you guys. He needs to stay in his field.

 

[Ace of Knaves]

Yes I know what you are saying.

Yea Snyder did dumb it down a bit. But if you believe there is a director out there who is more faithful to the source material, who wouldn't dumb it down anymore that Snyder, then can you name him? I don't think a director exists who would take as much time and put as much heart into the project as Snyder. He is a fan first and formost. And the dumbing down in Watchmen is sooo minor. That's why you have the "general audience" walking out going "A giant blue penis!!!". What other directors would have the balls to keep things like that in there?

 

[Agentsands77]

People say that The Dark knight has raised the bar for comicbook movies. This Movie COULD HAVE raised it again.

I think WATCHMEN did raise the bar again. I think WATCHMEN, warts and all, is a better film than THE DARK KNIGHT.

 

[chosen1]

Yes I know what you are saying.

Yea Snyder did dumb it down a bit. But if you believe there is a director out there who is more faithful to the source material, who wouldn't dumb it down anymore that Snyder, then can you name him? I don't think a director exists who would take as much time and put as much heart into the project as Snyder. He is a fan first and formost. And the dumbing down in Watchmen is sooo minor. That's why you have the "general audience" walking out going "A giant blue penis!!!". What other directors would have the balls to keep things like that in there?

You see Ace the example you just gave proves my point about snyder. I want you to really think about what u just said. How important is the Big Blu penis in the book of watchmen. I'm just saying man. Dont take offense. You just brought up that example snyder put it in the movie and now ur saying he stayed true to the watchmen story like no other would do because of that? He was the wrong person man. This is Fact. He is not capable of bringing a worthy Watchmen FILM. (not movie) to the screen. All surface NO depth.

 

[chosen1]

I think WATCHMEN did raise the bar again. I think WATCHMEN, warts and all, is a better film than THE DARK KNIGHT.

Oh really? and why is that? (just asking please dont attack me)

 

[Ace of Knaves]

You see Ace the example you just gave proves my point about snyder. I want you to really think about what u just said. How important is the Big Blu penis in the book of watchmen. I'm just saying man. Dont take offense. You just brought up that example snyder put it in the movie and now ur saying he stayed true to the watchmen story like no other would do because of that? He was the wrong person man. This is Fact. He is not capable of bringing a worthy Watchmen FILM. (not movie) to the screen. All surface NO depth.

He included the big blue penis because that was what was in the comic.

I was just using that as an example of him not going "Ohh well, it's in the comic but the G.A won't like it so leave it out."

Instead he went "Ohh well, it's in the comic so **** the G.A I'm not cutting it".

I don't believe any other director would have done that.

And really, the only things he didn't touch on were the news stand guy and more of the shrink who sees Rorshcach. And for all we know, they will be included in the directors cut.

 

[Overman27pj]

I agree with this letter, I liked the movie much more the second time I saw it.

 

[X Knight]

while I haven't seen the film yet ( and I'm not sure if I even want to at this point ), it does seem, based on what I've been reading here and elsewhere, that Snyder's approach to handling Watchmen can be summed up, ironically, by one of Rorschach's lines:

"Never Compromise"

For the most part, Snyder didn't compromise when it came to faithfully adapting the GN. Based on the reactions and reviews, that either has worked in his favor ( especially from fans of the GN ). Or, it has worked against him, as some have said he was too "rigid" in adapting the GN.

Much like Rorschach's fate in the movie, Snyder's "never compromise" approach could ultimately hurt the film's overall performance ( especially with the GA ). At the same time, though, it could make fans of the GN appreciate Snyder even more for creating a film that was so true to the source......

 

[Ace of Knaves]

Nice analogy Super-Bats

 

[Raiden]

He included the big blue penis because that was what was in the comic.

I was just using that as an example of him not going "Ohh well, it's in the comic but the G.A won't like it so leave it out."

Instead he went "Ohh well, it's in the comic so **** the G.A I'm not cutting it".

I don't believe any other director would have done that.

And really, the only things he didn't touch on were the news stand guy and more of the shrink who sees Rorshcach. And for all we know, they will be included in the directors cut.

Agreed 100%. Sure, the movie is not perfect, but is there a director who can strike the perfect balance between adaptation and being faithful to the GN? I believe the answer is No. If you have a big-name director like Peter Jackson to make Watchmen, he will probably have a bigger departure from the GN than Snyder would, and we'll start to question whether it is indeed Watchmen, or WINO. And there are many areas that Snyder could've omitted to make the movie more GA-friendly, like Dr. Manhattan's blue dong, Comedian's murder of that pregnant Vietnam woman (who bears his child), the rape scene, and killing of that child-murderer, etc. But Snyder stuck to his guns, and for that he has to be commended.

 

[Mercurius]

Instead of making a desperate appeal for his greedy studio issues, Hayter should have thought twice when writing the script.

Blade Runner, Apocalypse Now? Not even close. He's nuts.

Hayter should have known better. Self-complimenting is ridiculous in itself.

When it gets exaggerated, is just despicable.

 

[Anita18]

Wait a minute! I thought most of the changes of the movie were so that IT WOULD be to the general audiences taste. You see this is why I have always said dont market to the Masses because THEY ARE FAKE. Satisfy the hardcore guys and everyone else will follow suit. Dont go for these people. because the general audience will turn on you in a second. Example,Chris Nolan is supposedly the hottest director in Hollwyood now. Let him make one bomb, and then second bomb. HE IS FINISHED. All of these people who jumped on the batman bandwagon after The Dark Knight Made a billion dollars makes me sick. Heres the thing with Watchmen. I truly believe that Snyder wanted to put this movie on the screen more than ANY other Director. I have no doubt that synder is a fan and that it was about more than just money. But just because he is a fan like us doesnt mean he was qualifed to do this movie. This movie in My opinon is all surface and no depth. Yes he got the greens the yellows the reds. Lines straight out of the book the look according to him. But guys when youre watching thos clips what does all of that add up to? the answer is not very much. I wanted this film to be amazing. Snyder was one of the worst guys you could choose. I'm sorry its just my opinion. Now I would say this. Snyder has a talent like no Other. This guys Visuals are off the charts good. The problem with snyder is that he is doing the wrong kinds of movies. Thats It. If snyder was to do films like Spawn. Or a Mortal Kombat remake. That would epic. I'd be on the snyder ship for sure. I'd be saying he's cool and awesome just like you guys. He needs to stay in his field.

I have the feeling that even if Nolan fails in making another blockbuster anywhere close to TDK's success, he'd just go back to making great indies like Memento.

And I don't think Snyder made changes to the book to suit audience's tastes, but to make a more cohesive, self-contained movie.

Instead of making a desperate appeal for his greedy studio issues, Hayter should have thought twice when writing the script.

Blade Runner, Apocalypse Now? Not even close. He's nuts.

Hayter should have known better. Self-complimenting is ridiculous in itself.

When it gets exaggerated, is just despicable.

After reading that open letter again, I'm more disgusted at Hayter's analogy of us being like Sally going back to Eddie after he tried to rape her, because she secretly liked it.

As a woman, that offends me. Is he saying we should let Watchmen rape us again, because we actually kinda liked it?

 

[Mercurius]

After reading that open letter again, I'm more disgusted at Hayter's analogy of us being like Sally going back to Eddie after he tried to rape her, because she secretly liked it.

As a woman, that offends me. Is he saying we should let Watchmen rape us again, because we actually kinda liked it?

That's why, as a writer, he couldn't understand so many things in the original, and that's why in many places the adaptation is blunt.

Moreover: they're rich and act as bums, asking people to watch the movie. On money issues for a überrich studio. It's disgusting.

And it proves Moore was right. Look at the kind of person they put to adapt his complex and serious works. Yikes!

 

[Ace of Knaves]

Mercurious, what the hell are you talking about?

Yea obviously the money is the motivation. But the reason still stands. If this film flops big time, we won't see another director be able to do whatever the **** he wants again. It will give the execs the excuses they need to micro manage and interfere. How can you not see that?

Snyder was the perfect guy to make this movie. No other director would think "**** the general audience, I'm making this true to the source material".

Sure some parts weren't delved into, but remember, there is a extended cut coming out.

 

[X Knight]

I have the feeling that even if Nolan fails in making another blockbuster anywhere close to TDK's success, he'd just go back to making great indies like Memento.

And I don't think Snyder made changes to the book to suit audience's tastes, but to make a more cohesive, self-contained movie.


After reading that open letter again, I'm more disgusted at Hayter's analogy of us being like Sally going back to Eddie after he tried to rape her, because she secretly liked it.

As a woman, that offends me. Is he saying we should let Watchmen rape us again, because we actually kinda liked it?

Wow! I didn't even catch that "insinuation" in the open letter!

This whole "open letter" kind of turned me off in the being, just cuz it sounded like an act of desperation. Now, I'm even more offended by this insinuation ( and I'm a guy ).

Rape is simply something you shouldn't joke about or make insinuations about......

 

[Ace of Knaves]

LOL I don't think he meant it like that.

I think he means people are naturally intrigued by the horrific and the strange.

 

[Arach Knight]

I am so tired of this overly apologetic sentiment that creates this cushion for why it is okay for this film to perform poorly at the box office.

"Oh people don't understand the complexity"

"Well it was dumbed down by Snyder"

"The source material is too obscure..."

The fact remains that just like Superman Returns, Snyder chose to take a route that just didn't work, no matter how faithful. Plain and simple. I mean Marvel took Blade, an extremely obscure and underused character, and turned it into a multi-film blockbuster hit. In fact, Blade should be credited with the revival of the super hero movie, because after DC marred the Batman franchise, and Superman spent eternity in development hell, Blade came in and made clean sweeps in 1998, 2002 and 2004.

As for DC and their frequent fouling of their franchises (Batman & Robin, Superman Returns, The Spirit), the fact is, that even they have had some success with obscure properties. Constantine cost $90 million to produce but it returned nearly three times its production costs with $240+ million in revenue. V for Vendetta cost $54 million and grossed $134+ million (again, almost three times its production cost). You can't sit here and tell me that the average joe knows jack squat about John or V. Those guys are as non-mainstream as you can get, yet they managed to be blockbusters in their own right. So don't sit here and blame the obscurity (Hellblazer) or the complexity of the themes (V for Vendetta). Just blame the choices that led to the consequences. This is the Watchmen that nerds wanted to see. Not the Watchmen that movie goers wanted to see. As such, you should all just be happy. That is the trade off. An accurate film, but a poor box office draw. Sometimes you can have both, but this time, you can't have your cake and eat it too.

 

[Ace of Knaves]

No one is denying that man. Well, I'm not.

It's not as though this film has completely flopped yet anyway.

And the reason I wanted it to be successful is because it is basically a director sticking his middle finger up to the execs like Tom Rothman.

 

[X Knight]

let's wait and see how Watchmen performs over the next few weeks before we declare it an outright bomb or flop.

This weekend and next are going to be critical. If Watchmen experiences a sharp drop off in interest and ticket sales, then that won't bold well. Especially with that animated Monsters vs. Aliens flick coming out ( next week, isn't it? )......

 

[stargazer]

As for DC and their frequent fouling of their franchises (Batman & Robin, Superman Returns, The Spirit), the fact is, that even they have had some success with obscure properties. Constantine cost $90 million to produce but it returned nearly three times its production costs with $240+ million in revenue. V for Vendetta cost $54 million and grossed $134+ million (again, almost three times its production cost). You can't sit here and tell me that the average joe knows jack squat about John or V. Those guys are as non-mainstream as you can get, yet they managed to be blockbusters in their own right. So don't sit here and blame the obscurity (Hellblazer) or the complexity of the themes (V for Vendetta). Just blame the choices that led to the consequences. This is the Watchmen that nerds wanted to see. Not the Watchmen that movie goers wanted to see. As such, you should all just be happy. That is the trade off. An accurate film, but a poor box office draw. Sometimes you can have both, but this time, you can't have your cake and eat it too.

It's ridiculous to compare Superman Returns with B&R and The Spirit. Geez.

And V for Vendetta was no blockbuster in any way. Superman Returns technically was. Yeah, I know all about its big prod budget, but general moviegoers don't give a crap about that.

 

[X Knight]

It's ridiculous to compare Superman Returns with B&R and The Spirit. Geez.

And V for Vendetta was no blockbuster. Superman Returns technically was. Yeah, I know all about its big prod budget, but general moviegoers don't give a crap about that.

Never saw the Spirit. But, as much as I hate SR ( ), it was no B+R.

B+R didn't even TRY to make a respectable Batman film or CB movie. It was crap, pure and simple.

SR was at least a noble effort........and that's about as generous as I'm going to get..... t:

 

[Nivek]

while I haven't seen the film yet ( and I'm not sure if I even want to at this point ), it does seem, based on what I've been reading here and elsewhere, that Snyder's approach to handling Watchmen can be summed up, ironically, by one of Rorschach's lines:

"Never Compromise"

For the most part, Snyder didn't compromise when it came to faithfully adapting the GN. Based on the reactions and reviews, that either has worked in his favor ( especially from fans of the GN ). Or, it has worked against him, as some have said he was too "rigid" in adapting the GN.

Much like Rorschach's fate in the movie, Snyder's "never compromise" approach could ultimately hurt the film's overall performance ( especially with the GA ). At the same time, though, it could make fans of the GN appreciate Snyder even more for creating a film that was so true to the source......

I will give Zack HUGE prop's for the respect shown to the source material. Twice now. And doing an impossible to respect remake, and made it pretty sick and holds up incredibly well in repeat viewings. Hell, the first 20 minutes of Dawn of the Dead just suck you in.

 

[Nivek]

In a perfect world, I would Dr. Manhattan-style spatter spray Brett Ratner, and have Snyder put in his place to restart the Conan franchise Frank Frazetta and Robert E. Howard style. It would be awesome to see him adopt that property.

 

[Ace of Knaves]

Dawn of the Dead was frickin awesome IMO.