Is the world even ready for a Watchmen film?

[Browncoat]

Honestly. Aside from us comic book readers, will people get it?

I personally don't think so. And I'm not saying that they shouldn't have bothered. Seeing our favorite characters go from the page to the screen is a blast, even if their stories aren't always intact. But lets face it...this is one intelligent piece of work we're dealing with here. Are the general audiences (particularly the general American audience) ready for Watchmen?

Let's forget about the widespread critical acclaim and the Oscar wins that Pan's Labyrinth had. This is a film that somehow made it's way into mainstream American cinemas...and from what I can tell, roughly half of its viewers actually "got" the movie. I loved it. But for many, the most intelligent criticism they could muster up was, "It was depressing." I heard several horror stories of people actually bringing their young children (because nobody can pay attention to the ratings I guess)! You just know there are going to be plenty of morons who think, "It has superheroes in it, so it must be okay for my five year old."

Even if the movie is great, accurate, and the fans aren't let down, the majority of movie goers STILL aren't going to understand Watchmen.

That's just my two-cents.

 

[Killing Joke926]

Sure we're ready.t:

 

[Captain Carnage]

Yeah, why not.


Not gonna go down the well-travelled Does the world even need a Watchmen film? road...

 

[tzarinna]

I think how they market it will play a huge part in how it will be received by the masses.

 

[Headless Knight]

I'm not even sure Zack Snyder gets it.

 

[Luchastyle]

if the film comes across the same way as the novel, i really don't think it's hard to get. it's easy to understand. i think the world, and even the american general audience, is ready to see a serious comic book story. if they market it to the people who would appreciate it, mostly an older crowd, then i think it will be well-received.

 

[L0ngsh0t]

here is the thing, and this is the reason it will be a bit of a flop

it is a movie that will cost about 100 million or more to make

the movie has to at the very least be 2 and a half hours, and should realistically be around 3 15

it has no action in it

it is a movie that has the potential to be great, but with no action, long running time, and a cast that is so big that it is not economic to get a big cast with actors that anyone will recgonize

i think the movie is going to be great, but there is no way this movie comes close to the 100 million dollar budget (at least domestically) its gunna cost to make

 

[Luchastyle]

i believe you are incorrect. it depends on marketing. if the trailers make it interesting to people, then they will see it. and if it is actually good and is hailed by critics, then people will be dying to see it. people don't care when a movie gets bad reviews, they'll still check it out if they wanted to see it. but those same people, if a movie is hailed by critics, then they will go see it, when they wouldn't have before. also, i think there are plenty of iconic scenes that will pique the interest of moviegoers through the trailers.

 

[Katsuro]

it has no action in it

Yes it does. Sure, it's not a lot, but there are some action scenes that can be highlighted in trailers. Rorschach's fight with the police in Moloch's apartment, Dan and Laurie vs. those thugs, with flashbacks to their crimefighting days, and a giant Doc Manhattan kicking the crap out of the Vietcong, just to name a few.

 

[StorminNorman]

Comic fans need to get over themselves.

People with PhD's deserves to act like elitists, people that read picture books do not.

 

[brobdingnag]

this is one intelligent piece of work we're dealing with here. Are the general audiences (particularly the general American audience) ready for Watchmen?

We is be just waitin fer sumun smrt like yew ta echsplane the washes men tew us stoopid umairikans.

 

[Carmine Falcone]

I hate this kind of attitude towards comic book movies, because some people read comics, they are not superior to anybody else. We're all part of the general audience.

 

[StorminNorman]

I hate this kind of attitude towards comic book movies, because some people read comics, they are not superior to anybody else. We're all part of the general audience.

Carmine, you once again to prove to be a spire of wisdom amongst a cavern of ignorance.

 

[Carmine Falcone]

Carmine, you once again to prove to be a spire of wisdom amongst cavern of ignorance.

Holy ****, that quote is sig-worthy.

 

[Hole Shot]

Carmine, you once again to prove to be a spire of wisdom amongst a cavern of ignorance.

Carmine and yourself for the post you made just above.

 

[Luchastyle]

well i don't think comic fans see themselves as elitists (and seriously, a PhD doesn't give anyone a right to act better than someone. nothing gives anyone that right). i think what it is is that comic fans know a story, then that story becomes a movie, they know what to expect from it, they know what they expect it. the "general" audience, i.e. people who aren't familiar with most comic books, won't know the story, hence won't know what to expect from it other than the advertisements.

so i don't know where this elitist idea has come from. i think OP may see himself as something more than others, i don't know. but i never said anything about people not understanding it. again, i don't think watchmen is anything hard to understand. it's the simple story really. complex in the sense that there are a lot of layered stories and deep characters, but it's told in such a way that i think most anyone could watch it and understand it.

 

[Browncoat]

I don't think the marketing has anything to do with it. The mere fact that it has superheroes in it will probably get those unfamiliar with Watchmen all geared up to watch a typical superhero flick.

And yes, I do think we comic book readers are superior to the rest of the general audience. The comic version of Watchmen is proof of this. t:

EDIT: I shouldn't have used the phrase "get it." I suppose I should have just said "like it." They are two very different things, and while the comic is enjoyable, it is in no way everyone's sort of thing. Hence my reference to Pan's Labyrinth.

 

[tzarinna]

Time will tell.

 

[Comic Book Boy]

Seeing our favorite characters go from the page to the screen is a blast, even if their stories aren't always intact.

Really?

I would contend that they should NEVER make a WATCHMEN film. They just don't need to. Alan Moore knows it. WATCHMEN should be a treasure in the underrated medium of comics. A treasure untouched by Hollywood. I don't need to see an amazing graphic novel bastardized just to make money. Let it stay as a graphic novel and let the audience come to IT instead of it ****ing itself off to the masses. But here we are.....

I like Snyder and so far, I'm sure the film will be very fun. But it will never be necessary.

 

[Doomed_hero]

It really depends if they stick to the themes of the book. I mean thats hard to do with a 2 hour movie, hell even a three hour movie would make it hard. If it excites people enough to read the GN of it then great. But I have met comic fans who didn't get it at all, so I think the world will be just fine.

 

[Luchastyle]

i still think the marketing is everything. this isn't like a typical comic book. it's not about superheroes. it's about heroes, but they are regular vigilantes, besides manhattan of course. so, i think marketing is key. because again, i can't stress this enough, the right crowd for this are people in their 40s or 50s. the same age as the characters. an older crowd who knows what it's like to see things change. people who lived through the times depicted in the book. and people who appreciate a good dramatic story. so if you market it as a conspiracy drama, rather than a superhero action movie, you will get a crowd who will appreciate it.

 

[L0ngsh0t]

i still think the marketing is everything. this isn't like a typical comic book. it's not about superheroes. it's about heroes, but they are regular vigilantes, besides manhattan of course. so, i think marketing is key. because again, i can't stress this enough, the right crowd for this are people in their 40s or 50s. the same age as the characters. an older crowd who knows what it's like to see things change. people who lived through the times depicted in the book. and people who appreciate a good dramatic story. so if you market it as a conspiracy drama, rather than a superhero action movie, you will get a crowd who will appreciate it.

I think its gunna be a sweet movie don't get me wrong

I just don't see it having a place amongst non fan movie goers, its almost to eclectic for its own good imo

V for Vendetta at least could pimp the Matrix style action ya know?

It maybe wrong, I would like to be wrong, but since there will be no sequel I really don't care how much it makes

I think a movies b.o. can be altered by critical evaluation, but i think it almost has to be staggering one way or the other to really make a mark, if the reviews are average or closed to it (i.e. lower than a 80 on RT) I don't see critical evaluation helping

 

[Sandman138]

V for Vendetta was a hit, this will be too.

 

[I Am The Knight]

V for Vendetta was a hit, this will be too.

You mean critically? Because it didn't exactly set the box office on fire. Not that it needed to. I'm sure the budget was small.

 

[Sandman138]

You mean critically? Because it didn't exactly set the box office on fire. Not that it needed to. I'm sure the budget was small.

Maybe not, but it was #1 for the weekend, and made a worldwide gross of $132,511,035. Hardly a flop.