What gets cut from the script?

[Hole Shot]

I haven't read any script and really don't want to, I want to see the movie. But given the size of the story, we can all assume several scenes/subplots, etc will be removed.

So take on the role of screen writer and tell me what you'd cut and you can't let your fan bias get in the way of your decision making. You have to remove some of the story from the script, you have no choice.

For me, the first thing to go would be The Black Freighter. We all know the parallels between that comic and what is happening in Watchmen, but it really is just a symbolism thing that doesn't move the plot.

I got more, I have to think though.

 

[Luchastyle]

yeah the black freighter is the easiest thing to drop. i'll try to think of some other stuff

 

[Lobster Charlie]

Of course the Black Freighter has to go, but I'd probably take out the entire ending part in NYC before the alien drops in. The whole thing with the lesbian cab driver beating up her girlfriend, Malcolm and his wife meeting in the street, all of that. I think those characters are cool in the comic, but on the screen, not nearly as important--even though I knew what Moore was going for with that whole thing.

Also, take out all of Malcolm's sub-plot with his marriage. Again, awesome stuff in long form, but on screen we're gonna be lucky to get one or two sessions with Rorschach in therapy.

I'd also drop the phone call Hollis Mason makes to Sally Jupiter. I don't think the audience would really appreciate it as much on screen.

 

[Luchastyle]

yeah. those are interesting cuts. because they do work so well in the novel and they serve their purpose, but for the movie they would pretty much hurt the general flow and take away from what's going on. good calls.

 

[Rust]

Some of the "articles" (dont know what to call them) after each chapter should either be cut or edited.
Hollis Mason's "Under the Hood" could be edited into the movie itself as brief flashbacks or intros to different relevant chapters in the movie with narration by Stephen McHattie.
Dreibergs Owl-article should be cut or edited into Dan just talking briefly to Laurie about his passion for owls.
Veidt's article on marketing strategy could be done as simple and quick as one or several advertisements popping up during the movie Paul Verhoeven-style.

 

[Lobster Charlie]

I think it's pretty much a given those articles won't appear in the film. It just doesn't fit into a moving-pictures format, ya know?

I'd trim down Ozymandias' long-winded lecture to his servants, right before he kills them. Whittle it down to something maybe a page or two long.

 

[Captain Carnage]

Lose the WANG!

Ungodly homo FILTH, I tells ya!

 

[Noir]

Did anyone else here that Robert Orci and Kurtzman or whatev. did a complete re-write of Alex Tse Ungodly script?

 

[Hole Shot]

Did anyone else here that Robert Orci and Kurtzman or whatev. did a complete re-write of Alex Tse Ungodly script?

Great, now Archie is going to inexplicably start playing The Cars "Drive" as Laurie walks away from Dan.

 

[Noir]

Don't be bashing them, they've got the chops to handle this:
The Island
MI:III
Star Trek
Countless Episodes of Alias

They've got a better chance of doing this a decent job than Tse who's confrontation at the end of the film would have probably been on a basketball court with Veidt talking trash about Dan's mother. (Cheap dig at Tse horrible Spike Lee films)

 

[Luchastyle]

yeah but the island is a perfect example of a movie that could have been a nice social commentary or political thriller but was nothing but an action movie with action movie dialogue. if they did this to watchmen, that would be a grave disappointment. besides, how do we know how well they did with star trek?

 

[Noir]

We know they'll do good with Star Trek because JJ picked them

 

[Luchastyle]

heh. i never watched alias. i have no opinion of abrams.

 

[Noir]

Ever seen Mission Impossible 3?

 

[Luchastyle]

i've seen parts of it. not enough to have an opinion of the script really, other than more ridiculous mask-related incidents. but that was always in the MI movies. i just know it looks really nice as far as the production values go, but i can't comment on their writing abilities on the MI3 script.

 

[Lobster Charlie]

MI3 is pretty decent. I liked it better than 2 but not as much as 1. It has some fun ideas in there as well.

 

[Carmine Falcone]

This subject is getting kinda tiresome. We have five threads on this.