How Watchmen Killed 'R'-rated Fantasy Movies

An anonymous reader writes "Of all the Hollywood properties consigned to development hell in the reductionist policy of the last 3-4 years of bad economy, the very last to have a prospect of a green light are expensive fantasy and SF projects that fall outside the 'family' remit. Not even the addition of James Cameron to David Fincher's Heavy Metal remake has stopped its begging-bowl passage from studio to studio; Robert Rodriguez's propriety of the Barbarella remake likewise toured the world in vain, apparently unmindful of the very unusual set of cultural and demographic circumstances that caused a major studio to back an 'erotic space opera' in 1968 — and to the fact that these circumstances are not likely to reoccur. David Fincher lamented in 2008 that the creation of dazzling artificial movie worlds is limited to family-friendly output — but in the long wake of the box-office disappointment of the 'R'-rated Watchmen movie, there seems no current prospect that the adults will ever get to play with the kids' toys again." The most frustrating part of this is that Watchmen was actually *good*.

Comments

Re:Good?

[Shadow Wrought]

I am very much in the camp of the parent. I did not think it was well done in the least. I am curious to know, when you say, "Best you've ever seen," what are some of the other best movies you've seen?

Re:It was OK

[tnk1]

I wasn't very happy about the altered ending or the removal of the guy reading the comic book.

I think the movie ending wasn't that bad in that it effectively substituted one common enemy for another. And given Dr. Manhattan's public disillusionment with humanity, it was just as plausible as the original ending. Knowing both endings, I was a lot less upset about that change than I was about the pointless diversions in the Lord of the Rings to Helm's Deep and Osgiliath, for instance. The Watchmen ending actually had the benefit of actually surprising me a little, because I knew how the comic ended and while it was similar, it was not exactly the same.

My only real problem with the ending is that if Dr. Manhattan actually decided to act out, it seems to me that the devastation would have been total. Any government that had any intelligence on him would have wondered why his action was as (relatively) small scale as it was. At least in the original ending, the enemy is not a known quantity to anyone; it can produce fear from both its sheer power and from being an unknown.

Of course, familiarity with Dr. Manhattan's progressing condition might well have caused no small manner of fear and dread in an informed observer over time.

Re:Good?

[sexconker]

Watchmen was an overlong, overwrought, overly wordy, over hyped, over produced mess.

It was not, by any stretch of the imagination, good.

This is 100% correct. Mode me troll and flamebait, I don't give a fuck.

Watchmen was a bad movie and it failed because it was a bad movie.
Is Slashdot going to post an article next week about Scott Pilgrim and how it was actually a good movie?

Being different, weird, and so against the grain to the point of being contrarian, doesn't make something unique, deep, or good. It just makes anti-social people feel better for liking it, as well as more inclined to like it in the first place because it's different, weird, and contrarian - just like them.

The only things the general public saw when they saw Watchmen were an unnecessary blue dick, a bad plot, forced edginess in the form of "we're heroes, but we're so dark and moody we often act like villains and play out our own little soap opera in our secret club", and shitty costumes that screamed "Batman Ripoff".
And you know what? This was one of the rare occasions when the general public got something right.

If you liked it, fine. Enjoy your movie.
But to say that it would have done better if it was PG-13 is a joke.

Re:It was OK

[SuperQ]

I read the comic around the same time as the movie coming out. I personally hated the squid ending. It was much more in line with "the smartest man in the world" to simply manipulate Dr Manhattan into being the scapegoat.

Re:It was good.

[h4rm0ny]

I'm not against seeing things that are giant and / or blue, but I prefer my movies without penis shots. Call me crazy.

Genuine question: Why do you care? This comes up everytime the Watchmen movie is discussed and I just don't get it. I watched the whole film without any particular reaction to his dick. It's just a dick.

Re:Not the same thing

[Miseph]

I think the most unforgivable change was removing Dr. Manhattan's private conversation with Ozymandias at the very end.

(SEMI-)SPOILER ALERT

OZY: "Hello, Jon. I was hoping we'd have the chance to talk. Jon... I know people think me callous, but I've made myself feel every death. By day I imagine endless faces. by night... well, I dream about swimming towards a hideous... No. never mind. It isn't significant...
What's significant is that I know. I know I've struggled across the backs of murdered innocents to save humanity... But someone had to take the weight of that awful, necessary crime. I'd hoped you'd understand, unlike Rorschach..."

MAN: "You needn't consider Rorschach. I strongly doubt He'll reach civilization... but yes, I understand, without condoning or condemning. Human affairs cannot be my concern. I'm leaving this galaxy for one less complicated."

OZY: "But you'd regained interest in human life..."

MAN: Yes, I have. I think perhaps I'll create some. Goodbye, Adrian."

OZY: "Jon, wait, before you leave... I did the right thing, didn't I? it all worked out in the end."

MAN: "'In the end?' Nothing ends, Adrian. Nothing ever ends."

OZY: "Jon? Wait! What do you mean by..."

[Manhattan vanishes, leaving Ozymandias to his doubts]

END (SEMI-)SPOILER

Seriously, it took me about two minutes to write that chunk of the script, including digging out the comic. It would be a 45 second scene. Of all the things they COULD have cut, but decided not to, they chose the most meaningful exchange in the entire thing? That's just asinine.