Are You Ready for the Watchmen?

I'm not.

And most people going to the movie won't be either. Seriously.

I just reread the graphic novel. It's a brilliant work, not overrated at all. When people say it's the best graphic novel ever, it is quite possible that on a technical level they speak truth.

And there is a message and a moral in there that takes helps take it to that level as well.

But the story is not an uplifting story. The characters are not good people. The heroes are not heroic. (Generally speaking.) It's a tough story, a powerful story, and if the people making the movie have done their job (and word is they have) when you walk out of the theater, this story will stick with you.

I'm not sure I want to see it. The real world is depressing enough as it is, right now. And I'm going to subject myself to three hours of it?

But on a spiritual level, the story is an interesting exploration of morality and amorality in a world without God.

Watchmen, the graphic novel, is a powerful story. But I just don't think the movie-going public is ready for this story. Dark Knight pushed the envelope . . . Watchmen just may tear the envelope open. And I shudder to think of what will happen if it does well. Already, WB execs have been saying that they want their upcoming superhero movies to be darker and grittier.

Dark and gritty? Watchmen has that in spades. If it makes money? Get ready for knock-offs that don't come from nearly as well crafted a story . . .

~ Ben