BuddyTV Senior Writer Oscar Dahl and movie buff Matt Knudsen discuss the film Watchmen.

Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons brought a graphic novel into the world over twenty years ago, forever changing the way the comic book medium was viewed by the general public.  The graphic novel, which portrayed superheroes as sociopaths living in an alternate universe, where the US won the war in Vietnam and Richard Nixon was serving his fifth-term as President, was called Watchmen.  After twenty years of Watchmen almost getting made into a film, constantly cycling through studios and directors, it finally hit the big screen last weekend.  Zack Snyder (“300”) directed a cast of niche actors – Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Supernatural), Patrick Wilson, Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Carla Gugino, Matthew Goode – in the $150 million adaptation.  The film opened to slightly disappointing numbers, grossing roughly $50 million, and has inspired a cacophony of debate in the fan community. 

In today's BuddyTV Podcast, I talk to friend/movie expert Matt Knudsen about Watchmen, whether it can be considered a success, how it compared to the graphic novel, how Watchmen will effect the future of comic book films, and much more.  You can listen to the full mp3 audio below. 

Both Matt and I came into the film familiar with the original graphic novel, both having read it.  Our reactions were similar – we were both incredibly conflicted on a number of levels.  While the film is very faithful to the book, it can be argued that it's almost too faithful in places.  It's a complicated, dense story that, because of the constraints of the film medium, had to be condensed to some degree.  We discuss the changes made for the film adaptation and their repercussions.  The biggest problem both of us had was the final act, which felt both rushed and unearned. 

Listen to the podcast above and feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below.

-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image Courtesy of Paramount)