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"I don't know if I made a good film, but I know I made the book." This is one of my all-time favorite quotes from a filmmaker. It comes from Terry Gilliam during an interview with Charlie Rose about Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. This kind of statement opens a project up to merciless criticism and at the same time claims that boldly, good or bad, the book has been brought to the screen, from the tone to the style to the characters to the subtext. The latest book-to-screen translation that will be criticized, scrutinized, and deconstructed frame-by-frame is Watchmen, the acclaimed and beloved graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons.
The book itself has a long and bloody history, from the frustrations of creator Alan Moore with DC Comics to the multiple failed attempts at getting the film made. But any geek worth their salt knows all this and can quote these trials as easily as a WWII historian could the trials of Patton. But now it's all been said and done, the film has been greenlit and the director and actors are deep into production and pics are making their way online. The pre-publicity is already gearing up and the questions and comments are already bouncing around the net, starting with "how does it look" and "How faithful will it be?" For me, there are two gauges I can use at this early stage to determine the possible quality of a film I have yet to see.
NOTE: that last sentence required that I take two shots of Bushmills in order to steady myself enough to type it out. Why, you ask? Because, in essence, I'm writing about the quality of a film that's still in production. That, in my mind, is akin to criticizing America on foreign soil -- it's not illegal, but it's very clearly taboo. The reason I'm willing to bend this rule till it breaks? Because I am excited about the film and I qualify this post as more of a pre-geek-out rather than any sort of critique.
Mr. Zack Snyder, the director, has shown impressive chops and vision with his filmmaking, from his clean and innovative remake of Dawn of the Dead to flying his geek-flag high and proud with the accurate-where-it-counts adaptation of Frank Miller's 300. After that cinematic explosion Mr. Snyder had a free pass to tackle nearly any project he so chose, and he went with another comic-book adaptation, Watchmen. That he chose another comic is telling enough of his mind-set that it deserves an article in and of itself. That the choice for his third film was one of comics' holy trinities (Watchmen, Dark Knight Returns, and Maus) is an indication that he may well be a filmmaker daring enough to tackle such a daunting task. This is not a project to be factory-produced and run by a committee. What we are getting via production pics gives me nothing but further faith in Mr. Snyder and the direction he's taking (read: faithful translation) the production.
The photographs that have made their way online are more than impressive. They carry with them the righteous attitude of the characters; if I had to pick one that interests me the most (and it is difficult to choose just one), it would be The Comedian. Mr. Snyder seems to be using the actual comic book as his storyboards. Every shot -- down to the character's poses, the lighting, and especially the facial expressions -- mirrors the brilliance of the book. Then came this shot as an exclusive to aintitcool.com, and for me, all bets were off. Sure the image looks a little goofy and dated -- that's what it's supposed to look like. If you've read the book, this image should seal the deal. They're doing everything they can to get the look of the project as accurate to the book as they can. The next big question I have is about tone. Though, we'll just have to wait until the first trailer hits to know what notes Mr. Snyder is using to carry his most unique and daring project to date.
If he pulls another trifecta with Watchmen (by garnering critical, financial, and core fan-base acclaim) similar to 300, he will have announced himself as a filmmaker not just worth watching, but one of the great filmmakers of his generation. The bar is set high for this one. The good news is that Mr. Snyder seems adept at making those impossible leaps with inches to spare. I wouldn't be surprised to see him on The Charlie Rose Show, answering the same question, "Did you make a good film?" with a more confident response than Gilliam: "I know I made a good film because I made the book."
Cole Drumb
www.film.com
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