10 response about Finite Focus: Changing Times. (Watchmen) »

1. 

   I’m about to walk out the door to go see it. I think I’ll hold off watching the opening sequence so it can full impact in the theatre. You’re totally right, though, a fantastic credit sequence can make a huge impression on me. In fact, these days, a film HAVING an opening credit sequence often knocks it up a notch for me.

   Comment by Jandy Stone — March 8, 2009
2. 

   Someone has probably pointed this out already but, look whose parents Nite Owl is saving in the first frame there. Is that Alfred too? There’s a sign that reads Gotham Opera House and some Batman posters.

   I guess in this alternate reality Batman doesn’t exist. Watchmen makes this easy to deal with.

   Comment by Cole W. Hogan — March 9, 2009
3. 

   I also love that Moloch is one of the John’s to Rorschach’s mom. A nice detail in there.

   I noticed the batman posters, but never made the connection. This also gets at the Pirate Comic stuff in the film that superhero comics fell out of favour once masked vigilantes started becoming common. Nice.

   Comment by Kurt Halfyard — March 9, 2009
4. 

   I loved the film, but I honestly think that opening sequence is probably the best part of it. I wondered how Snyder would pack so much of Moore’s alternate history into the film. Looks like he managed to do it with this! Simply genius.

   Comment by Mercurie — March 9, 2009
5. 

   Agreed. Mercurie. Agreed.

   Comment by Kurt Halfyard — March 9, 2009
6. 

   The opening credits are definitely the best part of Watchmen (though the cynic in me complains at how flashy and artificial they look – a complaint I had about the films entire visual pallate).

   I just caught The Wanderers at The Wright Stuff screening and as bizarre a comparison as it is, The Wanderers gave me the wonderful tonal play of big ideas and pulp in a period piece that I wanted in Watchmen (plus as Edgar himself pointed out, Wanderers appropriated “The times are a’changing” first and more effectively)

   Actually my perfect Watchmen film would be an odd mish-mash of Nicholas Roeg’s The Men Who Fell To Earth, The Wanderers and yeah even The Warriors. (honestly these two films are on my mind from watching them last night) The banality that occurs in all three of those films amidst outlandish comic book moments is what I desperately wanted in Watchmen.

   But all I got was another shallow, hyperactive, and juvenile comic book movie.

   Yeah… I really didn’t like it.

   Comment by Peter — March 9, 2009
7. 

   I don’t get all the fuss over this opening sequence. It’s nice and everything, but only in the way that a really high budget commercial is nice. This sequence’s strength comes only from Dylan’s recording, not from the filmic aspects, which are unoriginal and trite. Also, how does this sequence fit in thematically with the rest of the film? It doesn’t. This is not landmark filmmaking. I sound whiny about this, but it’s only as a reaction to all the hyperbole about what a great film this is. I love to get lost in Hollywood productions, but come on, this is just silly.

   Comment by stump — March 9, 2009
8. 

   Nope, there is a resonance to big American MOments, and history diverging, which really sets the stage here (Love the Batman diorama in the first shot, showing how any sort of superhero comics are dead. Love the symmetry with Moloch the Magnificent hiring out Rorschach’s prostitute mom. And then the WWII Nuke, the Monk on Fire, JFK, etc. etc. The scene rocks for me. The movie never lives up to its promise in fact.

   Comment by Kurt Halfyard — March 9, 2009
9. 

   Fair enough. When I walked into this movie I wanted to love it, and honestly I was kind of moved by the credit sequence. Now, after watching the whole thing, I want to hate every part of it.

   Comment by stump — March 9, 2009
10. 

    @ Love the symmetry with Moloch the Magnificent hiring out Rorschach’s prostitute mom.

    Totally missed that.

    Comment by Rusty James — March 9, 2009

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