Watchmen | Teen Ink

Watchmen

March 9, 2009
By Vexa_Rave SILVER, Mt. Clare, West Virginia
Vexa_Rave SILVER, Mt. Clare, West Virginia
9 articles 0 photos 57 comments

When you hear the word 'superhero,' what movies come to mind? Spiderman? Batman; The Dark Knight? Superman Returns? Probably those and many others, like Fantastic Four, Iron Man or X-Men. But recently, a movie based on a legendary comic came out that no superhero lover should miss.

The comic Watchmen was originally written by Alan Moore before it came into theaters. It takes place in late 1985, but has Nixon still as president and, well... superheroes.

There are six main heroes, or 'Watchmen,' and five of them are part of a 'next generation.' Rorschach is a mysterious, aggressive man, and with his detective-like appearance (shifting mask, hat, trench coat) and angry nature, he could scare anyone. The blue man, known as Dr. Manhattan, is the only one really with superpowers and is practically invincible, able to move objects with his mind and can even walk on the Sun (although throughout most of the movie, he seems devoid of any emotion). Silk Spectre II is the daughter of the first Silk Spectre, and even though she's the only girl, she can kick anyone's face in when she wants to! Then there's Nite Owl II, a seemingly timid and shy man, but very strong and probably the best with gadgets. Ozymandias, widely known as 'the smartest man in the world,' is the intelligent but very cocky one of the group. And last but not least, there's The Comedian, who was part of the first generation only to be killed in the beginning of the movie.

But what's the plot, you may ask. Well, the Russians are supposedly trying to start a nuclear war with America, and meanwhile, after The Comedian's death, Rorschach spreads his theory that someone's out to kill all of the Watchmen. The Watchmen aren't able to fight anymore, though, because Nixon banned them from using their strengths anymore. That's why they're called "Watchmen," because they watch the town constantly. It's a story about love, anger, action, war, pain, and even though it was made for adults, it's something that teenagers should be able to watch and leave thinking about life and our planet. 'Who's really the bad-guy here?' and 'Why does hardly anyone understand people like them?' were questions I left the theatre with. I've never seen any of his other movies, but Zack Snyder really did a great job of making you think about life!

Not only did it have an action-filled storyline, but if you like classic rock music, then you'll certainly like the music in this movie. There was plenty of Bob Dylan to go around; one song by himself, 'The Times, They Are A-Changin',' one covered by Jimi Hendrix, 'All Along The Watchtower,' and the credit song very recently covered by the punk-rock group My Chemical Romance, 'Desolation Row.' And there were many other song, too, like 'The Sound Of Silence' by Simon & Garfunkel and 'Pirate Jenny' by Nina Simone. Thanks to my parents, I had already heard most of these classic songs.

Although, I will warn you; if you are faint of heart, then this movie probably isn't right for you. It was my first R-rated movie, and there were many gruesome and sexual scenes that some might like and others, like me, might turn their heads away in fear or disgust. But I will say this; I've seen many modern superhero movies, like the ones I mentioned at the beginning, but none of them have ever been anything like this. So if you like action, suspense, superheroes and rock 'n' roll music, you're most likely going to like this movie just as much as I did. And, who knows, maybe you'll like it even more. Now all I have to do is find my dad's old comic series!


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