If I want to choose the most stunning and perfect movie among the new movies I saw in 2009, I would choose this movie. The reason is simple, it greatly exceeded my expectations of it, and it greatly satisfied me. Like Roger Ebert's evaluation of this movie, it is a powerful experience.
Imagine that in the United States in the 1980s, people went through wars and liberated their minds, but found that everything was still at a loss. The evil Nixon controls the power of the White House, Gorbachev and Castro, holding hundreds of nuclear bombs in their hands, the world's demise seems to be on the line. This is a dangerous age of lack of faith. For us, this is another age of nostalgia. At such a time and such a place, everything is a vague memory of this period of history.
For friends who don’t understand American history and don’t have an absurd heart to understand comics, I’m sorry, this movie is indeed not for you. The Internet is full of misunderstandings and bad reviews of this movie, partly because of this. Part of it is also due to the abnormal length of the film. The director's cut version has reached more than three hours. For a comic film, it is indeed a bit unacceptable. However, I enjoyed it. I haven't watched the theater version, but I do feel that three hours is just right, just enough to explain everything.
The movie begins with a murder, and the old black detective movie begins at the beginning. Combined with the gorgeous comic style, it makes people feel nostalgic, and at the same time produce a gorgeous pleasure.
Rorschach, a tough-looking detective in a trench coat, does not compromise with the world, walks on his own, and walks through the turbulent streets in the 1980s, investigating the cause of the death of his friend Xiaojiang. As a storyteller, Rorschach is definitely a representative of detectives in film noir, with eclectic words, narration, dark heart, vicious shot (pouring the hot oil of French fries on the opponent's head in prison Above), coupled with his unshakable values. Become the most classic hero in the movie. But he was powerless. In the face of true superpowers, his persistence also led to his death. It is not his justice that dominates the world, but the so-called greater spirit.
And the representative of this righteous American spirit is the laughter who was killed at the beginning. The United States gave him everything. He has power and power. He worked for the United States, but in essence, he is not justice. Hero. While fighting crime, he violently and killed innocent people, but also has full charm. And this violent beauty is the core of the American spirit. In essence, his American dream is also the pharaoh, who decided to use destruction to stop the original source of destruction. Everything is an evil American spirit.
Dr. Manhattan, a person who walks in the world without underwear, if you are not affected by his genitals, he is definitely the most brilliant character. In essence, he is a god, and he possesses the power of god, but he has entered the paradox of thinking. He does not understand whether mankind should be saved. He can sever any connection with human beings and exist in time and space. A detached thinker is all he has. But even such a person cannot escape the violence brought about by the American spirit. He thought he was detached, but he finally felt that he would come back to save these human beings that shouldn't be saved. He thought his spirit was great and meticulous. But in the end, he accepted American-style violence and killing, killing a group of innocent people, to save the rest. And killing Rorschach was the best expression of his devotion to this American spirit.
The evil American spirit is the subject of the movie. No matter in reality, whether such a paradox holds. But in the movie, a beautiful and chaotic 80s still affects my emotions. For Bob Dylan, Paul Simon's use of music, and a quick clip of the opening scene of a superhero and familiar history. It also allows us to quickly enter such an era, which is similar to our history, but is different. (For example, the real US president in 1985 was Reagan, not the evil Nixon). I want to be a girl. , Soldiers, and petals falling from the muzzle, no one will remain unmoved.
Let's talk about another happy and surprising aspect of this movie. Zach Schneider, as a director who grew up under the influence of American movies and comics, the tribute in the movie is everywhere. The old-fashioned costumes of superheroes and the rough character of the old comics are both exaggerated here. It is perfectly displayed again, which is different from the more and more exquisite comics and movies nowadays.
And tribute to classic American movies is everywhere. For example, the opening black detective movie; for example, the combination of helicopters and Wagner's Valkyrie during the Vietnam War is obviously a routine of Apocalypse Now. Another example is the birch tree wallpaper in the table tennis room in Ye Xiao’s home. Nicholas Rogge and David Bowie's classic "The Man Who Fell On Earth".
What impressed me the most is that there was a scene where an old superhero was beaten to death by three gangsters, not only because it imitated "Angry Bull", but also because it was a manga and a decline. A collective tribute to the spirit of superheroes. With every punch of the old Superman, what appeared before him was the glory of the past, a strange comic villain, appeared in front of him (the alien in the spacesuit, and the magician with the light in his hand), these The enemy used to be his full meaning, and used to be so vulnerable, but now, a few ordinary gangsters can kill him. He represents the fallen heroes and their former pride. In that era of nuclear bombs, and our market economy, the superheroes of comics have disappeared. No matter how sad we are, they are still proud. And these few simple switchings made me almost cry.
Therefore, this movie is not only anti-hero, anti-American dream, it also has more complex cores, and beautiful pictures, I am not sure, I fully understand everything about this movie, I think, I will Look again, and then discover more beauty.
View more about Watchmen reviews
