We Were Supposed to Make the World a Better Place

Michael was able to score on two tickets for opening night of Watchmen last Friday. We had been looking forward to this movie (and dinner afterward in celebration of Michael's birthday) for months, so we were very excited about those two little tickets. 

I have to say, I went into the theater not expecting to love it. I knew the movie was two hours and forty-three minutes long, and the couple of reviews I had read online that week were not the best. The last comic book based film I had watched, The Spirit, had been a total buzz-kill, so I really kept the bar low on my expectations.

However- I did love it.

I never once looked at my watch. The film was a wonderful ride, and I even had to close my eyes a few times. There were a couple of uncomfortable scenes with violence against female characters (and a Munchkin) that were hard to watch, but the creators did keep the film true to the graphic novel. There have been a few scenes in my life that have been hard to watch, but there it is.

The characters were fun and interesting. I greatly enjoyed Rorshcach, Dan, Laurie, The Comedian, and Dr. Manhattan with his wonderful stimulus package. Even Adrian and his genetically engineered lynx, Bubastis, were very cool. The special effects were well done and I enjoyed reliving moments from the first twenty-five years of my life. It was good to see the Twin Towers in the NYC skyline again, and to remember that there was a time before they were removed from that skyline.

I will definitely be looking for this one to be released on DVD, as I know I'll be wanting to watch it again...and again. Watchmen is clearly one of those movies that you could see a dozen times, and pick up on something new each time through.

I have also seen Watchmen: Motion Comic DVD as well, and unless you're collecting Watchmen memorabilia, skip it. The DVD does a great job at bringing the comic panels to life, but the narration kills it. I did fall asleep during this one.

Oh yeah- Michael and I had our celebration dinner at the Olive Garden after the movie. We filled ourselves with Zuppa Toscana, salad, breadsticks, and wine. Happy Birthday, Michael!