Watchmen

Watchmen

(Great trailer on the amazon page, check it out!)

A friend at work gave me the Watchmen original soundtrack, which is fantastic. The songs are moving, unique, and well ordered. Its an emotional experience. What I didn't appreciate was how well they enhanced the film. I finally redboxed the movie last night, and was blown away.

I was expecting a cheesy super hero action flick; what I got was a study in the deeper questions of life. The characters struggled with their purpose. They are super-heroes, but their enhanced skills in life accentuate their understanding of their weaknesses. No matter how many bad guys they crush or kill, there is still another snake crawling out of the woodwork. No matter how much good they do, there is much more evil that counteracts the good. No matter how all-knowing, or smart, or realistic, there is always someone who more knowledgeable, or smarter, or more practical. In short, the super-heroes are still limited by their humanity; both the good and the evil.

There are fantacstic action scenes, but the biggest battles are not physical, but mental and spiritual. Who are they going to be? What are they willing to do? What is their purpose and meaning in life? What will make them happy? Who is right, and who is wrong? These are the questions that they battle and wrestle with, these are the ideas that they kill each other over. Those ideas, and the characters difficulty in answering them, is the real essense of the movie. The great actors, the costumes, the action scenes, the music, and the overall feel and texture of the film are just accents that enhance the very human battle that these super-heroes find themselves engaged in.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

(Note: Be advised, there is violence, nudity, and sexual content not suitable for children or the sensitive.)