FYI radio was kindly invited to a press screening of ‘Watchmen’ at the BFI Imax.  Tim Macavoy reviews.

Watchmen

From the spine tingling opener, you know director Zack Snyder was right to fight for a fully justified 18 certificate. Watchmen is brutal and beautiful. The visionary cinematography excels at moments of extreme violence. Glass shatters into detailed fragments and blood splatters in slow motion across the screen of the BFI Imax. This is clearly made for the HD age. Beauty is also found in the characters: glamorous, strong and sexy. But it is brutality and dark desire that drives them. They never ask for sympathy, instead opening up a debate on morality.

Full of mature concepts, this is a faithful adaptation of the graphic novel that made it OK for adults to read comics, and popularised the ‘smiley’. Of course, there are small admissions (including a the comic, within the comic – which I am told will be appearing as an animation on the DVD extras) but a running time of 2 hours 40 mins, fanboys (and girls) will be more than satisfied. Whether this will hold the attention of an audience used to watered down Marvel creations is less likely, but that really always was the point of an Alan Moore story.

This is a well-cast group of relatively unknown actors. I was particularly impressed with the rendering of Dr Manhatten played by Billy Crudup. This could have easily fallen into CGI Hulk territory, but achieves the realistic and subtle expression that the character demands – and also provides us with plenty of gratuitous blue nudity.

The make-up does, at first, appear terribly overdone, but gradually draws you into a feel for the misplaced glamour of the era, without resorting to pastiche.

The movie that could not be made (but only took a couple of decades to do so) brings us an intelligent treaty on war and peace, human nature and control and hot people in spandex. ‘Who watches the Watchmen?’ My guess is, we all will.

Tim Macavoy