Anmol Sagar

Ok, I know…corny title, but I couldn’t help it! I recently saw the movie ‘Watchmen’ (hmm… it’s definitely more fun to say watched the watchmen) and liked it.

And hey, I admit it….As far as super hero movies go, I’m a fan. Not a fan like some of the crazy people on ‘Who wants to be a Super Hero?’ (Where they go trapizing about in spandex going ‘ heeerrreee comes the Fat Momma!!)’, but a fan none the less. I mean there is something so inherently wondrous about having abilities beyond human constraints…it opens up the mind to possibilities and dimensions that one doesn’t usually think about.

Anyways… back to the review. For starters…don’t see it if you don’t like Super Heros. For its Looooong…and if you’re someone who can’t fathom how electrocuting someone can make them blue in colour and give them telekenetic powers, it’s going to be a really long 2 ½ hours for you. But if you’re someone like me… the length of the movie only adds to its appeal. I mean lay it on… I want to see people being teleported to Mars and all the Super Hero action!

Set in the 1980s, the movie chronicles the cold war and how close to nuclear destruction the world came to. After the swinging 60s, the Super Heros have been forced to go underground and when the world needs them, they rise from their ashes and save the world. Yeah… it’s a beaten path, but the execution of the plot with the interlacing stories of the different Super Heros and their pasts makes the movie interesting. Even the dark side of Super Heros is explored and exposed. How can one not hate the Comedian, or wonder about the real personality of masked Rorschach?

The one thing that didn’t satiate my appetite for super powers, was that many of the Super Heroes really didn’t have super powers or this was not adequately covered in the movie. Running about in Spandex and beating up some people doesn’t make the cut for Super Heros (maybe that’s why some people like to refer to them as costumed Vigilantes). But Dr Manhattan made up from everyone else’s inadequacies. Omni powerful, Dr Manhattan could be the ‘Baap’ of all Super Heros! Liked what a news anchor says in the movie, ‘We know that God exists (Ref Dr Manhattan) and that he is definitely American!’ J

Zack Synder’s treatment of the movie is mature. While one might think (being a Super Hero Movie) that it’s aimed at the kids (and the Super Hero Buffs), it’s definitely not suitable viewing for anybody under 18. Overall, I liked the movie and would give is a 3.75 on a scale of 5. For Super Hero buffs, it’s a must see.