Alan Moore, the comic wizard who is known for his penchant for incorporating social, philosophical, and highly realistic themes into his stories…
Alan Moore, the comic wizard, was always fond of writing about social issues, philosophy, and very practical matters in his stories. It’s for this reason that works like ‘V for Vendetta’ and ‘Watchmen’ have become legendary in the world of comics. The legend of ‘Watchmen’ was further extended in 2009 when Zack Snyder created one of the best comic book adaptation film to date.
A bit of history: Alan Moore, the comic wizard, initially wanted to write about the MLJ Comics heroes, but he couldn’t secure the rights. Even though he was suggested to use characters from Charlton Comics to create ‘Watchmen,’ DC had already acquired the rights to Charlton Comics to incorporate them into the main DC universe, so Alan Moore had to look elsewhere. He then came up with characters like Ozymandias, Nite Owl, The Comedian, Silk Spectre, and Rorschach, inspired by characters from Charlton Comics. After the 12-issue ‘Watchmen’ series, illustrated by Dave Gibbons, was released, it became a tremendous sensation in the community at the time. Alan Moore’s politically charged and realistic storytelling style set in a somewhat fantastical backdrop of the Cold War era managed to criticize both governments and politicians of the time, leaving a lasting impact on readers, questioning what would happen if there were real superheroes in the real world.
Moore’s character development was incredibly dark yet profound: The Comedian’s outlook on life as a gruesome joke, Rorschach’s uncompromising and violent nature, and Jon Osterman’s transformation into Dr. Manhattan, which came at great personal and societal costs. Returning to the present, Rorschach’s predictions become reality when someone wants to assassinate Veidt, and before his death, The Comedian uncovers some secret that leads to his murder. Additionally, there is a subplot involving Laurie and Manhattan’s troubled relationship.
Dr. Manhattan reaches a breaking point when his abilities, which can control all matter, are believed to have caused cancer in those close to him. Angry, he leaves Earth, leaving the U.S. without its most powerful weapon in the Cold War with the Soviet Union. Rorschach is framed and imprisoned. Laurie seeks out Dan, and both decide to return as Nite Owl and Silk Spectre to rescue Rorschach and uncover the truth.
The mastermind behind everything is Ozymandias. He killed The Comedian after discovering his plan. He orchestrates the assassination of several superheroes to deceive the Watchmen. He finds a way to make Manhattan leave Earth to execute his plan. It’s called an evil plan, but also a necessary one, as he unleashes a monstrous creature on New York City, killing millions to force the U.S. and the Soviet Union to unite and create world peace. Although it’s a false peace, Dr. Manhattan agrees because a nuclear war would threaten humanity. The story in the ‘Black Freighter’ comic subplot also hints at Ozymandias’s transformation from a heroic idealist into a ruthless pragmatist with a higher purpose. Rorschach disagrees and wants to expose the truth, leading to his demise. Ozymandias questions his actions, and Dr. Manhattan leaves the universe, while Dan and Laurie stay together. The story ends with Rorschach’s journal being sent to a newspaper.
What do you think, is Ozymandias a villain or a hero when he sacrifices so many lives to save humanity? In a time where compromise is necessary, is it right to only pursue justice, as Rorschach did, potentially jeopardizing the hard-won world peace? Why did Dr. Manhattan agree and even kill Rorschach when, in reality, he could do so much more, given his abilities? There are many moral questions that Alan Moore raises.
The idea of adapting ‘Watchmen’ into a film had been floating around for a long time. In 1986, Fox, the producer, had the idea of adapting the comic with a focus on “assassination” and “time paradox,” but the idea ultimately failed. In 1991, the rights to ‘Watchmen’ went to Warner Bros, and Terry Gilliam commented on ‘Watchmen’ as follows: Impossible to shoot, un-filmable. Paramount and Universal both attempted to make it, but due to budget constraints, the project was dropped. It wasn’t until 2005 that Warner Bros, impressed by Zack Snyder’s ‘300,’ entrusted him with the project. With an entire series of comics to adapt into a film, Zack Snyder succeeded, and ‘Watchmen’ was born in 2009, perhaps too early, as the era of superhero films was just beginning. In terms of faithfulness to the source material, it’s the most faithful adaptation, but it didn’t receive widespread acclaim.
The film closely follows the comic but has some specific differences:
- Zack brilliantly summarizes almost everything that happens to the Minutemen in the introductory section, whereas in the comic, you would read Hollis Mason’s memoir, Nite Owl I.
- Superpowers: In reality, only Dr. Manhattan has superpowers in the comic, but Zack Snyder gives everyone in the film a slightly enhanced ability.
- Character changes: Dan Dreiberg loses his confidence and becomes a bit of a nostalgia-driven, reluctant hero, Silk Spectre goes from being tough and strong to somewhat whiny in Malin Akerman’s portrayal, Dr. Manhattan in the film is somewhat more aloof than in the comic, where he tried to integrate with society, and Ozymandias is almost a ruthless, emotionless extremist, a far cry from the image of a hero doing what is necessary to maintain world peace. The comic delves deeper into Rorschach’s past.
- Ending: In the comic, it’s an extraterrestrial creature that Ozymandias teleports into New York, while in the film, Snyder “elevates” it a bit by having Ozymandias deceive Dr. Manhattan into creating a new energy source and using that energy to destroy several cities, blaming it on Dr. Manhattan to unite the world against him. Instead of Nite Owl shouting in horror upon witnessing Rorschach’s death, in the comic, they feel helpless and unable to do anything, consoling each other…
- The Black Freighter story in the film, although included in the DVD release, doesn’t convey as much depth about Ozymandias’s choices as in the comic. It feels more like fan service.
- Some minor details, like the fight scene in the film being longer, costume changes (Zack Snyder wanted Nite Owl to resemble Batman more, and Ozymandias’s outfit is a parody of the Bat-nipple costumes from ‘Batman & Robin’), actually fit the cinematic medium better.
Despite this, it can still be said that the 2009 ‘Watchmen’ film is a fantastic piece of work, and it’s one of the best superhero film adaptation from a comic book to date. Its pace is slower compared to a typical superhero action film, but it is incredibly profound and makes the already magnificent comic even darker and more vivid.”
