Someone Was Watching the ‘Watchmen’ Last Night

Posted by Neil Miller (neil@filmschoolrejects.com) on October 2, 2008

Unfortunately, that someone wasn’t us. Insert sad face here. Oh well, I suppose that’s what we get for not having FSR HQ in L.A., at least not yet. Either way, our friends at First Showing and Collider did attend the event that took place last night at the Warner Bros. lot in West Hollywood, where director Zack Snyder was on hand to show off some footage from his highly anticipated comic adaptation Watchmen. And according to the reports, the footage was equal parts ‘breathtaking’ and ‘mind blowing.’ For Watchmen fans, this should be a good sign.

Here are a few key highlights, courtesy of Alex at First Showing:

• The current running time is 2 hours and 43 minutes, and Zack Snyder doesn’t expect it to get much shorter.
• Snyder said he would not be involved with a prequel/sequel if Warner Bros stupidly decided to make one.
• The next movie trailer will be attached to Quantum of Solace, which hits theaters in the US on November 14th 2008.
• Snyder also mentioned that they are working on a version of the film that integrates the “Tales of the Black Freighter” sub-story into the theatrical cut. Though, with the film already at 2 hours and 43 minutes, I doubt that they will be adding that in.

As well, Frosty at Collider had great things to say about some of the footage that was shown, including the opening credit sequence, which he described as follows:

The first thing he showed us was the opening credit sequence. The opening is just like the comic book, but the fight has been extended a bit and it’s very violent. After we see The Comedian get thrown out the window, the credits start and they’re amazing.

With pin point accurate precision, we get shot after shot that’s filmed in slow motion where we see actual events mixed in with the Watchmen universe. We see Dr. Manhattan with JFK, Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias outside Studio 54, Dr. Manhattan on the moon, plus tons of other crazy things…as I don’t want to spoil it all. During all these shots we hear Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are a Changing,” and it’s played throughout all the photos and filmmaker credits. While the song is under 4 minutes, they’ve clearly extended the song as the credits are 6 minutes.

What’s amazing about the credits is the way it slowly submerges you into the universe. The shots have a purpose and a motion, they’re almost 3D the way the camera moves in them. Trust me, after these credits end, every viewer will be entranced.

Now, I’m not sure about all of you, but that description alone makes my shorts a little tighter. I’ve been a fan of Zack Snyder since before he ‘broke out’ with 300, and this appears to be just the right project for him. In fact, it is worth pointing out that Warner Bros. has done a great job lately of finding that ‘right guy’ for their major properties — Christopher Nolan with Batman, Snyder with 300 and Watchmen, and (in my opinion) McG with Terminator Salvation. Kudos to them for finding the right person for the job and giving them space to work. Of course, our hope is that the the studio stays away from Snyder between now and March 6, 2009, so that he can deliver his 2.5 hour plus film in its unhindered glory.

How are you feeling about Watchmen thus far?

Read more articles by Neil Miller