Test Screeners Watch the Watchmen and Live to Tell All

Posted by Ashley Demma (ashley@filmschoolrejects.com) on October 22, 2008

Patrick Wilson as Night Owl in Watchmen

Earlier in the week, some lucky fans got the chance to attend a test screening of Watchmen in Portland, and spilled the beans about how the movie is so far. Executives are trying to shut down the buzz and the so-called leaked information, but Spoiler TV has an interview style thread that tells all. The content of the thread has major spoilers, whether they are true or not.

The general consensus seems to be that the film stayed razor sharp, following Alan Moore’s beloved graphic novel to a T…but the ending has been modified. Personally, I hated the end of the graphic novel and thought it was a really lame way to end an awesome story. I am much happier with the film’s alternate ending.

At this point, there is still a lot of speculation about the truth of this leak. Some claim it’s just WB people trying to spread false information and confuse the fans. Some think that the leak is legit. Whatever the case, read for yourself now, or you’ll have to wait until next March to find out what happens.

Does an alteration to the ending of Watchmen bother you at all?

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Davebaxter1989

May?! has it been pushed back from March? Fuuuuuck.

Also squid or no squid this will be awesome.

Neil Miller

Still March... typo...

Davebaxter1989

Thank god haha thought it was becoming very vouge to shift around dates.

SUPERJUNK

I actually liked the ending to the novel. All I have to say is the diary part was awesome and if its not in the movie I will be very upset. I mean even if you didnt like the ending to the novel you have already followed it to the T while making the movie, why would you change the most important part????

Mladen

spoileriffic... Sounds like a minor change, the ending of the story is still the same, its just the method of how it happens.

I'm more worried that they've changed/damaged the thematic content of the story to make it more COOOOOL and blockbustery. Thats definately what it looks like now, but it IS just a trailer, and they're picking the actiony bits to show off, so who knows...
It still stands that every Alan Moore adaptation has either completely sucked (LXG), or managed to completely miss the point of the novel (V for Vendetta, From Hell). So I'm skeptical, but I'd REALLY like to be wrong.

Nicole C

I vote No squid, I feel like it really fell apart at the ending, but the new ending with Dr.
manhattan's more direct involvement in the build-up to the catastrophe itself is a change
that I'm not sure I approve of.

I'm excited, but I'm also skeptical.

790

You know what I've been holding back reading the book , because I want the film version to be my first impression...

And now I'm glad I did...

Nish

I think that if you view this as a comic book adaptation, you will be disappointed, because he Watchmen is unfilmable. It is designed to be everything a comic book can be that a film/book can't. However, as a film, i think it looks really good.

Trace

The squid ending didn't piss me off, but I felt underwhelmed. The entire thing was great, and the squid itself wasn't that bad, albeit a little farfetched. But the fact that everyone just swept it under the rug? I get it, but still...

big K

I hope the idea of having superhumans may just make things WORSE, that the book implied, or the dark and ambigous way the book ended doesn't change. That said, concepts on the printed page sometimes don't translate all that well on film, so I kinda don't mind if they leave out the giant, psychic space vagina destroying New York part.

P.S.: While I totally respect Alan Moore's choice to not play a role in how his work is interpreted on film, would it kill him to at least offer some advice so they wouldn't suck so hard?

P.P.S: This is more of a rant but, What is it with cats like Moore and Garth Ennis being so douchey about comics and comic-book characters nowadays like they haven't been writing comics for 30 years?

Test Screeners Watch the Watchmen and Live to Tell All

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