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You need to like the film, or at least the graphic novel, to really appreciate this DVD. As a stand alone DVD, the Watchmen movie aside, I would imagine this DVD would be poorly recieved ...but fans of Watchmen will love these additional tid-bits! The Black Freighter story and the Under the Hood mockumentry, add to the philosophical complexity of the story and leave you pondering futher the ethical challanges of this epic. The Watchmen story is particularly poignant in this post 9/11, Iraq, Abu Ghraib, Katrina, economic meltdown period we're experiencing. When leaders today tackle problems, there are always difficult moral implications that come with their decisions. Rorschach and the main character from the Black Freighter for instance, tried hard to be uncompromisingly just, but their medicine is almost always too hard to swallow. Societies expectaions of its 'heros', as depicted in the film, are also echoed in real life. I'm thinking about Bush standing on the ruble of the WTC with a bullhorn in hand and a firefighter at his side telling us, "soon our enemies will hear us". Well they heard us ...are we satisfied with the result? Did we kill all the terrorists? Did we eliminate the threat? Or did we just make more enemies? Or how about those who are looking to Obama ('hope-without-a-cape'), to pull us from economic meltdown versus those talking heads and neigh-sayers in the media like Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck, who tell us he is destroying this country. There truely are no flawless heros with flawless answers ...Ghandi, MLK, Lincoln, Kennedy, all had kinks in their armor ...just like the characters in Watchmen. In the end ...they were all torn down prematurely by other men. Who watches the heros and who protects us from ourselves?Read full review
If you're reading this, you "get" WATCHMEN. I was lucky to read the original series when it ran 30 years ago, when it was known as "the comic book for people that hate comic books." The movie divided fans the same way. I would recommend the IRON MAN series for folks who want the standard story: Normal guy (yeah, Tony Stark, normal...) suffers some sort of cataclysmic accident and finds himself endowed with super powers. At the same time, right across town, another dude has a similar experience and decides to steal something or take over something. After a number of near-misses, usually involving our hero getting his butt kicked, the two sides face off resulting in ultimate victory at a huge cost in buildings and cars. In WATCHMEN, we have Dr. Manhattan (the blue guy). Accident, powers...but there is no one who stands up to him. The commies give up, nuclear war ends. No more terrorism, no revolutions, everybody united under the good guy flag. Here's the deal--does this make Dr. Manhattan a hero? A good guy? Is the whole world in line a good thing? What if Dr. Manhattan leaves/gives up/dies/decides to switch sides? Do the people in charge get to stay in charge? What would they do to make sure the Doctor stays on call? Makes for an intriguing story line, illustrated or not. The graphic novel tells a huge, multi-faceted philosophical tale, and the movie does too, which is why a lot of superhero movie fans didn't "get it." It's long and plot-heavy, the characters are all flawed in one way or another, and the narrative jumps over several decades. IN ADDITION, the novel featured a couple of sub-texts that were not part of the film. The "Under the Hood" book and TV shows are a cultural touchstone for all characters past and present, and then there's TALES OF THE BLACK FREIGHTER. This was an actual comic book that a kid was seen reading that sort of parallels the main story. Pages of the "WATCHMEN" graphic novels are reproduced pages of these (other) books. Having these treatments makes a lot of the movie clearer. HIGHLY recommended if you are a fan of the movie, SUPER-HIGHLY recommended if you're a fan of the book. I got this through Netflix and wound up keeping it for a couple of months before deciding to get one on the 'bay.Read full review
I must say that I am still completely taken by how amazing this short is. I like its unpredictability and uniform, pervasive despondency. I reveled in Gerard Butler’s deep, richly emotive inflections. I like how it mirrors life by stressing the fact that, even when moved by great intentions, we might wreak havoc if our drives remain unruly. I like the colors, the atmosphere, the elegant turn of phrase and the sobriety of its ending, and, on a more personal note, I also liked Tales of the Black Freighter because it reminded me about the old Space Adventure Cobra Japanese cartoons I used to watch when I was 10, for some reason;). Kudos to everybody involved:)!!!
Excellent condition and plays great. I highly recommend this seller to anyone.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
This DVD is a great follow up to the motion picture with some very interesting background information about each of the characters(heroes and villains). The Black Freighter story is basically being rehashed but I feel the DVD is worth it if you're a fan of the Watchmen movie.
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