My only problem with ‘Watchmen’ was that I wanted more.  I left the theater wanting to watch the director’s cut right away (but went home to read the book). 

I totally agree about the ending.  It’s actually better than the book’s because it makes much more sense. 

I always thought Brad Pitt would’ve been a good choice for Ozymandias, but casting a big star in that role may have compromised the story.

I loved the adjusted solution instead of the squid, but I thought that everything that happened after that was ridiculous. The last conversation between Dreiberg and Spectre really angered me. They’re still crimefighting? WTF? Also, Veidt should have saved the world; instead, they protrayed him as trying to conquer it ala Alexander the Great. It robbed the movie of it’s interesting finale.

Mild spoilerish, but whatever.

Oh, and for the record I loved actually getting to hear Rorschach say the “trapped” line, rather than having it happen off-screen (as it were).

In fact, overall I thought Rorschach was brilliant.  Jackie Earle Haley was inspired casting.  He actually felt more like Rorschach than the comic character did (if that makes any sense).

Hurm.

From here on out, if you read a comment in this thread, be prepared for Watchmen spoilers. If you don’t want spoilers, go somwhere else.

My top five can be a bit fluid depending on mood and stuff, but these have all appeared in it at one time or another, and in no particular order:

Citizen Kane
Godfather
The Conversation
Miller’s Crossing
It’s a Wonderful Life/Casablanca, depending on what time of year it is.

Like I said, though, there are probably 5-10 more that are within the margin of error for top five inclusion.

As for Watchmen: The point about Daniel and Laurie still crimefighting was alluded to in the book (Laurie talking about getting a more practical costume and carring a gun; I thought Moore was clearly hinting at her becoming Comedian II, actually, and was secretly hoping that the movie’s final scene would show her in Comedian garb).

I think the Veidt conquering/saving the world was handled very consistently with the book.  He saves it in his own narrow sense, and the bit about him profiting from the reconstruction is totally in keeping with his merchandising everything under the sun to that point.

I also agree that the end was rushed, and if you hadn’t read the book, I can even imagine it seeming all contrived and tacked on.  Even in the book, Daniel and Roarshach’s solving of the plot is a bit rushed and forced, isn’t it?  Really: would the smartest man in the world would have had such an easily-cracked password?  Even in 1985?

Also waiting for the director’s cut.  Should be pretty sweet.

yeah i found watchmen to be more enjoyable than i expected.  i’d like to talk to someone who saw the movie but hasnt read the book but for me, after all the hype and my dread of seeing someone try to film the ‘unfilmable’ and fail, i thought it was an excellent job all around.

my biggest issue with the ending is it takes out the ambiguity of whether what veidt did was justifiable or simply monstorus (and obviated the need for the black frieghter parallel sub plot, which probably helped the movie in the grand scheme of things).  theres no ‘rebuilding’ scene in the book, and thats deliberate.  we’re not supposed to know if veidt’s (btw, anyone else think it was pronounced veet and not vite this whole time?) horrifying plan works or not.  and they also cut out veidt’s chat with dr manhattan right before the big blue guy goes off to start his own ‘life’.  and i know it was rediculius but i liked the squid monster.  it makes sense to cut it so you can also cut the mass dissaperance of artists sub plot but i found the whole ‘energy’ theme to contrived and included to make it topically relevant.  in the book the power stations where people ‘juice up’ are already on every street corner, and it’s dr manhattan (again) who make its possible, not veidt.

Still, i thought the movie worked well.  the opening montage was inspired and the rorschack, dreiberg scene in the beginning with the beans was perfect. 

so yeah, it thought it kicked plenty of ass and was amazing faithful to the source material.  defintiley the closest i’ve ever seen a comic book movie adapt a limited series like that.  and the ending was a bit of a let down but i’m not going to get my underoos in a bunch because of it.  and likewise, i will anxiously await the director’s cut on dvd.

I have not read the book, but saw the movie. I liked it. I didn’t think it was on par with the Dark Knight, but close to Spiderman II. Maybe if I had read the book it would have inched up. I have to say, I had no trouble keeping track, it wasn’t really all that complicated.

The obvious music choices almost killed it for me. I mean, can you get any more cliche than The Times They Are A’Changin’ for a montage through history, Sound of Silence for a funeral and Ride of the Valkyries for a war scene?

Aarcraft: Yeah, those were a little on the nose, eh?  In way of weak defense, there are some musical cues suggested in the book that probably led the filmakers in that direction. “All along the Watchtower” being a specific one that probably led to others.

I was not a fan of the use of Cohen’s “Hallelujah” in the sex scene myself.  I mean, I love Cohen, but his voice just kind of oozes irony and sleaze in a way that makes that not work for me.  John Cale does a more appropriate cover of that song if they insisted on using it.

I think Jeff Buckley’s version is the only version that might of worked. I haven’t heard Cale’s. Even then, the song choice reeked of cheese.

kendynamo:
Totally agreed on the smoking thing.  Without Laurie smoking, the reason for her shooting flames out of Archie in the basement was totally ridiculous.  She would know better than to just push a random button.

Also re: the smoking: I can only imagine that it was cut because (a) they mimimized many of the “lifestyle” improvements brought on by Dr. Manhattan, which I assume included those funky smokeless cigarettes from the book; and (b) they didn’t want to show a hero smoking in this day and age because that’s frowned on more every passing year.

And if the latter explanation is really the case, how messed up is it that the filmakers don’t feel compelled to edit out multiple scenes of limb severing, meat cleaver to the head violence and sex scenes with considerable amounts of thrusting, but can’t bring themselves to show a young woman smoking a cigarette?