well its been three weeks, to date Watchmen has grossed roughly 99 million dollars. not bad for an almost 3 hour r-rated film. that being said im sure warners had higher expectations, as well as most of the general public. well Im here to say im ok with that! I kind of feel like somebody who loved some small time band that got big. you know the type, they have this little band and they think of it as their little private thing that only a small group share, but then the band has a hit and there a super group and now its no longer your little band anymore your sharing them with the world and it doesn’t feel as special. i may not be as bitter as those folks but watchmen was my little rock band. I read that damn book in 1986 and have been dreaming about a movie for years! and one of the great joys in my life was seeing someone in a comic shop or Barnes and noble who wasn’t a regular and was looking for guidance. with a wicked smile on my face I would routinely grab a copy of watchmen and go on a 20 min sermon about the heavenly qualities of that book. and now i cant do that, most people know watchmen. they may not comprehend it, or know all the details but its part of pop culture now and that feels odd. and so for me Im glad the movie didn’t go through the roof. it’s gonna make its money but at the end of the day it didn’t become dark knight or Spiderman. according to most poles people mainly talked about blue dong after the show. i found the nervous giggles a bit annoying myself. i had hoped we as a culture were ready for this movie but i think it was maybe 5 yrs to early. people are just know getting comfortable with the super hero genre as a legitimate form of film and not some direct to video schlock *( see director albert pyun Captin america..yikes!)
for me the movie was great. did i have issues? yes. nothing major mainly to do with fight sequences that felt like they were for the bourne films. and some of the music choices didnt fully work. in the end i felt it to be a completely uncompromising film and I have new found respect for warners for making such an audacious film and supporting their director. and in time I am confident the movie will be well regarded. I saw this funny little film when i was a runt, no one liked it and no one understood it. i would watch it on VHS alot and day dream about making movies. well now that movie is considered one of the greatest, goofy little thing called Blade Runner. so time will tell. but for me its lower than expected sales means the marketing machine wont get any worse, and wont diminish everything this book is and everything the movie did right. could you image silk spectre feminine hygiene products? or Dr Manhattan trojan’s. and as it starts to fade from memory i get to have my little book back, granted to a much smaller audience. primarily the amish and some kids too young to see it. ill take what i can get and ill proudly say my sermon over and over again to any who will listen.