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Watchmen (HBO)

mackdadday

Juniors
Messages
1,038
As a huge fan of the graphic novel and the film adaptation both, i was worried they would botch this big time but was super impressed with the first episode. Lots of nods to the original and it shares a similar darkness as well. Very excited to see how much they blend the old with the new. Loved the Pod Scene. Wonder what Rorscach would think of the seventh calvary.
 

elyod138

Bench
Messages
3,063
Second ep was excellent too, especially the last few scenes. Loved the scene from American Hero Story too with over the top Snyder-esque action.
 

Springs09

Juniors
Messages
1,903
Continues to be atrocious. Only thing worse than that god-awful funeral scene was the ridiculously sized Dr Manhattan dildo.

Loved the big reveal of who Jeremy Irons is. What! No way!!

Hopefully Dr Manhattan can bring something more to this than superficial nods to the original. Lifting lines from the comic doesn't feel cool, it feels lazy.
 

elyod138

Bench
Messages
3,063
Third ep continues the strong form, loving how they're weaving in the backstory.

Good to see Jean Smart chewing up the scenery, the show seems to have taken a fair bit of influence from Legion.

So far it's up there with Blade Runner 2049 as the best deftly handed sequels of beloved properties in recent memory.
 

Springs09

Juniors
Messages
1,903
Continues to be f**king inane. Just compared the squid incident to the Holocaust through Schindler's List. Callbacks have to be accompanied by a flashback to a scene that happened 5 minutes before. There's a callback to the squid incident that could have been awesome but 95% of it is a silly sexual scene because why wouldn't it be with HBO.
Laurie Blake is just a merkin. Looking Glass is an imbecile who wears a stupid mask at all times except when he's investigating a major enemy base solo in an obvious set-up.
 

Xcalibre

Juniors
Messages
2,368
I had access to fox showcase for some reason, maybe an error on foxtel’s part, since I don’t pay for those channels. Anyway I watched the first episode of Watchmen and really liked it. I’ve seen the movie but can’t remember much, other than it was very weird and over the top. The series is similar in this respect but has a cool vibe in which the score is a big factor. Squid showers and flying news reporters etc are pretty rad/amusing.

I series linked it but lost access after the 2nd episode. I watched that last night and I’m seeng why it has mixed reviews. While there’s some cool aspects and interesting plot lines, it seems more like style over substance. I wanna see the rest of the season, to (hopefully(unlikely?)) see the outcome of the Will story etc.
 

Timbo

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
20,270
I thought that episode was pretty fantastic. I have a thought where it’s going:

Will and Madame Trieu are conspiring to use the mind control tech to make white people kill each other as revenge for Tulsa and Vietnam, right?
 

Springs09

Juniors
Messages
1,903
Twists for the sake of twists and 'subverting expectations' everywhere. Turns out Veidt's on Europa, oooh, turns out the old man is Hooded Justice, oooh, turns out this guy was Dr Manhattan the whole time oooh.

Angela has to be one of the biggest mary sues that's ever been. Granddaughter of Hooded Justice and married to Dr Manhattan, it's like a teenage girl fanfic where she makes herself the main character and all the hot guys fight over her.
 

elyod138

Bench
Messages
3,063
Show just gets better with each episode. Here's hoping they choose to do a second season. It's deservedly getting widespread critical acclaim.

Much of the negative audience reactions are from review bombing incels who don't like women and black people to have major roles in their entertainment. Old mate hate watcher in this thread is a prime example.
 

Timbo

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
20,270
Show just gets better with each episode. Here's hoping they choose to do a second season. It's deservedly getting widespread critical acclaim.

Much of the negative audience reactions are from review bombing incels who don't like women and black people to have major roles in their entertainment. Old mate hate watcher in this thread is a prime example.

There are some seriously triggered white dudes out there.

This show is fantastic.
 

vvvrulz

Coach
Messages
13,298
Got to this a bit late, but thought I'd chuck my two cents up FWIW.

Spoilers everywhere.

Overall 7/10, this was a frustrating mixed bag which was several crucial flaws away from being outstanding. There was an element of suspended disbelief required along the way for purists of the graphic novel, and the show was excellent if you could sustain it, but about three quarters through it hit tipping point and settled at being an above average but wasted opportunity.

Loved:
- The score, Reznor & Ross did a brilliant job
- Cinematography, everything was shot gorgeously, it still astounds me sometimes just how far TV visual have come and the sheer work that goes into it
- The squid PTSD, explored some excellent ideas on the New York fallout, esp with the paranoia, bunkers & trying to bait tourists back
- Looking Glass, one of the more interesting sub-characters particularly again in relation to the PTSD, Pity they did nothing with his character in the end.
- Laurie, they got her right, enjoyed the sardonic foul mouthed portrayal, completely believable
- Post-Manhattan Vietnam, the alternate reality was fascinating to watch, along with the Dr Manhattan worship & calling booths all over
- Panda, hilarious character

Mixed:
- Abar, started out interesting while she was a vigilante, but went downhill in the last few episodes after they handed her way too much importance and contrived sub plots
- The plot; it was a good choice to mirror the original text by starting out as a murder mystery expanding out to a wider hidden conspiracy. Unfortunately the twists here just didn't have the same punch, the "Manhattan Machine" climax was weak.

Hated:
- Ozymandias; as entertaining as Jeremy Irons's goofy & eccentric take was, they've misunderstood the character and that always drives me up the wall. Ozzy for all his immense flaws was a likeable passive humanitarian who truly and naively believed he was doing what it takes to save the planet. It made no sense for him to turn into a bitter old man and bugger off and mince about in Europa, turning his back on his life mission. Frustratingly he added little to the plot too, the raining squids was just bizarre, especially the frozen squid rain
- Hooded Justice; it was ballsy to throw in such a twist and I loved the general idea, but the execution was off. Switching race was a fascinating idea, except the original HJ just didn't fit Will Reeves one bit. This was supposed to be an vicious immoral masochist who got off on sadism and was built like a tank. It was also hinted he was of German descent & Cpt. Metropolis was a flat out racist. I was on board for a while but simply couldn't suspend the disbelief.
- Lady Trieu; interesting idea for a character but just didn't do it for me after the reveal as the primary antagonaist. The artificial insemination was a lazy connection too, why the hell would Ozzy keep samples around?
- Calvin Manhattan; this was just terrible. The key arc for Doc M was his transition towards complete and utter indifference towards mankind, before learning the value of it through Laurie. He then established he had no place with humans and the tangle of their lives, so why on earth did he show up again and crazier still, fall madly in love with the wholly uninteresting Abar. The show lost several notches for me when he was then far to easily trapped and killed shortly after, inexplicably in Calvin-face.
 

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