(This is a two part article. The opposing version is here)

The Watchmen, by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, is one of the most praised and studied comic book series of all time. This amazing story has had a huge impact and played a large part in giving the comic book industry its current shape.

Watchmen

Even before the original mini series was finished there have been rumors and talk about a Watchmen movie. These rumors have sparked an unending (heated) debate. Many fans feel very strongly about this property and have equally strong opinions about the possibility of a move to the silver screen. In holding true to my word to “sometimes be fair”, I’m going to examine both sides of the issue.

In this part of my two part series looking at the possibility of a Watchmen movie, I present why Watchmen should NOT be made into a movie. (See this article for the pro-movie viewpoint)

 

Top 10 Reasons Why Watchmen Should NOT be Made Into a Movie

10. Comic book movie adaptations usually suck. This is not always the case, but all too often it is. Comic book movies seem to work best when the characters are moved to the big screen, but not a particular story.

9. The fantasy elements will not translate well to live action. I’m specifically thinking about the Owlship here. It is tough to bring fictional technology out of a comic book into a movie without it looking cheesy.

8. It would be rated R and that would be bad for ticket sales. If you want to tell the story of the Watchmen, then it is going to have to be rated R. Historically that dramatically limits ticket sales (I suspect that is especially true for a super hero movie).

7. It is too valuable as an example of comic book potential. Watchmen is one of the crown jewels of the comic book medium. Many of us comic fans have turned to Watchmen as an example of what our favorite entertainment medium is capable of. It is great for pulling the uninitiated into reading comic books since that is the only place to get the story.

6. Too much story for one movie. I’ve never heard Watchmen being discussed as more than a single movie. That simply isn’t enough time to tell the story. There was more story than could even fit in the comic and was only hinted at. I don’t see how it is possible to trim the story down to two or even three hours without losing the rich depth and nuance that makes the series so appealing.

5. Moore wrote it to maximize the specific benefits of the medium. The way the story unfolds and is presented was optimized for the comic book medium. All of those touches would be necessarily lost when translating the story to a different medium.

4. Too many necessary sub-plots. There are many stories and story threads going on in the comic book, each of which contributes to the story as a whole. It would simply be impossible to keep all of them in a two or even three hour movie.

3. Updating from the 80’s to the new millennia would ruin the story. The story is a product of its time. My suspicion is that anyone making the movie today would try and put the story into the present, and taking it out of the social context of the 1980’s would damage the story.

2. Too much time has passed since the original publication and the story’s impact will be lost. As said above, the story is in many ways a product of its time. We were still scared of a Soviet nuclear attack. Super heroes were still mostly goodie-two-shoes. The psychotic masked vigilante was a novel concept. The world of comic books and super heroes has changed because Watchmen showed them the way. The irony is that because of Watchmen’s impact over the last 20 years, Watchmen no longer has as much impact.

1. Alan Moore does not support the movie. Or so I’ve read. I haven’t had the opportunity to meet Mr. Moore and ask him, but since he hasn’t blessed the movie adaptations of his other stories I have to assume he doesn’t support a Watchmen movie either.

So there you have it. Irrefutable reasons not to make a Watchmen movie. Click here now to read how to refute these arguments.

(This is a two part article. The opposing version is here)

The Watchmen, by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, is one of the most praised and studied comic book series of all time. This amazing story has had a huge impact and played a large part in giving the comic book industry its current shape.

Watchmen

Even before the original mini series was finished there have been rumors and talk about a Watchmen movie. These rumors have sparked an unending (heated) debate. Many fans feel very strongly about this property and have equally strong opinions about the possibility of a move to the silver screen. In holding true to my word to “sometimes be fair”, I’m going to examine both sides of the issue.

In this part of my two part series looking at the possibility of a Watchmen movie, I present why Watchmen should NOT be made into a movie. (See this article for the pro-movie viewpoint)

 

Top 10 Reasons Why Watchmen Should NOT be Made Into a Movie

10. Comic book movie adaptations usually suck. This is not always the case, but all too often it is. Comic book movies seem to work best when the characters are moved to the big screen, but not a particular story.

9. The fantasy elements will not translate well to live action. I’m specifically thinking about the Owlship here. It is tough to bring fictional technology out of a comic book into a movie without it looking cheesy.

8. It would be rated R and that would be bad for ticket sales. If you want to tell the story of the Watchmen, then it is going to have to be rated R. Historically that dramatically limits ticket sales (I suspect that is especially true for a super hero movie).

7. It is too valuable as an example of comic book potential. Watchmen is one of the crown jewels of the comic book medium. Many of us comic fans have turned to Watchmen as an example of what our favorite entertainment medium is capable of. It is great for pulling the uninitiated into reading comic books since that is the only place to get the story.

6. Too much story for one movie. I’ve never heard Watchmen being discussed as more than a single movie. That simply isn’t enough time to tell the story. There was more story than could even fit in the comic and was only hinted at. I don’t see how it is possible to trim the story down to two or even three hours without losing the rich depth and nuance that makes the series so appealing.

5. Moore wrote it to maximize the specific benefits of the medium. The way the story unfolds and is presented was optimized for the comic book medium. All of those touches would be necessarily lost when translating the story to a different medium.

4. Too many necessary sub-plots. There are many stories and story threads going on in the comic book, each of which contributes to the story as a whole. It would simply be impossible to keep all of them in a two or even three hour movie.

3. Updating from the 80’s to the new millennia would ruin the story. The story is a product of its time. My suspicion is that anyone making the movie today would try and put the story into the present, and taking it out of the social context of the 1980’s would damage the story.

2. Too much time has passed since the original publication and the story’s impact will be lost. As said above, the story is in many ways a product of its time. We were still scared of a Soviet nuclear attack. Super heroes were still mostly goodie-two-shoes. The psychotic masked vigilante was a novel concept. The world of comic books and super heroes has changed because Watchmen showed them the way. The irony is that because of Watchmen’s impact over the last 20 years, Watchmen no longer has as much impact.

1. Alan Moore does not support the movie. Or so I’ve read. I haven’t had the opportunity to meet Mr. Moore and ask him, but since he hasn’t blessed the movie adaptations of his other stories I have to assume he doesn’t support a Watchmen movie either.

So there you have it. Irrefutable reasons not to make a Watchmen movie. Click here now to read how to refute these arguments.