Director Zack Snyder attends the after party of the Los Angeles premiere of "Watchmen" at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on March 2, 2009 in Hollywood, California.
Movies - TV
10 Moments In Zack Snyder's Watchmen That Actually Worked Well
By ERIC LANGBERG
The opening
“Watchmen” is set in a nearly identical alternate universe with many familiar historical moments unfolding slightly differently. The opening credits underline where this movie’s timeline diverges from reality and show the public’s growing distrust of superheroes with brief scenes set to the tune of Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin.”
Rorschach’s intro
Rorschach is known for delivering some of the graphic novel’s most quotable lines and wearing a unique mask whose design changes based on the character’s mood. Jackie Earle Haley brings the vigilante to life with a spectacular performance in the opening scene that gives the audience its first glimpse of Rorschach’s iconic ever-shifting mask.
Dr. Manhattans
While “Watchmen” doesn’t fully unpack how a relationship between a human and a god-like blue being would unfold, Dr. Manhattan and Laurie’s sex scene speaks volumes. In a silly moment lifted from the graphic novel, the couple is in bed together, but things abruptly end when Laurie realizes three versions of her boyfriend are in bed with her.
Mars
Like the graphic novel, Synder’s film features a jumbled timeline explored through a series of flashbacks. One place this device works best is during Dr. Manhattan’s escape to Mars, where the character relives how he got to this point through striking visuals and an emotionally detached voice-over narration from Billy Crudup.
Veidt’s monologue
After vigilantism is outlawed, Adrian Veidt, the former hero Ozymandias, reveals his identity and runs a mega-corporation, granting him untold wealth and fame. Viewers are shown Veidt’s ruthlessness during his monologue about the world’s state, and Matthew Goode delivers it with the perfect mixture of disdain and self-righteousness.