I'm re -reading Watchmen and trying to work out how on earth they are going to be able to make a film version which isn't crap. For those of you who don't know, Watchmen was a comic written by Alan Moore in the 1980s which was one of the most groundbreaking, brilliant and influential comics of all time. It subverts the superhero and comic conventions, and is primarily about what people would really be like if they were actually superheroes - and according to Moore they would be psychotic vigilantes, turned on by the thrill of being in a superhero costume.
It was recently announced that a film version of Watchmen is being made, and in the light of the appalling film versions of other Alan Moore comics (such as League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and From Hell) this is quite a worrying prospect. Whats even more worrying is that Watchmen is probably even more difficult to adapt to the big screen than the other Alan Moore comics - Terry Gilliam was interested in the project for example, but then decided that it was an impossible task and turned it down.
I think the film will end up being a watered down version of the comic, focusing more on an action/adventure plot line and neglecting the more gritty elements of the plot. They will probably make the superheroes less disturbing and more sympathetic characters. It will be interesting to see what they do with the character of Rorschach, who is basically a right- wing, psychopathic vigilante. The comic presents him in a fairly sympathetic light all things considering, but I can't imagine that the film will do the same unless they tone him down a lot.
Its encouraging that the film is going to be set in the 1980s, like in the comic. The cast also appears to be made up lesser known actors which could work well. At least they haven't drafted in Gary Oldman to play Rorschach and Nicolas Cage to play Night Owl! But what is worrying is that they are going to make the characters younger in the film, which is ridiculous considering that the whole point of Watchmen is that the superheroes are approaching middle age. The film will also need a big budget to come anywhere close to following the plot of the comic so it is likely the film makers will be looking for box office success more than anything else.
Whats most depressing is that all of these shit adaptions of Alan Moore comics are probably putting newcomers off reading them, and confirming people's mistaken view that comics can never be 'proper' literature. I, stupidly, was put off reading From Hell by the film, but when I did finally get round to reading it further highlighted how dreadful the film was and what a genius Alan Moore is.
