My friend Shag has a prediction about how the general public will react to the “Watchmen” film, though he hopes he’s wrong. His theory is that most people either won’t care enough about the movie adaptation of “the greatest graphic novel of all time,” or they won’t get it. What happens if millions of people show up expecting “Spider-Man?”
Shag's got a point. Since I’ve discussed “Watchmen” mostly with other casual-to-hardcore comics geeks, I hadn’t considered the fact that it might not resonate beyond our borders.
While I had problems with "Watchmen" as a work of literature, I'm still interested to see it on the big screen. However, it is entirely possible that the uninitiated will see the trailers and scratch their heads in confusion — or shrug. But even if they are familiar with the plot, will the average moviegoer want to see an event film that is set in 1985, subverts the superhero genre and is relentlessly grim? The Guardian said it "makes last year's famously brooding Batman sequel 'The Dark Knight' look like 'Alvin and the Chipmunks.' "(At the very least, I’m glad it’s rated R so that stupid parents will be less likely to bring their children.)
We'll see what happens on March 6. Until then, check out some of the early buzz.
