So Watchmen made in excess of $55 million at the US box office at the weekend, plus an additional $27 million internationally, and yet it's been pegged as a disappointment by certain sections of the media. I know Watchmen cost a sizeable amount and the marketing budget in the US was said to be $50 million. But still people. Come on. Then again, maybe I shouldn't be surprised after seeing some of the harsh reviews that the film generated from some quarters. I know it's flawed, I know it's not wholly successful and, just to repeat myself, they might have helped themselves but not being so reverential, so slavishly faithful to the source material. Maybe they should have "adapted" it a little bit more. But it's not the worst film of all time, as I read one critic call it. Snyder's no idiot. And he's no hack. The man's talented and I really do believe he tried to do right by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' creation. And did. Sure, I'd like to have felt a bit more emotional connection to the characters but did you notice the decor in Dr Manhattan's bedroom? It was straight out of 2001. Personally, I loved that. And I, for one, can't wait for Snyder's promised Director's Cut. I think it was Devin from chud.com who likened Watchmen the movie to Blade Runner, in that it will find both fans and acceptance on DVD and Blu-ray. Let's hope so. But it would be great if it made even more money theatrically first. If only so that big Hollywood studios will continue to make dark, decidedly unmainstream material, then promoting the hell out of it.
And speaking of Stanley Kubrick as I was, tangentially, it was the tenth anniversary of his death on Saturday. Shame on me for not mentioning earlier...
2 comments:
Well, I think that it is already being considered a financial failure because reportedly, when all the advertising worldwide is factored in, the film is gonna cost $250 million and it will have a hard time recouping that even with boffo international box office. The key will be how dramatic the drop off is in the coming weeks. Of course, I'm sure it will do very well on DVD.
And so the 2001 thing is indeed the case? I noticed this on the repeat viewing, but it's been a while since I've seen A Space Odyssey so wasn't sure if I was just wanting it to be something cool like that. Very cool indeed.
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