Watchmen - new costume pics - woooowsers!

Since the teaser site for the Watchmen dropped early 2005, expectations have, to put it mildly, been high amongst comic aficionados around the globe. The initial release was set to late 2006, but was later pushed back and is now set to appear on screens early 2009.

Reading Alan Moores Watchmen for the first time was a pretty mind blowing experience, something that, along with Frank Millers The Dark Knight Returns and Howard Chaykins American Flagg, completely redefined the storytelling potential of ("action") comics. Having first read it at 15 years of age, I have re-read it numerous times during the last 15 years and feel the story and visuals only gets stronger by age.

The story of the comic (and movie) takes place in the United States of 1985, a country on the brink of nuclear war, filled by 'superheroes'. The story begins when one of the heroes - a Watchmen is murdered, leading into a journey of who did it and the bigger ramafications of why.

One of the problems generally with this kind of movies would imo be the translation from the comic to the big screen. Working, in particular as the Watchmen does on so many levels, with the Rorshach diaries, the pirate comic substory and even the meta-critical view of superhero costumes will be pretty hard to translate from the (groundbreaking) storyline of the comic medium to the screen. And since the whole point of the original comic structure is based around taking advantage of the issue/chapter format with it's substories working together, some of the issues the comic dealt with will no doubt be lost trying to cram it into the movies two or, at best - three hours. Perhaps lending itself better format-wise to a tv series on say, oh, HBO, this is what we are left with.



However, on the (really) positive side is the latest costume pics from director Zack Snyders (excellent) blog. Being that the costumes plays a big part of the Watchmen comics, the issue of realism and the general gritty feel of the story is enhanced through the deliberate masking of our "costumed adventurers" (Dr. Manhattan is the only real "superhero" in the sense that he possesses actual superhuman powers in the principal cast), and something that should be first# on the list of stuff to get right with the movie.. and, checking the pictures I think they've succeded as "the Comedian" looks absolutely spot on (perhaps even lending a thing or two of Lobo?), "Ozymandias" and "Nite Owl" sports a bit of updated costumes, but looks really cool, very gritty and dark batmanesque. I will be very interesting to see what they do the visuals for the protagonist Dr. Manhattan, A giant naked blue man might prove a challenge for any costume department who hasn't been wathing up on their Tobias Fünke.

It also looks like they went for the same cost-effective strategy as with director Snyders latest endeavour 300, a.k.a. the hollywood studios wet cash dream, no costly high-maintenance high profile stars in the leads, low-tech hi-tech acting using mostly bluescreen and saving that big decor budget.. Anyway.. March 9th 2009 is the word, who watches the watchmen? I sure as hell will!