My Watchmen thoughts:

There was one moment, I think in the bar in Vietnam, where some move or expression on the Comedian was so Jensen Ackles that it made me say “whoa”. I HATED the heavy-handed use of pop music (I started giggling when Hallelujah started.). They did a really nice job with the fucked-up-ness of the characters. Didn’t like the super-human-ness of the fight scenes, they didn’t feel real, or like the characters. I deeply disliked the change to the end. Because humanity is now behaving so god doesn’t come back and judge them harshly, which is an entirely different vibe. Did I mention hating the soundtrack use? Yes? Then let me re-iterate because I hated it that much. There were several moments where I thought “and that was the end of an issue. Would have made a good end of an episode.”

In reading other people’s responses:

I agree with Aille

About the only cinematic choice I really liked was the opening credits.

I agree with MM about the sex scenes.

They could have done something really cool with the difference between the first generation and new generation as a metaphor for the re-invention of Bats etal in about the same era as the book (well, same era from the perspective of someone born into comics after all of that). Maybe that could have justified the fight competency.

Oh! And how much do I wish the display style of the goggles had been uber 80s? Tttthiiiiisssss mmmuuuuccchhh.

I will give them credit for not making the towers in the shot at the end more of a Big Fucking Set Piece, but agree that it was an obvious visual parallel, with no real...meaning, I guess.

I agree with Jessica’s take on Dr. M’s blood splatter.

Aims: heh. Blue icee.

I agree with Aille again.

BT reminded me that I found the sound in the comedian fight scene very off-putting, and not in the dramatically effective way.

Teppy, I noticed the file. I thought it was on the rest of the heroes, as the only female one would be in Manhattan’s file. But I did think of the slash.

I second Fay’s noticing of Dead Lesbian Cliche

I agree with Juliebird on the tone of the thing. An accelerating build would have worked much better.

I agree with MM on the bullshitness of “see as I see”

I'll probably see the super-long version one, and then be done with it.

y'all are funneh.

Dude, not only dead lesbians but also fall in love with your rapist . If only we had a literal woman in a refrigerator, we'd have the comics sexism hat-trick .

On the plus side, movie!Dan Dreiberg was OMFGHAWT. Which is completely out of character and I DON'T CARE.

Dude, not only

I'm starting to think Alan Moore has some Issues.

We didn't have Rorschach jumping out of the refrigerator. Which made me sad.

Agreeing with many of the comments here on Watchmen, which was a big ol' "meh" for me. I'll just add that I thought the soundtrack was one of the most jarring elements of the movie, and really didn't add to the story or the atmosphere of the film (aside from the Muzaked "Everybody Wants to Rule the World," which I wish I'd noticed during my viewing but will happily believe is there).

I mean, all the song choices seemed more or less reasonable for the time period, in that they were songs that would have been around at the time -- there were still plenty of people listening to Bob Dylan in the mid-80s, and I'm willing to handwave that the Watchmen are so caught up in reliving/recapturing their past glories that they've hung onto the music of their past as well. (And, as Laga points out, "All Along the Watchtower" is lifted directly from the novel.) But most of the songs were just, ugh, so boring and uninspired! "Sounds of Silence"?? Really? And we've all noted the hilarity of the "Hallelujah" scene. I think the movie would have been far better served by a much more obscure, truly period-appropriate, and apocalyptic soundtrack (what's that band whose upcoming show is advertised throughout the novel? Pale Horse? Something like that would have been awesome).

As far as things from the novel that I missed, I was surprised that Snyder left out what always seemed to me like a very telling moment about the Minutemen. When Hooded Justice catches the Comedian in the act of trying to rape Sally Jupiter, he beats him up good, and then turns to Sally and says something like "Get your clothes on, slut" (paraphrasing). It's a chilling moment and one that reinforces the idea that these costumed heroes are all pretty psychotic and fucked up in one way or another. Sure, that concept came through just fine in the movie anyway, but it still surprised me that that one line was left out.

They also took out Sally saying she was going to change and her scratching up The Comedian's face when she says, "EN OH!"

Wasn't the "Hallelujah" scene actually Billie Holiday in the book?

Which I could go get, except I'm lazy.

I did just play the demo game on Xbox, first as Rorschach (who apparently farts as his special combat power - the DH rolled his eyes and said "I cast Stinking Cloud"), and then as Nite Owl. Mal, behind me, said "It's Batman! Mom, let's watch Batman beat up bad guys!" Good art, when a four-year-old gets it.

Otherwise, I really hope the movie is better than the game. I go see it Monday.

I'm a broken record at this point, but I do feel like at least Moore had the good sense to hang giant neon lanterns on his Comics Sexism Bingo card entries, where Snyder just kind of...went with it. Neither of them gets a free pass to Successful Trope Subversionland, but...eh. I'm tired.

Raq, I don't have the book handy but Google says Billie Holiday is right.