What was the underlying meaning of the WATCHMEN movie?

[OwnedByFerrets]

And do you agree with it?

[Orsino]

1. Against human stupidity, the gods themselves contend in vain. (slight spoilers)

The ending requires not superhuman power, but merely sufficient intellect to outsmart humanity, and seems only a temporary state of affairs. Given the science fiction setting, it was a believable denouement.

The movie's also a character study, addressing the question: what sort of person puts on a costume to fight crime? Each of the "heroes" examined is fucked up in his/her own way, and is admirable, sympathetic and pitiable to differing degrees. Every damned one of 'em made sense, in context--even the most fundamentally broken.

[OwnedByFerrets]

3. Did The Comedian ever do ANYTHING that

wasn't in his own best interest? It seems to me that HIS was the most "deformed" hero. That the hero thing was only used as a means to give him self-gratification.

Your explanation was very good. Thanks for sharing.

This movie is the only script that actually showed us that HERO's too can be (and probably are) badly flawed. Some of the other hero movies skim the issue, but pretty much ignore it. Watchmen was difficult to view in that it shoved our faces into those flaws and made us acknowledge them.

[PVnRT]

2. Being Dr. Manhatten would be cool as shit

[OwnedByFerrets]

4. I believe it would be a terrible burden...IF your mindset was

one of helping mankind. It would probably lead to the same place it led Dr Manhatten...seclusion and loneliness.

[Dr. Strange]

5. See also MuadDib and Leto II.

[PVnRT]

6. You're right, of course

And his increasing alienation from mankind is one of the critical plot points. I was just being flippant, because I would totally turn Republicans into a bunch of ferrets.

[OwnedByFerrets]

8. I was thinking that you were being flippant....

and yes, on the surface, it would be fantastic to have his powers. As long as you had no morality, it would NEVER get old.:evilgrin:

[arbusto_baboso]

7. What I drew was this: Playing God thourgh vigilantism turns you into that which you hate.

A lesson that the hard righties of this - or any other - generation never seem to learn.

[OwnedByFerrets]

13. But wasnt that only one part of the equation?

The other part was that Playing God isn't as black and white or as easy as most like to think. Dr Manhattan seemed genuinely shocked/surprised to find that Ozymandias was correct.

[arbusto_baboso]

14. That would be true, too.

It also shows that even the "superhuman" Dr. Manhattan wasn't as all-knowing as he believed himself to be. Which should ALSO bean object lesson to the ultra-powerful (yes, I'm lookin' at YOU Dick Cheney...).

[slay]

9. Lives and the truth WILL be sacrificed for what some with power would call "the greater good"

When Dr. M accepted what Veidt did it was almost like a 9/11 truth moment - an act done to bring people together against a common enemy - and when Rorschach tried to tell the truth - well.. you saw how that turned out for him. The question is - did the newspaper print Rorschach's journal at the end telling the truth or not? And would anyone believe it? Hrmmm..

"Tonight, a comedian died in New York..."



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uHcwBI8K0Y

[Fire Walk With Me]

10. That humanity will turn against whatever is good for them.

And that the 80s were a truly frightening period in which to live.

[Javaman]

11. The underlying theme?

how to make as much money off a classic graphic novel by sucking legions of massive comic book geeks into thinking it was going to be an actual depiction of the novel. Then failing epically in the process.

dump the movie, read the comic. It's a million times better.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

12. The meaning: Ozymandius was the guy who killed the Comedian.

And yes.

[sarge43]

15. That the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

To quote Malcolm Reynolds, "They'll swing back to the belief that they can make people ... better. And I do not hold to that."

And Gully Foyle, "I've handed life and death back to the people who do the living and dying. The common man's been whipped and led long enough by driven men like us ... Compulsive men ... Tiger men who can't help lashing the world before them. .... who the hell are we to make decisions for the world just because we're compulsive? Let the world make its own choice between life and death. Why should we be saddled with the responsibility?"

Alan Moore must have studied The Stars My Destination (UK: Tiger, Tiger!) very closely.

I agree ... somewhat. My crap detector goes red line whenever I hear someone wants to improve humanity. On the other, is there an obligation to prove for the common good and what is the difference?

[Fire Walk With Me]

16. Alfred Bester reference!

:hug: :hug: :hug:

[sarge43]

17. I love that book.

:loveya:

[Rabrrrrrr]

18. That guys in brown outfits get to bang hot chicks in yellow outfits.

At least, that's what I thought it was about.

:shrug:

Did I miss something?

[OwnedByFerrets]

19. Probably, but at least your avatar is apropro.

:evilgrin:

[Deja Q]

20. Some guy with a wiener to die for?

:rofl: