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HBO orders Watchmen TV series.

T & P said:
Well, I loved it even though I was clueless about wtf was going on for large parts of it. I never read the original graphic novel (or was it a comic?- don’t even know that), and the plot of the film that came out a decade ago has almost no relevance to the storyline here, so expect to be confused at times.

But imo it’s one of those series that’s so well written, filmed and produced that you enjoy it even when you feel you’re missing something significant plot wise. And as a massive additional thumbs-up in my book, the season ends with a satisfying degree of conclusion to the story, unlike so many fucking TV series nowadays which leave fully unresolved endings as a naked attempt to get renewed.

As weirdly wonderful, satisfying and accomplished as the Fargo series for me, or at least not far off it.
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Glad you enjoyed it, so did I. 6 and 8 were the absolute standout for me, the Hooded Justice and Dr Manhattan stories. The ending was Watchmen perfect as well.

The graphic novel is much, much better though. I'm not saying that like a book nerd, as Orang Utan has implied it transcends (kinda) because it's...well words fail. It's special.

As you enjoyed the show, I'd really recommend it. Shouldn't matter what order you do them, I guess you'd just get the best last ;)
 
The casting and acting was also superb- all as good as each other. But Jeremy Irons and Jean Smart’s characters in particular were a delight- I lapped up every second they were on screen :)
 
T & P said:
The casting and acting was also superb- all as good as each other. But Jeremy Irons and Jean Smart’s characters in particular were a delight- I lapped up every second they were on screen :)
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/I am not going to be a book nerd
/I am not going to be a book nerd
/I am not going to be a book nerd
 
Watched the first two episodes last night. Very good and very strange. I read the graphic novel a long time ago and watched the mostly faithful and yet awful Zach Snyder movie when it came out and I’m still scrambling to keep up with all the connections to the original.
 
Reno said:
Watched the first two episodes last night. Very good and very strange. I read the graphic novel a long time ago and watched the mostly faithful and yet awful Zach Snyder movie when it came out and I’m still scrambling to keep up with all the connections to the original.
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It will unfold as it goes. There's no need to refer back to the novel.

Empire tv show of the year. IGN too, I think.
 
Reno said:
From what I’ve read it’s a self-contained mini-series at this point.
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That'll do nicely! Am also keen on the comic sequel, Doomsday Clock, which crosses over into the DC universe. It's probably pissing off the purists but it looks interesting (and is completely separate from the telly series)...
 
I‘ve never been a reader of superhero comics, wasn’t allowed them as a kid. I struggled with Watchmen at the time because it’s so clearly a comment on the conventions and history of that type of thing and much of it went over my head.
 
Reno said:
I‘ve never been a reader of superhero comics, wasn’t allowed them as a kid, so I struggled with Watchmen at the time because it’s so clearly a comment on the conventions and history of that type of thing.
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I think the Watchmen comics were a reaction to the stereotypical, clean cut superhero model. It showed the characters as being damaged and often deluded. The one actual "super" loses his humanity over the years whilst morphing into a god-like being. Guess it's a wry comment on religion, as well.
 
Binged through five episodes last night, this is crazy good. Still have two episodes to go. Has a similar feel to Lindelof‘s The Leftovers which I also loved. Jean Smart is a total badass, my main disappointment about Fargo season 2 was that it took her out too early.
 
Reno said:
Binged through five episodes last night, this is crazy good. Still have two episodes to go. Has a similar feel to Lindelof‘s The Leftovers which I also loved. Jean Smart is a total badass, my main disappointment about Fargo season 2 was that it took her out too early.
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Glad you're enjoying it, Reno. I was on here ranting about how good episode 6 was a while back. (Hooded Justice)
 
Finished it and it only confirmed to me how US TV is far superior to Hollywood film making right now. This is the best superhero-related film or tv-show I’ve ever seen. Great characters done justice by a first rate cast, a plot which had lots of twists and turns and which was never predictable and it dealt with American race relations in a complex way which was never didactic. It kicks off with a real atrocity which has largely been covered up in US history and that traumatic event is brilliantly woven throughout the Watchmen mythology.
 
Saw E6 the other day - I'm savouring these - truly powerful stuff

I may spring for the box set in blu ray when it comes out and re watch as the stream I've got is a bit lumpy
 
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It's a follow on from stuff

I've never read the book, am "vague" about the film

But bloody hell is it good

Just dive on in
 
I read the book in the 90s and then read the Wikipedia entry as a reminder. It works without having read the book, but I think it works better if you have.

You could watch the Zach Snyder movie, which is a rather unimaginative and sometimes ridiculous panel by panel adaptation of the book, only it leaves out a major event which becomes important in the series.
 
D'wards said:
Should I reread the book or rewatch the film before watching the series, as I can't really remember it so well?
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Re-read the book. The biggest plot point of the entire series (the giant psychic squid) is a reference to what happens at the end of the book - but the film changed it completely, so if you just watch the film that whole topic will make zero sense to you.
 
Buddy Bradley said:
Re-read the book. The biggest plot point of the entire series (the giant psychic squid) is a reference to what happens at the end of the book - but the film changed it completely, so if you just watch the film that whole topic will make zero sense to you.
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Just finished comic. Brilliant.

so in comic Veidt creates a fake alien attack on New York to distract the nuclear powers from all out war.
What happened in the film? I've seen it but can't recall
 
Watched this series in the space of a couple of weeks, which is my equivalent of binging.
Fucking brilliant. They found a way of building on the original without shitting on it. Incredible achievement
 
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D'wards said:
so in comic Veidt creates a fake alien attack on New York to distract the nuclear powers from all out war.
What happened in the film? I've seen it but can't recall
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In the film it's basically the same idea, but instead of the fake alien Veidt just nukes the city and makes it seem like it was all Dr Manhattan's fault. It's a bit more nuanced than the comic, arguably, because it then becomes not only a question of the world uniting against a common enemy, but also how that affects Dr Manhattan too.
 
6 episodes in and this is absolutely amazing. If it maintains this quality and has a satisfying conclusion then it'll be up there with the best of all time
 
Buddy Bradley said:
In the film it's basically the same idea, but instead of the fake alien Veidt just nukes the city and makes it seem like it was all Dr Manhattan's fault. It's a bit more nuanced than the comic, arguably, because it then becomes not only a question of the world uniting against a common enemy, but also how that affects Dr Manhattan too.
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It may be more nuanced......but no space squid, ffs ! :snarl:
 
Update: It maintains the quality and has a satisfying conclusion. Superb TV. Everything else feels flat in comparison.

I wish we'd had a Lady Trieu episode though. Everyone else had their origin story fleshed out, but hers just had tantilising bones.
 
I came back to this, this week.

I found out that during 'Black Wall Street'...the white people also flew planes over the area and dropped bombs on them from on high.
 
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