It's 25 minutes longer, 186 minutes total. It was supposed to be released in theaters in July; I don't know anything about that (and I think we all probably missed it). The DVD and the Blu-Ray come out today (July 21).
Anyway I just watched it...and it's good. I'd say it's a lot like the Lord of the Rings "Extended Editions;" if you liked the theatrical movie, you'll like the longer version and if you didn't you won't. There's nothing particularly earth-shattering about the new material, but (as with the LOTR example) it's not just the additions that make it worthwhile; it's the cumulative effect of being immersed in the crazy story for that much longer. The sensation of "coming up for air" -- returning to reality after three hours and ten minutes in Alan Moore's dark, parallel world -- is much more noticeable and interesting. If you haven't seen Watchmen, you should probably see the shorter, original version first, just so you know what you're getting yourself into and you're not constantly looking at your watch and asking, "Is there much more of this?" (which is exactly how I just endured Transformers).
I have to say that the whole Watchmen cinematic experience is definitely growing on me. I've seen it a few more times, and (expecially after slogging painfully through Transformers, which was execrable, and Hellboy, which was merely bad) I'm finding that I really admire what they did here. It's not just about the satisfaction of seeing something adapted properly (although that's a large part of it); it's also a fresh opportunity to appreciate the imaginative leap, the strangely-earnest step beyond comic books and into satirical pop surrealism that this project represents. (And the Dr. Manhattan effect is a trip.) Anyway, get your Watchmen on if you haven't already. If you read this site, you'll probably dig it. And the Leonard Cohen song halfway through is sublime.
4 comments:
I was always disappointed that we didn't get your comments on Watchmen when it first came out, Jordan. I'm delighted to hear that the extended cut is worth checking out. I loved the theatrical release and I'm taking a "more Watchmen is a good thing" approach with it. Your review cemented it for me.
However, I've been hesitating about picking this up because of the Ultimate Edition that's coming out in December. I posted about this recently, here's a reminder,
"From toplessrobot, As rumored and promised, there will be a Watchmen Ultimate Edition DVD/Blu-ray set coming out in time for the holidays. While this might be mildly aggravating for some, I'm at least glad this news came out before we all bought the Watchmen Director's Cut DVD which will be released on July 21st, or we'd all have been screwed (although hilariously, this is actually a flier that goes in the Director's Cut, which somehow got leaked. Hee-hee!).
So... five discs, huh? Maybe two for the movie, if Black Freighter has been added... one for the motion comic... one for Under the Hood and other extras... and... hmm. What's that other disc? I hope it's not a digital copy; I don't mind digital copies, but it always aggravates me when those are one disc of a "Two-Disc Special Edition!" I bet it is, though."
Although you might argue that I could watch the Director's Cut" now and the "Ultimate Edition" in December, I'm concerned that I'm going to experience Watchmen fatigue by time the December release arrives. I'm excited to see the Black Freighter tale woven into the Ultimate Cut.
Nice review Jordan and ditto what JPX said about wanting to see the extended version.
It's funny, I felt nonplussed/good about Watchmen but now I'm really excited to see the extended cut just from seeing that picture.
That and the scene of old Night Owl beating up his hallucinatory rogue's gallery that JPX posted recently.
Jordan made a point in a conversation we were having back in March: I mentioned that I really liked Watchmen's fight sequences and he pointed out that it's pretty much the first R-rated superhero movie.
The fight sequences are the best and the R rating is what really makes it feel like it's for adults, I love that. I'm so tired of everything being marketed for kids, aren't we the ones who have to pay for the kids?
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