Sunday 15 December 2019

Series Review: "Watchmen" (2019).


"Nothing Ever Ends..." in Watchmen. This dystopian superhero drama limited series written and created by Damon Lindelof and based on the 1986 DC Comics series of the same title created by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. Set in an alternate history where masked vigilantes are treated as outlaws, the series embraces the nostalgia of the original groundbreaking graphic novel of the same name while attempting to break new ground of its own.

In October 2015, rumors of a potential Watchmen television series adaptation first surfaced with HBO in preliminary discussions with Zack Snyder. In November, HBO confirmed that they were seeking to develop a Watchmen series. This would be the second attempt at a Watchmen TV series. Terry Gilliam attempted an adaptation in the early 90s but could only conceive the story being so epic that the time it would take could only be accomplished on television rather than film. Gilliam's vision went into pre-production with HBO and cast Robin Williams as Rorschach, Jamie Lee Curtis as Silk Spectre, Gary Busey as The Comedian, & Kevin Costner as Nite Owl. The project ultimately dissolved after HBO failed to provide a large enough budget for Gilliam's vision. Gilliam himself later claimed afterwards that an adaptation would've been "unfilmable" anyway. By June 2017, HBO had begun negotiations with Lindelof, as Snyder was no longer involved with the production. According to Lindelof, he had been long interested in making a Watchmen work since he read the comic as a teenager, and had been approached to write it at least twice before, but rejected the offers as they came out shortly following Snyder's film and felt he could not improve on that. In the interim, he developed the HBO series The Leftovers. The series was met with high acclaim, and led to yet another offer to write a Watchmen series, which Lindelof then accepted. In late September, HBO officially greenly the production and Lindelof began writing the pilot. Lindelof stated that his vision for the series was to be a "remix" of the comic series. While the show is a sequel to the comic, he wanted to make a story of his own that felt part of that universe without creating a reboot, and made sure that this was apparent from the first episode. In late May, he affirmed this idea in an open letter to fans. One of the first challenges for Lindelof was determining what the focus of the narrative would be. He considered that at the time the original Watchmen comic was released, it reflected on the public anxiety over the ongoing Cold War. In looking for a similar anxiety for contemporary times, Lindelof determined that racial tensions posed the same type of larger picture that would work well for the Watchmen universe, since it presented both historical and present conflicts. The show's credits identify the work as based on characters co-created by Gibbons, who along with Moore created the Watchmen comic. Due to multiple disputes with DC Comics and the producers of previous films, Moore has asked for his name to be no longer associated with any film production of his works from that period, including for the Watchmen film. Lindelof had tried to reach out to Moore to get his blessing for the show but was rebuffed. Gibbons however was an active contributor to the show, providing illustrations in the same style as the original comic series. In late January 2018, Nicole Kassell was announced as the director and executive producer. By late June, Regina King, Don Johnson, Tim Blake Nelson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Louis Gossett Jr., Jeremy Irons, Jean Smart, Hong Chau, James Wolk, Jessica Camacho, Dustin Ingram, Jim Beaver, and Glenn Fleshler were cast. At the same time, principal photography commenced and wrapped in early June for the pilot. Filming took place in Atlanta, Georgia. In late August, HBO greenlit a full season, scheduling the premiere in 2019. Due to the time between filming the pilot and the remaining episodes, a new production crew had been brought on board, and Kassell remained the director for the second episode to provide necessary continuity. In early September, it was announced that the series was set for an October 20, 2019 premiere date. In late September, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross were announced as the series' composers.

The series features an ensemble cast that includes King, Johnson, Nelson, Abdul-Mateen II, Gossett Jr., Irons, Smart, Chau, Wolk, Camacho, Ingram, Beaver, and Fleshler. The series has pretty grim stuff - but quite engrossing and worth your time, thanks to intense performances given by the stellar cast.

Yes, the series is baffling. There is a beauty about it too, though. Plus promise - that if you put the effort in you will be rewarded, with a drama that is more about people after a catastrophic event, than the event. The series depicts with uncomfortable authenticity the psychological toll it would take on a society to have demonstrable evidence that they've been left behind. The series puts a sobering spin on the popular comic-book genre, eschewing action to explore the remnants of a shattered society riddled with pain. The series look to be intense, unpredictable and occasionally brilliant, but they'll almost always leave you feeling heavy. Lindelof is adept at opening a show with a humdinger of a hook, and while parts of the series unfold slowly, it's hard not to take the bait and come back for more. Lindelof has successfully cast aside the whiz-bang nerd totems of his previous work and managed to tap into something deeper and more human - which is precisely what makes the series so unnerving. The series conveys nicely the difficulty of maintaining order, physical or psychological, in the wake of inexplicable mass trauma. Many will hate it. But there will be viewers in whom it strikes a chord so deeply that they will feel themselves overwhelmed by it in the best possible way: not like they're drowning in the misery, but like it's teaching them a new way to breathe.

Simon says Watchmen receives:



Also, see my review for The Leftovers.

No comments:

Post a Comment