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Watchmen (Director's Cut + BD-Live) [Blu-ray] | ![Watchmen (Director's Cut + BD-Live) [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/514KBN4XDrL._SL160_.jpg)
| Director: Zack Snyder
Actors: Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Malin Akerman, Carla Gugino, Jackie Earle Haley
Studio: Warner Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $35.99
Buy New: $14.50
as of 11/27/2009 23:08 CST details
You Save: $21.49 (60%)
New (46) Used (32) Collectible (3) from $11.65
Seller: LagunaUnlimited
Rating:  507 reviews
Sales Rank: 73
Format: Color, Director's Cut, Special Extended Version, Subtitled, Widescreen
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: Blu-ray
Region: 0
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Number Of Discs: 2
Running Time: 186 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 5.3 x 0.5
MPN: 1000089879
UPC: 883929058051
EAN: 0883929058051
ASIN: B001FB55H6
Theatrical Release Date: 2009
Release Date: July 21, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | Someone s killing our super heroes. The year is 1985 and super heroes have banded together to respond to the murder of one of their own. They soon uncover a sinister plot that puts all of humanity in grave danger. The super heroes fight to stop the impending doom only to find themselves a target for annihilation. But, if our super heroes are gone, who will save us? Format: BLU-RAY DISC Genre |
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Product Description
Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 07/21/2009 Run time: 128 minutes Rating: R
Amazon.com
Everybody's favorite graphic novel comes to the screen (after years of rumors and false starts), less a roaring work of adaptation than a respectful and faithful take on a radical original. Watchmen is set in the mid-1980s, a time of increased nuclear tension between the United States and the Soviet Union, as Richard Nixon is enjoying his fifth term as president and the world's superheroes have been forcibly retired. (As you can probably tell, the mix of authentic history and alternate reality is heady.) Things begin with a bang: the mysterious high-rise murder of the Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), a masked hero with a checkered past, puts the rest of the retired superhero community on alert. The credits sequence, a series of tableaux that wittily catches us up on crime-fighting backstory, actually turns out to be the high point of the movie. Thereafter we meet the other caped and hooded avengers: the furious Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley), the inexplicably naked Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup, amidst much blue-skinned, genital-swinging digital work), Silk Spectre II (Malin Akerman), Nite Owl II (Patrick Wilson), and Ozymandias (Matthew Goode). The corkscrewing storytelling, which worked well in the comic book, gives the movie the strange sense of never quite getting in gear, even as some of the episodes are arresting. Director Zack Snyder (300) doesn't try to approximate the electric impact of the original (written by Alan Moore--who declined to be credited on the movie--and illustrated by Dave Gibbons) but retains careful fidelity to his source material. That doesn't feel right, even with the generally enjoyable roll-out of anecdotes. Even less forgivable is the blah acting, excepting Jeffrey Dean Morgan (lusty) and Patrick Wilson (mellow). Watchmen certainly fills the eyes, although less so the ears: the song choices are regrettable, especially during an embarrassing mid-air coupling between Nite Owl II and Silk Spectre II as they unite their--ah--Roman numerals. In the end it feels as though a huge work of transcription has been successfully completed, which isn't the same as making a full-blooded movie experience. --Robert HortonAlso on the Blu-ray disc
The extended director's cut restores 24 minutes of connective tissue to the 162-minute film, most significantly the last scene of Hollis Mason, the first Nite Owl. Other elements help restore and fill in details that had been in the graphic novel. Fans of the film will be glad for the extra footage but there's nothing momentous that will change anyone's basic like or dislike of the film. By far the most interesting Blu-ray feature (in addition to the great picture and DTS-HD Master Audio sound) is the Maximum Movie Mode, which incorporates several features into the viewing experience. Director Zack Snyder periodically appears on screen in front of two large monitors, one continuing to play the movie and the other displaying special-effects shots or scenes from the graphic novel. Snyder talks about how he shot the film and points out details in a variety of scenes: the opening with the Comedian, Dr. Manhattan's lab, the Nite Owl ship, Mars, Antarctica, and the ending (and why it was changed for the movie). This feature is much more interesting than an audio commentary or a standard picture-in-picture commentary so it'd be nice if it had been done for more scenes. Also appearing in Maximum Movie Mode is a timeline contrasting events in the Watchmen world with the "real world," occasional picture-in-picture comments by cast and crew, still galleries, and a series of 11 "focus points" that allow you to exit the film to watch these three-minute featurettes (sets, costumes, the Minutemen, etc.). Worthy of mention is how easy the Maximum Movie Mode material is to find: Snyder's footage and the focus points are very visible (even in fast-forward), and you can also access the focus points directly from the main menu. The second disc has three documentaries. The first, "The Phenomenon: The Comic That Changed Comics," 29 min.), looks at the original graphic novel and its themes, and interviews artist Dave Gibbons, DC Comics executives Jenette Kahn and Paul Levitz, and cast and crew, illustrating its points with scenes from the movie, panels from the graphic novel, and parts of the motion comic. The next two are only on the Blu-ray disc but are less interesting and of varying relevance to the movie. "Real Superheroes, Real Vigilantes" (26 min.) examines real-life vigilantes including the Guardian Angels and New York subway gunman Bernard Goetz and compares them to Rorschach. "Mechanics: Technologies of a Future World" (17 min.) spotlights a physicist who served as a consultant on the movie. He talks about his experiences then discusses whether elements from the movie, such as Dr. Manhattan, the Owl Ship, and Rorschach's mask could really work. There's also My Chemical Romance's "Desolation Row" music video , and BD-Live offers even more making-of material. A third disc with a Digital Copy of the film (compatible with both iTunes and Windows Media; download code expires July 21, 2010) was included with early shipments of the Blu-ray disc but is no longer available. --David Horiuchi
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 507
 Horrible! Can I rate this zero stars? November 26, 2009
L. Minster (Anchorage, AK)
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
Quite possibly the worst movie ever made.....
I love action movies, superheroes, etc. But OMG - this movie was terrible. Painful to sit through. Kept waiting for it to get better, but it didn't.
 What If There Were Super Heroes November 25, 2009
John Hunt
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I went to see The Watchmen this weekend because it was about the only new thing to see. It is a movie adaptation of a seminal work that has been purported to have raised the genre of the mere comic book to that of the graphic novel. It turned out to be a rather enjoyable film in spite of its gruesome aspects.
The Watchmen takes place in an alternate universe in 1985 with Richard Nixon now serving his fifth term as president. Do we detect some major liberal angst generated by the Reagan years? The background is the ever present threat of a U.S.-Soviet nuclear war. However, the U.S. has a deterrent more powerful that a MX missile with 10 Mk-21 warheads: We have Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup)! The Doctor is a blue fuzzy apparition of a physicist who was transformed into super-being by an experiment gone wild.
The background story attempts to show a world in which superheroes exit. The Watchmen have been around since 1940 fighting crime and doing a few other things too. The U.S. wins the Vietnam War after Nixon persuades the Watchmen to intervene as one notable example. I guess this is how he was able to get the 23 Amendment repealed and be elected for another three terms? Naturally, Henry Kissinger is still at his side.
The action starts with the murder of The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), one of the more notorious Watchmen. Now who was that on the "grassy knoll" in the Kennedy assassination scene anyway? Rorschach (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) immediately suspects that someone is out to kill off the Watchmen and that The Comedian is just the first. As we follow his effort to warn the others, we meet the rest of the team: The Nite Owl II (Patrick Wilson), Oyzmandias (Matthew Goode), Dr. Manhattan, and his girlfriend Silk Spectre II (Malin Akerman). The government, i.e. Nixon, has banned masked crime fighters like the Watchmen. But, it still relies on Dr. Manhattan to keep us safe from the Soviet nuclear threat. Then he doesn't wear a mask and in fact usually doesn't wear clothes either!
Rorschach has one of the strangest superhero masks ever. It is a continually changing "ink blot" pattern, hence his name. If you would guess from this that he is a crazy [characterization deleted] then you'd be correct! He repeatedly flies into fits of psychotic rage killing those (mostly villains) he thinks deserve it. He has a complete disdain for what he calls "liberal sensitivities".
Oyzmandias has the super skill of being the smartest man in the world. He has reasoned that the primary risk of war is the struggle over energy resources. Therefore, he has set out to develop a limitless source of energy. Silk Spectre II aka Laurie Jupiter meanwhile finds it impossible to like up her mothers, Silk Spectre aka Sally Jupiter's (Carla Gugino), reputation.
The action takes a major turn when Dr. Manhattan's girlfriend, Silk Spectre II, breaks up with him and develops a relationship with Nite Owl II. The jilted Dr. Manhattan loses his sense of purpose and leaves for Mars to wallow in self-pity. This of course causes a radical shift in the U.S.-Soviet strategic balance. Before long Nixon and Kissinger are planning a preemptive attack on the Soviets as they fear the Soviet are planning an attack on the U.S.
This film is a fun political nostalgia trip and a great satire of the whole superhero concept. Such treats as snippets of the McLaughlin Group debating the impact of Dr. Manhattan on the strategic balance as just one example. If one can get past the graphic violence and some sexuality, Watchmen provides a lot of laughs for those familiar with the reference points or the original work. It is definitely not for children.
 A dreary assault November 24, 2009
Count Vorelli (CA)
It's strange that such well-crafted CGI effects, costumes, set design, cinematography and acting could be so unappealing and depressing. I know part of the point is that these are anti-heroes, but that doesn't mean this film couldn't be more entertaining. It was visually stunning and edited decently, but watching a fight where the only characters you could be rooting for are bored and annoyed by their burden is a pretty good example of how to dull narrative. There is nothing at stake here, and it's pretty unpleasant and depressing. Not to say depressing is a bad thing, either. Bergman, to cite a cliched example, is somewhat depressing, but there is still the redeeming value of his insights into what it means to be human and there's catharsis in that. This film, taken as a whole, is overwrought and convoluted. The many well-crafted components do not make up for the fact that the narrative arc droops after awhile because there is no tension, no suspense, nothing at stake. I mean - it shows major issues: the fate of the world is at state - but I think it's hard for the audience to feel any concern. At least for me it was. (Maybe this is more about why go to a movie like this when you can read the newspaper). But, I do think this film shows interesting themes in an analystical, detached way. It's one thing for the characters to be analytical and introspective. It's another for the film to be only this way. This film should be exciting. but instead, it's schematic and slow. I know there is a ton of action, but there's nothing to ground it. Without a compelling, clear narrative and characters that I care about, it feels arbitrary. I know this is, of course, just an opinion, but if you want a good story that you will care about - read the book. For me, the movie was a kind of dreary assault, lacking pace and excitement. But, still 3 stars. It's not terrible. If you rent it, maybe just watch it in small doses.
Was not IN TACT! November 22, 2009
R. Leonardo
0 out of 4 found this review helpful
When I ordered the package I expected it to be in tact including the case, but when I opened it parts of the bottom of the case fell out showing broken pieces of plastic which secured the CDs. Luckily the Blu rays still worked but I expect ALL parts to be welltaken care of ESPECIALLY the case.
The Watchmen November 21, 2009
J. Hendersin (Dallas Texas)
2 out of 7 found this review helpful
This movie was a drag. It literally dragged on forever and ever with no real story line, no interesting characters either. I finally just quit watching it, it was so boring.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 507
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