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Watchmen Blu-ray
The Ultimate CutWarner Bros. | 2009 | 215 mins | Rated R | Nov 10, 2009
Watchmen Blu-ray ReviewOnce more unto the breach, dear friends, once more...Reviewed by Kenneth Brown, November 11, 2009 With Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut, director Zack Snyder -- whether by his hand or Warner's -- joins a shrewd and saavy brotherhood of filmmakers notorious for milking their fanbases. George Lucas has kept his far-far-away faithful eating out of his palm for decades; ever upgrading, ever adding the same movies to their collections again and again. Peter Jackson pulled off nothing less than a home video coup de grâce, successfully offloading theatrical editions of his Lord of the Rings trilogy, releasing extended cuts of each film months later, and roping in diehards even further with a variety of collectible box sets. Did I mention Blu-ray editions are on their way next year? Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut takes the process to ludicrous new levels, essentially offering fans a director's cut of Snyder's own Director's Cut. But is there a place for an Ultimate Cut box set on a Blu-ray shelf already ballooning with a Director's Cut, a Complete Motion Comic, and a standalone Tales of the Black Freighter release? Bruised wallets notwithstanding, the answer is "yes."
For those not in the know, Snyder's 215-minute Ultimate Cut goes a step further than his 186-minute Director's Cut, weaving his animated rendition of Alan Moore's comic-within-a-comic, "Tales of the Black Freighter," into his feature film. Based on a pirate-themed comicbook a young man reads in Moore and Gibbons' skewed superhero epic, the animated short follows the homeward journey of a shipwrecked mariner (voiced by Gerard Butler) who goes to unspeakable lengths to save his family from an otherworldly ship of demonic swordsmen. While seemingly unrelated to the central Watchmen storyline, the Tales of the Black Freighter scenes actually chart the moral wavering and eventual fall of the film's central villain. It's a subtle parallel to be sure -- one Moore relies on in his original miniseries to accentuate several key themes -- but it also explores the mind of a man on the brink of madness. To that end, Butler and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button's Jared Harris are perfectly cast in their respective roles, infusing genuine pathos and tragedy into what could have been a throwaway short. The animation itself is a bit choppy and simplistic, but still manages to capture the tone of Moore's swashbuckling comic-within-a-comic and the original miniseries proper. But how well does it all function within the film itself? Honestly, it depends on what you want from a comicbook adaptation. Panel jockeys will adore the additions, particularly the live-action newsstand scenes that bookend the animated segments, and appreciate Snyder's commitment to Moore and Gibbons' sprawling graphic novel. It certainly isn't the giant squid "Watchmen" disciples have longed for, but it is yet another faithful, well-conceived connection to the comic that will garner plenty of deserving praise. However, anyone who isn't familiar with the graphic novel will find the additional scenes to be interesting but unnecessary; a jarring bonus that alters the film's pacing and distracts from the main characters and storylines. Personally, I enjoyed seeing how Snyder fused the two together, but didn't feel it improved or undermined his Director's Cut. As a short film, Tales of the Black Freighter is a strong, supplemental story; one best served on its own. As a series of additional scenes, it's a nuanced and inherently indirect dissection of a main character who, by the very nature of his secret plight, isn't given much screentime. All that is to say this: Watchmen remains largely unaffected by The Ultimate Cut changes. Set in an alternate '80s America (where Richard Nixon is serving his fourth consecutive term as president after using superpowered "heroes" to swiftly win the Vietnam War), Watchmen opens with the death of Edward Blake (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), a washed-up nobody who means little to the policemen scraping his corpse off the sidewalk. However, to a borderline-psychotic vigilante named Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley), Blake was actually the Comedian, a depraved superhero of sorts who made more than a fair share of enemies over the years. Convinced that Blake's killer is plotting the murder of other former heroes, Rorschach sets out to warn his once triumphant, now scorned and dejected colleagues -- Dan Dreiberg, aka the Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson), a stodgy coward who would rather stay out of sight; Laurie Jupiter, aka the Silk Spectre (Malin Akerman), a perpetually victimized failure who wraps her identity in whatever man she falls for; Adrian Veidt, aka Ozymandias (Matthew Goode), a wealthy, calculating entrepreneur whose greatest asset is his arrogance; and Doctor Manhattan (Billy Crudup), a scientist whose ability to manipulate matter has transformed him into an inhuman demigod. As Rorschach and the ex-heroes begin to uncover the roots of a terrifying conspiracy, the crime fighters encounter far more than they bargained for: a villain willing to sacrifice an entire city to see his twisted agenda come to fruition. As the story unfolds, Snyder follows in Moore and Gibbons' footsteps and fleshes out the world of Watchmen with meticulous attention to detail. With a wonderfully bleak and wordless montage (set to Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changing"), he gives viewers a succinct overview of the rise and fall of golden age heroes, the emergence of their cynical and nihilistic replacements, and the world's ultimate reaction to the new regime of superpowers. From there, the young director weaves flashbacks, revelations, and numerous subplots into the central narrative to create a nonlinear experience many comic-to-film adaptations avoid altogether. We learn about the Minutemen (a team of freedom fighters who preceded the Watchmen), their tarnished legacy, the heated rivalries that were abandoned when masked heroics were outlawed, and the in-fighting that occurred behind closed doors. But most of all, Snyder provides glimpses into the soul of each man and woman who crosses the screen; into the very nature of those placed into positions of power and left to their own devices. We're faced with their faltering humanity, their at-times callous disregard for human life, and their raging inner-conflicts. Long before Watchmen has reached its provocative endgame, Snyder has submerged his audience into the darkest depths of the human heart. Murder, rape, revenge, insolence, pride... regardless of the subject matter at hand, his camera is unflinching, and his fittingly morose atmosphere remains unparalleled. Like Moore and Gibbons, Snyder isn't interested in the flashy superheroics of the genre, nor is he distracted by the bubblegum idealism proliferated by the industry's earliest icons. His eye is pulled toward the bloody edges of sanity; the vicious tit-for-tat genuine vigilantes would bring to the table; the unsettling ease with which normal men and women would abandon their moral fortitude if they had no fear of consequence. He revels in the psychological tatters of his characters' minds, and the duality of their purpose and motivations. He pulls the best out of his cast -- Crudup brings Manhattan to life, Haley is an absolute revelation, and Morgan portrays the Comedian as a fittingly tragic nightmare -- and manages to deliver a grim ensemble piece that leaves no ugly stone unturned. I know a lot of purists were underwhelmed or disappointed by the results and inevitable omissions (some of which have been reinserted in The Ultimate Cut), but I didn't have the same hangups. Moore apologists were appalled by a significant change to the third act (involving space-faring calamari of all things). Me? I thought his changes streamlined the story, strengthened Manhattan's purpose, and eliminated the need for unnecessary exposition Snyder wouldn't have had time to incorporate into the film anyway. Comic shop veterans were annoyed by the number of supporting characters that were neglected by the time-constrained director. I'll wager the additional Director's Cut and Ultimate Cut scenes will put many of those concerns to rest. Viewers who hadn't cracked Moore's graphic novel were unprepared for the film's meandering pace, dense backstory, and character-centric action. I believe it perfectly represents the tone and atmosphere of everything Moore and Gibbons committed to the printed page. Critics were bothered by the level of faithfulness he brought to the project, confusing his love of the material for a cinematic weakness. I say Snyder's hand is perfectly visible in the piece, as is his flare for the visually dramatic, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Is that to suggest Watchmen is perfect? No, I'll readily admit to some concerns of my own. Akerman is a bit bland (a shortcoming somewhat remedied by the appearance of several key scenes in the extended cuts of the film); the amped-up superheroics of Nite Owl, Silk Spectre, Ozymandias, and others seems to go against Moore's everyday-vigilante intentions; and I missed a few emotional gut punches that always resonate with me when I read the original limited series (Jon and Laurie standing amidst thousands of mangled corpses, for one). At the same time, I can't imagine a more remarkable adaptation, and I'm in awe of Snyder's ability to juggle so much and drop so little. I know Watchmen will continue to divide audiences as much as its predecessor will continue to divide modern readers but, once given the opportunity to absorb the film multiple times (and via multiple cuts), I'm convinced Snyder's adaptation will continue to grow on both its fiercest fans and harshest detractors. Personally, I'm enamored with its every sequence, shot, and frame. Video  I know more than a few people who were blown away by The Dark Knight's arrival on Blu-ray, but I was one of those sad saps who couldn't get past its alternating aspect ratios, its overheated contrast, and the rampant edge enhancement on display. As such, I approached Watchmen with a bit of hesitation, worried Warner's 1080p/VC-1 transfer would suffer a similar fate. I'm pleased to report that isn't the case. Not only does Watchmen retain all the brooding grittiness Snyder intended, it boasts a filmic presentation complete with unobtrusive grain, clean object definition, revealing textures, and striking skintones. That's not to say the film's absorbing gloom and bottomless blacks have been tempered -- just as Gibbons used heavy inks in 1986, Snyder uses similarly stark shadows in 2009 to bathe his rendition of Moore's city in darkness -- but, in my humble estimation, the somber elements of the picture never appear overcooked or artificial. Witness the pores dotting Rorschach's unmasked face, the flecks of blood splashed across the Comedian's stubbly chin, the remnants of a devastated metropolis, the bits of rubble raining down from Jon's emerging fortress, the controls in Dan's ship, the... I could go on and on, but I'll save you three paragraphs. And what of The Ultimate Cut's newly inserted animated sequences? For all intents and purposes, they're identical to those on the standalone release of Tales of the Black Freighter. Boasting vibrant colors, absorbing blacks, and striking clarity, these additional scenes look fantastic alongside the live-action bookends that accompany them. Granted, faint pixelation disrupts some of the sequences' finer lineart, but never becomes a distraction. Likewise, banding appears from time to time, but rarely undermines the quality of the presentation. In fact, the animated bits are as crisp and clean as anyone could hope for. Significant artifacting and noise aren't a problem, and color fills are consistent and stable. My only complaint lies with the live-action scenes. While digital clutter, aliasing, and unintended noise are nowhere to be found, the blue glow of Doctor Manhattan's skin is the source of some faint anomalies. It should also be noted that slight (albeit negligible) ringing appears on occasion. Regardless, the encoders at Warner have outdone themselves, producing yet another high definition Watchmen transfer worthy of legitimate praise. I'm sure some viewers will inevitably gripe about Snyder's aesthetic choices but, as far as technical presentations go, this one is stunning. Audio  Have no fear, dear readers. While The Ultimate Cut replaces the DTS-HD Master Audio mix featured on The Director's Cut release with a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround track, the results are exactly the same. It delivers an equally impressive sonic payload; a marvelous, memorable monster that captures all the power and fury of Snyder's ode to dark superheroics. Dialogue is crisp, clean, and impeccably prioritized in the mix, imbuing Dan and Laurie's hushed conversations with the same care afforded to their less-than-subtle prison break. LFE output is refined as well, adding heft and presence to every potent punch, gut-churning teleportation, and deafening explosion. Rear speaker aggression rounds out the lossless trifecta with enough ambient effects, musical score support, and atmospheric acoustics to satisfy the needs of a dozen separate audio tracks. Not only are pans as smooth as they come, directionality (while intentionally skewed at times) is precise and the resultant soundfield is eerily enveloping. Even key cues from the soundtrack resonate: Leonard Cohen's baritone lulls in "Hallelujah" are deep and satisfying, Bob Dylan's nasally whine is sharp and stable in "The Times They are A-Changing," and Simon and Garfunkel's "Sound of Silence" has never sounded better. Despite its comicbook roots, Watchmen is as much an aural experience as it is a visual one. To that end, Warner's faithful Dolby TrueHD track fulfills Snyder's every demand and the film's every need. Fans will be bouncing in their seats at the sheer sonic majesty of this one. Supplements The 4-disc Blu-ray edition of Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut comes bundled in a sturdy black box sealed with an unseen magnetic clasp (similar in size, heft, and design to Universal's Bourne Trilogy set). Inside, a matching digipak houses three discs in individual plastic trays: one devoted to the feature film, one that collects the set's other special features, and one that provides fans with a Digital Copy of Snyder's theatrical cut. A fourth disc is included as well -- Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comic -- but is packaged in a smaller, standard Blu-ray case. While it fits snuggly alongside the bulkier digipak, it looks out of place. Why the folks at Warner Brothers didn't just craft a 4-disc digipak is a mystery, but it's the lone oddity in an otherwise attractive set. That being said, the biggest downside to this release has nothing to do with the packaging at all. The Director's Cut featured a fantastic Picture-in-Picture video commentary (dubbed Maximum Movie Mode); a boundless, innovative bonus that made the initial release stand out from the high definition crowd. Alas, The Ultimate Cut doesn't include a Maximum Movie Mode. To be clear, I'm pleased the studio gave Gibbons and Snyder their own audio commentaries (even though pairing the two in the same recording session would have been much better), but true filmfans will need to own both releases to get the most out of their Watchmen experience. Still, it's hard to complain too much when a 4-disc set offers as much supplemental content and value as this one. Minor complaints aside, The Ultimate Cut is well worth its price tag. Disc 1: The Ultimate Cut of the Film
Disc 2: Special Features
Disc 3: The Complete Motion Comic
Disc 4: Bonus Digital Copy
Final words The 4-disc Blu-ray edition of Zack Snyder's Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut is a fantastic release that only suffers from a few relatively minor issues. Specifically, the lack of a Maximum Movie Mode and the duplication of content fans already paid for when they purchased The Director's Cut, The Complete Motion Comic, and the Tales from the Black Freighter standalone release. However, those who've saved their money for the arrival of much-touted Ultimate Cut, and fans who would spend any amount of money if it meant adding more Watchmen releases to their shelves, will be quite pleased with the set as is. It boasts a stunning video transfer, a rousing Dolby TrueHD audio track, and a generous helping of special features and previously released titles. Unless you despise the very existence of yet another Watchmen cut, this 4-disc behemoth should already be in your cart or on your holiday wishlist. 
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