I just completed writing and directing my first feature film, but I have not had any training or schooling. I learned everything I know about how to make films from watching DVDs and combing through the special features. There are treasures found in the passing word of a director explaining why he shot in a Dutch angle that can open creative doors no classroom ever could. I own over 400 DVDs. I have seen every featurette, listened to every commentary, studied all the behind the scenes – often, various times over – and, since a DVD is still $14.99 whether the film is good or not, whether it has special features or not – it’s good to know if you’ll be getting your money’s worth.

The Background
I had the graphic novel on my list of books to read for quite a while. In Hollywood, the book had been bandied around almost since its inception and lots of great talent had been linked to it, from Darren Arnofsky to Terry Gilliam. I got the book and read it just in time to watch the film when it came out. I went to my local IMAX theater and had a great time. The book is excellent and a must read for sure, but I won’t be discussing that here, and the theatrical release was also great, but I won’t be discussing that either, except to point out what they added for the director’s cut.

The Film
If you don’t know the story, you now have two great ways to get it – read it or watch it. I won’t be spoiling anything. The Watchmen are a group of people who dress up in costumes to fight crime. At the beginning of the film, someone breaks into the high-rise apartment of one of the Watchmen, The Comedian, the first “super” we meet, played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan. A brutal fight ensues ending with The Comedian being thrown out the window to his death. The rest of the story is a who-done-it among super heroes and super villains set in a world where it’s 1985 and Nixon has just been re-elected for the third time. I love the notion of “what if we lived in a world where superheroes existed.” It has really brought out great films like X-Men I and II, Spiderman I and II and The Dark Knight. What follows after The Comedian dies is one of the best opening credit montages I’ve seen in a long time, to Bob Dylan’s, “The Times They Are a-Changin.” It tells the condensed story of the Minutemen, the predecessors to the Watchmen, as well as historical beats – Moon landing, JFK assassination, Studio 54, D Day, etc. It also shows the “masks” as if they would have really existed and how they would have changed history, like ending Vietnam quickly and victoriously for America.

The music choices were hotly debated when the film was released. Although they can be jarring on first viewing, when the movie is re-watched, the music fits well. Case in point: Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” during the sex scene. When the song started, it got giggles from the audience – but it’s supposed to! The guy that can’t get it up finally can, Hallelujah! I’ll never watch Shrek the same way again.

They also have a great shout out to Apocalypse Now with “Ride of the Valkeries” over the Vietnam sequence. Plus in homage to Dr. Strangelove, they made the “War Room” for the president to discuss nuclear war. And the music at the end before film’s coda is the same music at the end of Amadeus. These are some slight winks that will add to your enjoyment of the film.

Zack Snyder’s action also got a lot of flack with its over-stylized sped up, slowed down motion. Although I did not like 300, Zack’s film before Watchmen, it was not for its shooting style. It worked there and it works here. I just hope that he finds something new to do so he doesn’t get pigeon-holed or stuck in a rut (I’m looking at you, Shyamalan).

The theatrical release had a lot of violence. The director’s cut has even more. However they are an equal opportunity offender, doling out violence against all alike. Women, old men, foreigners, Americans, children, everyone gets a punch in the face or a poke in the eye. The goriest parts come when Dr. Manhattan kills people by making them explode, usually all over the people next to them. Arms get buzz-sawed off, a head gets hacked at with a meat cleaver till the face flops open, arms get broken – bone sticking out, teeth bashed in and gurgled out in bloody spit – It’s a laugh-a-minute!

The Players
I was very impressed with the cast that they assembled for both the Watchmen and the Minutemen. Most of them perfectly portrayed what I envisioned as I read the novel, especially Jeffrey Dean Morgan as The Comedian. I knew Billy Crudup from Almost Famous and Big Fish. His passive almost detached approach to Jon Osterman/Dr. Manhattan, plus his character being completely CG-ed in could have made him un-relatable, but both actor and technicians did their job well and brought the character to big blue naked life. Speaking of naked, I knew Carla Gugino who plays Sally Jupiter/Silk Spectre from Sin City. The makeup they used to make her look old was horrible, but she did a decent enough job with what she was given. Patrick Wilson has been on my radar ever since I saw his performance in Hard Candy. He plays Dan Dreiberg/Nite Owl II and is definitely one to watch. The real find is Jackie Earl Haley as Rorschach. Even with a mask on, his performance holds such power, and his words, spoken over gravel and grief, make you lean in to hear them smack you in the face. Matthew Goode as Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias was good, but even in the novel he was my least favorite of the bunch, the one I couldn’t ever feel for. Hollis Mason/Nite Owl is played by Stephen McHattie, whose newly added footage now is my favorite scene in the film. The only weak link was Malin Ackerman (Laurie Jupiter/Silk Spectre II). Against such powerhouse performances, she didn’t stand a chance really…

The DVD
Some of the newly added or extended scenes are:

1. Rorschach beats up a cop in the Comedian’s house – This was unnecessary and didn’t add any to the story.
2. News report on Rorschach – Report was on how he beat up a cop.
3. Flame thrower in Vietnam – More violence. Can’t get enough.
4. Dr. Manhattan makes people in newsroom disappear – Like the book.
5. An interrogation of Laurie Jupiter – Unnecessary.
6. Girl’s hand gets blown off – Violence. Always a plus.
7. Child abductor’s head being hacked with a cleaver goes on longer – Anybody have anything else we can maim?
8. Rorschach and Laurie fight on the roof of the jail – Like the book.
9. Hollis Mason/Nite Owl talks to Sally Jupiter – A nice point of empathy as two old friends talk for the first time in a long time. It leads up well to…
10. Knot-tops kill Hollis – A brilliant scene that comes from the book and really should have been in the theatrical version.
11. Dan Dreiberg attacks a knot top – To get info about who killed Hollis.

Video and Audio – I have a 50” plasma TV 720i. I found the video transfer to be bright and crisp for a standard DVD. My speakers are large 22” woofers with two tweeters of 6” and 4” and the Dolby audio pushed my speakers to the max. The surround sound is well balanced if not fully explored.

Audio in English and French – Dolby Surround
Subtitles in English, French and Spanish

Extras
- There is no audio commentary. This is a big negative for me. There is commentary in the Blu-Ray edition, and it sucks that since they already had it recorded; they couldn’t have slapped it on this version too?
- The Phenomenon: The Comic that changed Comics – A documentary about the history of the Watchmen comic with the filmmakers and comic makers discussing the characters and story. Informative and entertaining.
- 11 Video Journals that discuss the making of the film. Building sets, designing costumes, special effects. I’m pissed that they don’t have a “play all” button.
- My Chemical Romance “Desolation Row” Music Video. For MCR fans only.
- Digital Copy – Has anyone used this feature? Please contact me and let me know because I think this is a big waste of time and money on the studio’s part.

Runtime – 186 minutes
Rated R not including bonus material – 24 minutes longer than the theatrical cut.

There will be an Ultimate Collector’s Edition released in time for Christmas for those of you who want to hold out, but it looks like it may only be released in Blu-ray. It will contain:

- A 5 disc set. This will include an even longer version of the film that will integrate the “Tales of the Black Freighter” back into the storyline.
- A new commentary by Dave Gibbons and Director Zack Snyder
- 2+ hours of bonus content including Hollis Mason’s tell all “Under the Hood”
- The complete Watchmen Motion Comics

The Conclusion
Not all director’s cuts are created equal. I prefer The Professional over Leon. I prefer the original cut of Tombstone over the director’s cut. That being said, I would recommend this director’s cut DVD for its completeness in story, the added scenes really round out the characters, but I wouldn’t recommend it for much else. That is to say, if it’s between the director’s cut and the theatrical cut, get the director’s cut. Or even better, get the director’s cut in Blu-Ray if you’re able, so you can get the commentary also. If you’re a huge fan and have Blu-Ray and can hold out till then, wait till Christmas and get the Ultimate Collector’s Edition.

That’s my two cents – to get your money’s worth.

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EXTRAS

OVERALL