14
Mardi
"Watchmen" depicts troubled heroes, gritty
_ A dam H olmes ________________
Staff Reporter
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"Watchmen," the movie
based on the acclaimed
graphic novel, tells a
story that is anything
but ordinary. Written by
renowned author Alan
Moore and illustrated
by artist David Gibbons,
it has received praise
from critics both inside
and outside of the comic
industry, including Time
Magazine. This praise is
well deserved-the story line
is very original.
Set in an alternate 1985
where Richard Nixon is
still president, tensions
between Russia and China
are at an all-time high.
Superheroes have been
around for the past 45
years and have been key in
changes that the U.S. has
gone through. Although at
one time these heroes were
accepted by the general
population, they eventually
become unpopular and
the government decided
to pass an act in 1977 that
bans all of these "heroes"
from continuing their
vigilante activities unless
they are sanctioned by the
government.
The only heroes left are
the Comedian, a cynical
individual who has an
unusual view of the world,
Doctor Manhattan, the
only superpowered human
in the story and a human
atom bomb that is the
main reason for the United
States' supreme standing in
the world, and Rorschach,
the only outlaw vigilante
who is acting outside of
the government and a
conspiracy theorist that has
a bleak view of
existence. Retired
heroes include Nite
Owl, the second
individual to use
the name who
has lost his sense
of purpose; Silk
Spectre, who is in
a relationship with
Doctor Manhattan
and only became
a hero to please
her mom; and
Ozymandias, the
smartest man in
the world who
now runs his own
enterprise.
When the story
starts, a man
named Edward
Blake is killed and
Rorschach decides
to investigate.
When he finds
out that Blake
was actually
the Comedian,
Rorschach becomes
suspicious of this murder
and believes that it is the
beginning of an elaborate
plot to eliminate costumed
heroes. The story is very
gripping, with complex
plots that leave the reader
wondering what will
happen next, and characters
that are interesting enough
that the reader can’t help but
relate to them.
The reason that
"Watchmen" is more than
just a regular comic book is
because it follows the same
concepts as a novel and then
some. The novel explores
many complex themes that
normal comics book had not
yet analyzed, such as heroes
living their lives in the real
world, how they have their
own personal problems to
deal with in life, and that
these heroes are human just
like the people they swore
to protect. It also seems as if
Moore was trying to depict
a grittier society that the
world could have followed
if only a few key
events had changed,
such as Nixon
remaining president
for 11 more years.
Regardless of
what exactly Moore's
goal was when
writing this, the
series is famous for
transitioning comic
books to a whole
new level. Before
"Watchmen," comic
books were usually
thought of as fantasy
stories directed
towards children
and teenagers, and
usually not taken
seriously. However,
when "Watchmen"
was released and
received enormous
amounts of praise,
comics decided to
take a cue from the
realistic and mature
depiction of this
form of entertainment, and
adapt some of the themes
into their own stories. From
1986 on, comics have drifted
away from the former
childish interpretation and
are now directed towards
a variety of audiences,
"Coraline" serves as building block for local animation
'C
Di t
S mt '-■/ w , A/
Staff Reporter
Portland isn't usually
known for its red-carpet
movie premieres. However,
the city has been gaining
national attention after a
local company produced
the animation for the
movie "Coraline" which
premiered on Feb. 5. LAIKA
entertainment is based in
Tualatin, and they teamed up
with Henry Selick (director
of "A Nightmare before
Christmas") to produce the
stop-motion animated movie
that’s based on the popular
book by Neil Gaiman.
Dakota Fanning and Teri
Hatcher star in the movie,
which is a story about a -
young girl who learns to
appreciate the love of her
parents. Fanning is the voice
of Coraline Jones, the main
character in the movie.
Hatcher plays the voice of
Corline's real mother and her
"other" mother.
As they move into a new
apartment, Coraline and
her family start to settle
in. However, Coraline is a
very adventurous girl who
is easily bored. She soon
imagines a utopia through
a hidden door in the living
room of her new apartment.
On the other side of the door
is a mirror image of her real
life, with the exception that
everything seems to be just
or she will be stuck there
forever.
The movie was sort of
a "test run" for LAIKA
entertainment to see how it
would fare in the box offices.
Since it has done extremely
well, earning over $16.3
million in its first weekend
a little bit better. Her new
parents pay more attention
to her, and things just seem
more cheerful. But not
everything is what it seems.
Soon, her new mom tries
to keep her there forever,
and she wants to replace
Coraline's eyes .with buttons.
Coraline must find a way out
of her fantasy world quickly,
at the box office, LAIKA has
now moved on with plans to
produce more stop-motion
animated movies. LAIKA is
owned by well-known Nike
co-founder Phil Knight. He
was the main force behind
the production of the movie.
After seeing "Coraline” I
would have to say that the
animation was extremely
detailed and realistic. The
plot was also relative to many
children's lives. I can see how
kids would enjoy the idea
of living in a perfect world.
The majority of the people
who attended the movie were
mothers who brought their
children to see the movie.
However, I believe that it has
the ability to appeal to all
types of people at any age.
At 100 minutes long, it
didn't drag on, but it also
didn't end too soon. What
made the movie special
and unique was the stop-
motion animation. The film
was even unique compared
to past animated movies,
because it was like nothing I
had ever seen before. It was
similar to "A Night before
Christmas" but to me it was
like a new and improved
version. Tickets are $5-$10
at theatres in the Portland
area. I was a little judgmental
at first because I thought
that this movie was only for
children, especially since it’s
rated PG. Sometimes movies
surprise you, and that is what
"Coraline" did for me.
with new mature themes
and storylines. And while-
comic books are not nearly
as dark and gruesome as
"Watchmen," this novel
played a big part in
comic books becoming an
acceptable form of literature.
The upcoming film,
which is coming out Mar. 6,
plans to remain true to the
original novel, with only
minor alterations to the
story. The film is directed by
Zack Snyder, who directed
"300," and stars Jackie Earl
Haley as Rorschach, Patrick
Wilson as Nite Owl, Malin
Akerman as Silk Spectre,
Billy Cruddup as Doctor
Manhattan, Matthew
Goode as Ozymandias, and
Jefferey Dean Morgan as the
Comedian.
There will be several
follow-up products released
around the time the movie
comes out, including the
DVD "Tales of the Black
Freighter," a pirate tale
adapted from a comic
book in the story, and the
documentary that comes
with it called "Under
the Hood," which gives
backgrounds and interview»
of the main characters and
some of the heroes that
existed before them.
Some of the special
effects that are used in the
film include making Doctor
Manhattan appear in the
movie, which involved
Cruddup wearing a special
white body suit. While he
still provides the voice, he
is replaced by a motion
capture computer generated
version of himself. The film
has also included actors
portraying celebrities from
different time periods and
uses make-up to age some
of them, rather than hiring
two actors to play the same
part.
The film has already
come under attack by
20th Century Fox, who
sued Warner Brothers (the
distributor) who believed
that they still had the rights
to produce "Watchmen,"
even though they had not
acted upon these rights for
more than ten years. The
lawsuit was settled, with
the verdict being that Fox
will receive a small portion
of the profits. I would not
recommend this film for
children or anybody that
does not like action or
gore, due to the fact that
this film will be gruesome.
Nevertheless, this novel has
become a staple in A m erica
literature, and I believe t h a *
this film will do just as well.