Customer Reviews

Watchmen: The Official Film Companion

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The latest in the Watchmen related books released just prior to the film, this is a bargain at under $20. I am a Watchmen fan and can't wait for the 03/06/09 release. I have not spent as much time on this book as I did not want to see too much before the movie. But I did flip through it quickly, and it does not disappoint. It appears that there is some duplication in material between this book and the "Watchmen - The Art of the Film", but it is presented differently and they compliment each other. If you are a fan, don't miss this. I can't get enough, and hope there will be a few more books that come out after the film.

Length:: 0:20 Mins

Here's a look at Watchmen: The Film Companion, one of the three tie-in books for the Watchmen movie. The other two being Watchmen: Portraits and Watchmen: The Art of the Film. The copy I have is a paperback version, but there's a hardcover option as well.

The content in the book is split into six parts, namely, Pre-production, World of Watchmen, The Characters, Production, Post-production, Making Manhattan. The pictures included and mainly film stills and set photos. Some images overlap from Watchmen: The Art of the Film but not to the point I would complain.

The section devoted to character introduction is sizble, and includes the lesser known characters from Minutemen and some villains, oh, and Richard Nixon (no JFK though).

I'm actually more interested in production stories. The production writeup talks about the casting, costumes, sets, filming process, using of computer graphics for special effects, motion capture with Dr Manhattan and other stuff. Interesting bits include knowing that the film was actually short from start to end instead shooting all set-based scenes first.

Overall, I felt the writeup could be more because the movie is 160 minutes. But this is not totally a "making of" book anyway.

For viewers who want to find out more about the Watchmen and the movie, this is the book for you, especially so if you've never read the original graphic novel.

(More pictures are available on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)

The Watchmen train that is hard to avoid. Given that you're visiting this particular site, you've probably already succumbed to it, at least in some small part. But just in case, here's a quick recap of the pivotal plot of the book the movie is based on: America is in possession of a gigantic nuclear weapon in the form of Dr. Manhattan, a former scientist who has been transformed into the most powerful being on the planet. Not surprisingly, this has led to an alternate history from the one we know, one in which Nixon is still president, masked crime fighters have come and gone (after being outlawed in 1971), and America won the Vietnam War. In the mid-1980s, America and Russia stand at the verge of nuclear war, with a countdown clock frozen at five to midnight. And in that precariously balanced world, someone may or may not be murdering former masked heroes.

It took more than 20 years for Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' career-defining work--which, by the way, changed the field of comics and graphic novels forever, which everyone is probably well aware of by now--to reach the silver screen. Directors and screenwriters came and went (and Alan Moore dropped his name from all references to the movie work), but 2009 is finally seeing the release of the Watchmen movie.

Watchmen: The Film Companion is a beautiful retrospective. The interviews and extensive essays it contains elaborate incredible details about how the movie was filmed and what went into making it possible. More than that, the book goes into detail on what makes the movie pop, those small touches that don't seem like much from a distance but ultimately make or break the entire work.

Since the book is packed with hundreds of color photos (and really, the photos are awesome), it's a lovely way to extend the magic of the movie.

-- John Hogan

I am new to the 'Watchmen' ouvre, so please take that into consideration. I like 'noir' movies like 'The Maltese Falcon', 'The Third Man' and 'Blade Runner' and the Watchmen story fits right in there. The characters are enjoyably quirky and complex and the whole scenario is just plausable enough to create a realistic world for the film. For neophytes like me, this book is a great way to liesurely explore the story and characters without having to read the graphic novel or rerun the movie. Like 'Blade Runner' the film production has taken great pains to make the Watchmen's world very dense with detail. This photo book is a great way to enjoy it.

Peter Aperlo, <strong>Watchmen: The Film Companion</strong> (Titan Books, 2009)

Very pretty, though as shallow as expected, book that straddles the line between "behind-the-scenes interest" and "marketing device", not always successfully. (It should be noted I was a big fan of the movie, and so I'm not really unbiased about this in any way; your mileage may, and probably will, vary.) Despite my regular speculation that this was nothing more than a surprisingly expensive publicity campaign, and my wanting a great deal more about the actors who portrayed the characters, it's a breezy, picture-packed read that will look decent on your coffee table and appeal to fans of the film. And isn't that what books like this are all about? *** ½

Incredibly well done companion with tons of detail. Both the story and the visuals are enhanced by this book.

EL WATCHMEN COMPANIOM es el libro del como se hizo el film, con practicamente todos sus beneficios, pero con un defecto: NO TIENE EL GUION DE LA PELICULA. En esto, otros libros recientes son superiores - como los de los filmes de HELLBOY y SINCITY. Esta lleno de informacion general dividida en secciones, no muy profunda, y evitando toda situacion tecnica mayormente. El lenguaje es sencillo, las fotos de alta calidad desorganizadas adrede. Sin embargo, a pesar de su sencillez, cumple.

The filmmakers tried their best, but anyone who read the original
comics WAY before this became a screenplay can understand that it was
badly butchered, a great deal of unnecessary blood and gore. SERIOUS
cuts had to be made for time which badly hurt central, CLASSIC
characters' development.

I absolutely applaud the effort, it shows real passion for the story
and characters. This one-of-a-kind graphic novel and instant classic
was never really do-able as a live action film, but no one can blame
Snyder and friends for trying! Poorly stitched together, much like
Moore's other classic 'V for Vendetta'.