eat.sleep.geek.

When Watchmen hit theatres earlier this year, I was really excited. I mean, this was a flick I’d been waiting for for most of my life. After taking it in, though, I was left lukewarm on the whole thing. So it was with only moderate interest that I checked out Watchmen: Director’s Cut on Blu-ray. Let me begin here by saying that I now LOVE THIS MOVIE. I think I just needed to get over the shock of seeing one of my favourite books (let alone comics) made into a movie. It keeps the spirit of the thing intact while making certain concessions that must be made in the interest of changing the medium in which the story is told. Now, I realize that the medium was part of the message of Watchmen but if a movie had to be made, I’m glad it was this one and not some Joel Silver atrocity. I’m not really supposed to be reviewing the movie again but I think I let ennui colour my perspective before and judged the movie unfavourably. So I feel compelled to reiterate that I FUCKING LOVE THIS MOVIE.

With that out of the way I can proceed with the review proper. Blu-ray continues to impress here with a gorgeous hi def/hi-fi presentation, so it goes without saying that the visual and audio aspects are phenomenal.

The featurettes on the second disc are definitely worth checking out. They can be a bit lengthy but for those of us who thrive on special features they are a welcome addtion. I particularly enjoyed the one about vigilantism for reasons that will become clear in the near future.

I’m normally an audio commentary junkie so was a little upset that there wasn’t commentary here. Then I discovered the unfortunately titled Maximum Movie Mode option. This is a play option that has a couple of manifestations while you watch the movie. The first is an interrupt that prompts you to play the pertinent focus point. These were released online leading up to its release but they are a nice addition. The second is a time-line comparison of the Watchmen universe and our own. Another, very cool one, is a panel to screen comparison for certain shots. It’s a sweet way to see the kind of detail that went into set dressing and shot composition. The final aspect of the WB EXTREEEME MOVIE MODE (!!!) experience is the director walk-ons with the anti-Boll himself Zack Snyder. All of this together is a nice alternative to a commentary track but I still would have liked one.

If you liked Watchmen, you probably already went out and picked this up, but if you were like me and sort of ‘ho-hum’ about it do yourself a favour and give it a second look. The added footage of this extended addition is enough of a reason and the special features is just icing. The best thing about all the great things contained in this collection (of which there are many) is the flick itself and the fact that you can now watch the Watchmen whenever you want. And if you’re still on the fence about the quality of this (or any) comic book movie, remember: it can always be worse.