Watchmen: Snyder's take

***WARNING-SPOILERS***
This is just a quick comparison of what the producers had in mind for the Watchmen movie and the changes that Zack Snyder has made since he's been on board. All I have to say is if you're not a fan of a certain comic book, don't attempt to make a movie based on that book, please! (Are you listening, Brett Ratner?)

Pre-Snyder:

- Film is set in 2005
- The Comedian and Manhattan are hunting down Osama Bin Laden
- The Minutemen are called The Watchmen and the Crimebusters are called The New Watchmen
- Mothman, Captain Metropolis, Silhouette, and Hooded Justice, the two Bernies, and many other secondary characters were removed.
- Hollis Mason breaks up Sally Jupiter's sexual assault.
- New dialogue was written for all the characters. Each line was a true butchery of the characters. Rorschach even spoke in full sentences!
- No more Comedian funeral flashbacks, Mars flashbacks, or Rorschach theropy session flashbacks. Although they were in the script, the studio would have removed them (Snyder even said that WB were trying to force his hand to remove them).
- Laurie is now called Slingslot and has superpowers given to her by Manhattan.
- Manhattan, or more specifically Jon Osterman, would have been black (seriously).
- No Bernies obviously means no Tales of the Black Freighter.
- Due to the moved timeline there are hundreds of plotholes.
- No Bubastis.
- Instead of the alien there is a fake Manhattan attack with odd voiceovers by a fake Manhattan. The energy attacks come from Karnak (very subtle).
- Veidt dies, thereby killing the themes and point of the story.
- Seymour picks up Rorshach's journal, completely destroying the open ending the book had.
- Film would be shot in a MTV style quick cut, choppy editing.
- Running time would be a little over 2 hours.

Snyder's film:

- Film is set in 1985
- The Minutemen are called The Minutemen and the Crimebusters are unnamed, but due to WB's request the name Watchmen will be used as a slur to describe all superheroes.
- Mothman, Captain Metropolis, Silhouette, and Hooded Justice, the two Bernies, and many other secondary characters were added back in.
- All of the two Bernie's scenes in the book were filmed.
- Tales of the Black Freighter is an animated film that will be edited into the Director's Cut.
- Hooded Justice breaks up Sally Jupiter's sexual assault.
- New dialogue was kept to a minimum. Most of the dialogue was taken right from the book.
- The Comedian funeral flashbacks, Mars flashbacks, and Rorschach theropy session flashbacks are in.
- Laurie is the second Silk Spectre and has no superpowers.
- Osterman is white.
- The timeline is the same as the book's.
- Bubastis is in.
- Instead of the alien there is a fake Manhattan attack with no odd voiceovers by a fake Manhattan. The energy attacks no longer come from Karnak, but appear at their destinations almost like they were teleported there. People who have seen the film say it is an elegant ending and generally keeps the thematical purpose and themes that the alien has in the book.
- Veidt lives.
- Seymour's hand hovers above the journal before the film cuts to black (like the book's).
- A classical slow and steady directing approach is used.
- 2 hour 35 minute theatrical runtime; almost 4 hour Director's Cut runtime.

Posted in: SPOILERS,WATCHMEN