# So we watched Watchmen this weekend and we hated it (open spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 15, 2011, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-watched-watchmen-this-weekend-and-we-hated-it-open-spoilers/603020 "2011-11-15T16:57:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-watched-watchmen-this-weekend-and-we-hated-it-open-spoilers/603020/81 "2011-11-15T21:48:06Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > I thought to ignore you at first, but I will post this one thing. Other people have posted to correct some of my misconceptions and even help me understand the larger world beyond _Watchmen_, and have given me a renewed interest in perhaps reading the comic book. They’ve tried to educate me, and I’ve listened, and found it interesting and a good discussion, as I said. > > Is your approach going to make me do the same? I think not. Purposefully. I don’t think your OP warrants a mollycoddling rebuttal. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-watched-watchmen-this-weekend-and-we-hated-it-open-spoilers/603020/82 "2011-11-15T21:49:48Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > Purposefully. > > I don’t think your OP warrants a mollycoddling rebuttal. Ok. There’s the door, then. I mean, I never asked for a rebuttal. I posted it here because I like talking to people, and I like the discussions here. I don’t know anyone in real life who would even know what Watchmen is. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-watched-watchmen-this-weekend-and-we-hated-it-open-spoilers/603020/83 "2011-11-15T21:51:14Z")
anyone else remember an Outer LImits story where a group of scientists attempt to do what Ozzie was trying to do - unite Earth by creating an outside alien for them to fight against? immediate thing I thought of when I got to that part of the Watchmen book. I liked the book - “Who watches the Watchmen” - I like that. and I liked the whole commentary on superheroes. didn’t bother with the movie, tho I am curious about the big blue dong. and while I liked the book, it’s no LOTR. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-watched-watchmen-this-weekend-and-we-hated-it-open-spoilers/603020/84 "2011-11-15T21:52:00Z")
> [@well\_he\_s\_back](#): > > anyone else remember an Outer LImits story where a group of scientists attempt to do what Ozzie was trying to do - unite Earth by creating an outside alien for them to fight against? immediate thing I thought of when I got to that part of the Watchmen book. That episode gets mentioned in the last issue. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-watched-watchmen-this-weekend-and-we-hated-it-open-spoilers/603020/85 "2011-11-15T21:57:25Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Yes, I understood villa’s point, in that Roscharch himself saw there was no place in this Brave New World for him. What I didn’t understand, really, is why Doc let Ozymandias live. But I also understand killing Roscharch is more “non-interference” than killing Oxymandias. “Rorschach”, in pity’s name. :smack: I think the film was mostly going to appeal to the comic fans - of which there are many (I disagree with **villa** ’s specific evaluation, but Watchmen, like LotR, has layers on layers of stuff to explore, expose and wonder about) - and not so much to the casual newcomer. As to Manhattan killing Ozymandias, what would be the point? Punishment? ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-watched-watchmen-this-weekend-and-we-hated-it-open-spoilers/603020/86 "2011-11-15T21:58:57Z")
OtherWaldoPepper - thanks. I have read Watchmen a couple times. how could I have missed that? There are indeed layers, as Malacandra said. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-watched-watchmen-this-weekend-and-we-hated-it-open-spoilers/603020/87 "2011-11-15T21:59:22Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > It also deals with aging and death of “superheros”. Something comics hadn’t done at the time. What happens when Bruce Wayne gets too old to do that? Well now we know because those stories have been written because Watchmen made it possible. > . Naw, DC did a comic about a over the hill Supes like back in the 60’s or something like that. Nothing Watchmen did was new. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-watched-watchmen-this-weekend-and-we-hated-it-open-spoilers/603020/88 "2011-11-15T22:06:40Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > I hated having the Comedian kill JFK too. It’s implied in the comic that he may have been the shooter, but wasn’t confirmed or explicit at all. I also hated that they got rid of the scar on his face. It’s not even really implied. He _jokes_ about it (“Just don’t ask me where I was when I heard about JFK.”), but so do numerous people on this board. And his face was scarred in the movie - it’s just harder to see given all the mood lighting and whatnot. I did like that he at least _tried_ to defend himself against his killer. The comic suggests he didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-watched-watchmen-this-weekend-and-we-hated-it-open-spoilers/603020/89 "2011-11-15T22:11:25Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > I spent most of the movie being bored out of my skull. This bit reminds me of the time I tried to watch the movie “Watchmen”. ---
**Author:** ![Inthewater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Inthewater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inthewater)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-watched-watchmen-this-weekend-and-we-hated-it-open-spoilers/603020/90 "2011-11-15T22:16:28Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Naw, DC did a comic about a over the hill Supes like back in the 60’s or something like that. Nothing Watchmen did was new. Do you have anything official about this? I am curious what this was. I couldn’t track anything down with a quick google search, but I’d like to see what this is. Not thinking of “Kingdom Come” by any chance are you? (No idea how much of a comic person you are, this isn’t meant to be an insult) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-watched-watchmen-this-weekend-and-we-hated-it-open-spoilers/603020/91 "2011-11-15T22:17:25Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > It’s not even really implied. He _jokes_ about it (“Just don’t ask me where I was when I heard about JFK.”) Ozzy later adds that the Comedian was in Dallas on November 22nd, 1963. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-watched-watchmen-this-weekend-and-we-hated-it-open-spoilers/603020/92 "2011-11-15T22:30:31Z")
> [@Inthewater](#): > > Not thinking of “Kingdom Come” by any chance are you? I suspect he may be thinking of “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?” Which was not from the '60s. And which was written by Alan Moore. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-watched-watchmen-this-weekend-and-we-hated-it-open-spoilers/603020/93 "2011-11-15T22:33:20Z")
> [@Inthewater](#): > > Do you have anything official about this? I am curious what this was. I was wondering if he meant “[Whatever happened to the Man of Tomorrow?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman:_Whatever_Happened_to_the_Man_of_Tomorrow%3F)” But that one came out in September 1986, which is when the first issues of Watchmen were published, and like **KneadToKnow** beat me to saying, was also by Alan Moore. And it sounds very different from Watchmen anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Inthewater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Inthewater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inthewater)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-watched-watchmen-this-weekend-and-we-hated-it-open-spoilers/603020/94 "2011-11-15T22:35:53Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > I suspect he may be thinking of “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?” > > Which was not from the '60s. > > And which was written by Alan Moore. Hah, well if that was what he was referring to, it kind of proves that the idea of Watchmen was an original one. Alan Moore, the guy has been responsible for so many great things in the comic world, it’s kind of crazy. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-watched-watchmen-this-weekend-and-we-hated-it-open-spoilers/603020/95 "2011-11-15T22:40:44Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Ozzy later adds that the Comedian was in Dallas on November 22nd, 1963. In the movie, isn’t there a shot of the Kennedy assassination (Jackie climbing on the trunk of the limo), the camera pans slowly to the right, where we see the Comedian getting out of a firing position, rifle in hand? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-watched-watchmen-this-weekend-and-we-hated-it-open-spoilers/603020/96 "2011-11-15T22:42:04Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > In the movie, isn’t there a shot of the Kennedy assassination (Jackie climbing on the trunk of the limo), the camera pans slowly to the right, where we see the Comedian getting out of a firing position, rifle in hand? In the movie, yes, it’s explicit. In the comic, it’s merely suggested. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-watched-watchmen-this-weekend-and-we-hated-it-open-spoilers/603020/97 "2011-11-15T22:55:53Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > As to Manhattan killing Ozymandias, what would be the point? Punishment? Justice, I assume. It’s something superheroes often show an interest in. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-watched-watchmen-this-weekend-and-we-hated-it-open-spoilers/603020/98 "2011-11-15T22:58:39Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I was wondering if he meant “[Whatever happened to the Man of Tomorrow?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman:_Whatever_Happened_to_the_Man_of_Tomorrow%3F)” But that one came out in September 1986, which is when the first issues of Watchmen were published, and like **KneadToKnow** beat me to saying, was also by Alan Moore. And it sounds very different from Watchmen anyway. No, it was in the 60’s or so. Long before Moore ever set pen to paper. No, I don’t remember the issue number, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-watched-watchmen-this-weekend-and-we-hated-it-open-spoilers/603020/99 "2011-11-15T23:05:10Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Justice, I assume. It’s something superheroes often show an interest in. But, as discussed, Jon is so out of touch - and operating on such an exalted plane - that mere human justice has very little meaning to him. And if he cares at all, he is perfectly capable of concluding that leaving Veidt alive and devoting his considerable abilities to the betterment of mankind in expiation of what he describes in the book as an “awful, necessary crime” serves justice far better than killing him. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-watched-watchmen-this-weekend-and-we-hated-it-open-spoilers/603020/100 "2011-11-15T23:11:43Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > But, as discussed, Jon is so out of touch - and operating on such an exalted plane - that mere human justice has very little meaning to him. And if he cares at all, he is perfectly capable of concluding that leaving Veidt alive and devoting his considerable abilities to the betterment of mankind in expiation of what he describes in the book as an “awful, necessary crime” serves justice far better than killing him. Because a being who was superhuman - or a person became superhuman - wouldn’t have the least reason to give a damn about distinctly human concepts like, say, Truth, Justice, and the American Way. He stops being human. He’s super, but not a hero. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-watched-watchmen-this-weekend-and-we-hated-it-open-spoilers/603020.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-watched-watchmen-this-weekend-and-we-hated-it-open-spoilers/603020.md?page=6)