2019 is definitely the year of DC headwind.
"Joker", which was released in North America on October 4, 2019, has already raked in 760 million at the global box office, and it is about to break the record of 785 million set by "Deadpool 2", the No. 1 R-rated movie at the box office.
is also unwilling to lag behind in the field of TV dramas.
comes from DC's comic TV series "Watchmen", produced by HBO and has been broadcast on October 20, 2019. On the day of the launch of
, the number of live TV viewers exceeded 800,000, and the streaming media on-demand viewers reached 1.5 million. HBO officially claimed that it was the best-performing new drama premiered by streaming media after "Western World".
Speaking of the HBO company responsible for the shooting, everyone is certainly not unfamiliar. As a big American drama tycoon, HBO, who has always been known for its pornography, has produced a series of dramas such as "Game of Thrones", "The Sopranos", "The Edge of Political Situation", and "Western World". The TV series
is adapted from the comic of the same name "The Watcher", created by Alan Moore of "DC Life Black" and published in 1986. It has won the Hugo Award with the "Nobel Prize for Literature in Science Fiction", and has been ranked in the "Times Magazine" list of "100 Best English Novels from 1923 to the Present". The
comics mainly reflect the public’s perception of the times and society during the Cold War that are full of differences and contradictions. It has created a world composed of new heroes, villains and anti-heroes, including Rorschach, the second generation of Siling, the Pharaoh, Unforgettable roles such as Night Owl II, Doctor Manhattan and Laughing Craftsman. As an anti-heroist superhero film,
has profound ideological connotations and intricate plots, so it is called "the most difficult comic in history to adapt."
In fact, in 2009, Zach Schneider had already challenged to adapt it into the movie "Watchmen" of the same name. The film faithfully restored the comics and was basically recognized by most fans including the original.
So, what's the difference in this version?
First of all, the TV series is not a direct adaptation of comics but its sequel. The story is based on the success of the Pharaoh’s plan to unite mankind by creating an environmental crisis with a giant octopus 35 years later.
Judging from the first episode of the current update, the whole world of the drama version has undergone great changes. In this world, the police have become "paper tigers" who need to apply for permission to hold guns, all masked to protect their lives, while the Rorschach mask has become a talisman for the white supremacist terrorist organization known as the "Seventh Cavalry Regiment". The story of
revolves around the conflict between the police and the "7th Cavalry Regiment". At the beginning of the story of
, a question was raised in the form of a black and white movie:
"lynched thieves."
"There will be no justice for the mob today. Believe in the law." The black and white movie that
watched by the little boy was "Believe in the Law." , The protagonist is Beth Reeves, the first African-American marshal in American history.
Here we can't help but think further, when the police abuse lynching, can we still trust the law? It is in the same continuous line with the thinking of "Who is watching the law enforcement person?" in the original work. The opening scene of
shows the race riots in Tursha in 1921. In the fierce violent confrontation between blacks and whites, a black child survived. After
came 2019, a black police officer was killed by a member of the "Seventh Corps". Police Chief Judd Crawford, played by Don Johnson, and "Looking Glass" played by Tim Blake Nelson. survey.
's new role, Regina King, played Angela as a baker. She was actually a police officer known as the "Night Sister", and she quickly arrested the suspect after a while.
"Looking Glass" used the Rorschach inkblot test to interrogate the prisoner and got clues. The "Night Sister" and the group went straight to the cavalry regiment's nest and killed a few soldiers.
On the other side, the reported dead pharaoh appeared and celebrated the anniversary with the two robot servants he built in the castle. The pharaoh who said he was going to write the script "The Watchmaker's Son" was obviously planning a conspiracy related to Dr. Manhattan.
Here Angela was called out by the wheelchair old man and saw the police chief who was hanged on the tree. The wheelchair old man was precisely the black child who had survived the massacre. People can't help but speculate that his motives were related to the 1921 scene. TuKill related. You can see from the episode of
that although the story is set in 2019, it is a familiar and unfamiliar 2019.
Here, Nimuzong won the Vietnam War and Vietnam became the 51st state in the United States. In reality, Robert Redford, an actor, has served as the president of the United States in the play for 30 years and is still very unpopular.
People read newspapers and use pagers to communicate, while smart phones and the Internet are unheard of.
Police work has become a dangerous job, guns are blocked and superheroes are banned. The second difference between
and the original is that the TV drama version has a strong racist criticism.
But this new setting has polarized reviews and mixed reviews. The
Douban score dropped to 7.9 points, and there were many complaints such as "ethnic issues" and "deviation from the original thinking".
and Rotten Tomatoes is a huge difference in the freshness of 98% of critics and 45% of viewers.
, especially the original fan, was disappointed with its innovation and angrily commented:
Thank you for ruining another IP! Disrespect the original at all. The only thing similar to a comic book is the name of "Watchmen"
. From Chenchen's perspective, the criticism of racism in the play seems to be an old problem, but in fact it is a new problem.
Actually, before the TV series was broadcast, not many people knew about the 1921 Tursha racial riots. The name "riots" was just to conceal people’s eyes. In fact, it was a large-scale racist violence led by the KKK. Almost destroyed the entire black community.
"White Oklahoma killed and cruelly treated hundreds of African Americans, and eliminated the prosperous cultural and financial district, which later became black Wall Street. Within 48 hours, this African American business, Culture, cinema, candy, machinery, and art suddenly disappeared completely.”
As of 2019, the incident has not appeared in American classroom education. Therefore, it is the first time for many Americans to learn about it.
And here is precisely the new dimension introduced by TV dramas that fits the current reality, that is, how to truly and urgently describe the racist massacre that has not been fully reflected in the media and education.
For this, the main creative team made detailed investigations and preparations to restore the scene of the incident as much as possible.
For example, the JN-4 biplanes piloted by white racists that appeared at the beginning were bombarding the "Black Wall Street" in Greenwood District.
Of course, the audience's resistance to racial issues is also excusable. Whether it’s Marvel’s first black protagonist hero "Black Panther" who won an Oscar, or DC’s next "New Batman" "All Black Heroes" project, the first "head drama" starring black women "Watchmen" seems to have kept up with this trend.
raised the banner of ZZ correctness so that many people were disgusted, which is also the reason for the backlash of word-of-mouth in the drama version.
One thing on both sides is that a drama that wants to be closely related to the current reality seems to be unable to avoid the current racial issues.
And the drama version's grasp of the current reality is more than that. For example, the relationship between the police and the masked "7th Cavalry Regiment" in the drama is easily reminiscent of the problems in France.
In addition, the advantages of the drama version are still very obvious.
First, the gift package of easter eggs, there are tributes everywhere, and the original fan gospel. The first episode of the
drama version can set off the game of digging eggs. There are countless tributes to the original work. It is completely visible that the screenwriter Damon Lindelof loves comics. Here CC has sorted out the easter eggs that appeared inside, and welcome everyone to add.
1. It was shown on TV that Dr. Manhattan built a castle on Mars.
2. The news of the death of Pharaoh in the newspaper later showed that he was still alive.
3. Luo Xiaji's 1985 is the secret room code.
4. "Octopus Rain" is a sequelae of Pharaoh's use of octopus-shaped monsters to "cross-latitude attacks".
5. Several DC heroes were played on the screen: Captain Metropolis, Laughing Craftsman, Mothman, Hundred Dollar Bill, Silk Soul, Night Owl, Hooded Judge.
6. Pay tribute to Laughing Craftsman's blood-splattered badge in many places.
Second, cool service, excellent soundtrack photography, strong creative team. What is particularly handsome in the
movie is the moment when the "Night Nun" is dressed up, he madly pulls on the cool master. The main creative team of
is also very strong. The play is co-directed by Nicole Caso and Stephen Williams, and has directed "Western World", "The Coquettish Lawyer", "Watching the Earth" and other dramas have also been widely acclaimed. The
film soundtrack is an original score written by Oscar winners Atticus Ross and Trent Reynolds of "Social Networks", blended with excellent photography and editing.
was screened by Damon Lindelof, the screenwriter of "Lost" and "Doctor House", and Dave Gibson, the screenwriter of "Ace Agent".
starring Regina King, Don Johnson, and Jeremy Irons, who have won Oscars, have guaranteed acting skills.
In addition to the above two points, the smooth narrative, smooth editing, and proper rhythm of the drama version are undoubtedly the necessary qualities of a high-quality drama.
However, after watching the drama version, some audiences may have black question mark faces throughout. It is undeniable that it is really not very friendly to passers-by, but don’t be dissuaded. I believe that through the above analysis, you will have a general idea of the drama version. Grasp.
In general, the drama version continues the critical logic of the original "Who Watches the Watchers?", but also introduces a new dimension of race issues, which is similar to the setting of parallel time and space in 2019 and the ubiquitous easter eggs, with many elements Makes the drama version more like a remix version of comics and movies. The first episode of
also left many questions, such as the origin of the panda police officer? Is the sheriff driving the night owl airship the second-generation night owl? Was the Pharaoh imprisoned in the castle by Dr. Manhattan? How is U.S.-Soviet relations now?
Among them, the biggest question is, was the chief of the police killed by an old man in a wheelchair? As a black, did he join the white supremacist "Seventh Cavalry Regiment"?
If black old people join, CC speculates that the "7th Cavalry Regiment" may have internal divisions caused by different interpretations of Rorschach's concept. Their behavior may not be all evil, and may be reversed later.
At the end of the first episode, the white police chief, the genocide survivor, the wheelchair black man, and the black Angela who worked for the chief, formed an antagonistic relationship. Angela was between black and white.
and at the same time she is a Vietnamese now ruled by the United States. The subsequent plot is likely to revolve around the contradictions and entanglements of Angela's identity. This dramatic tension is undoubtedly a highlight.
What's more, there is Pharaoh's big show (fog), Angela's passionate charm is waiting for you.
In short, the excitement has just begun, and the good show is yet to come. You don't have to make a conclusion too early, and it is worth looking forward to depending on how it fills the hole.
Bluestone Film Editor | Chenchen
