The Pen Is Mightier-Blue Willy Edition

I know I've said this before, but there should be some sort of test to see if certain people are smart enough to breed. I finally got a chance to see The Watchmen yesterday. And I really liked it. Last month Duke paid me a visit and loaned me his copy of the graphic novel, and I loved it. For those of you who don't know, Watchmen takes place in an alternate time-line where superheroes, or 'costumed adventurers' became a fad in the 40s and 50s, but none of them had any real powers. Eventually vigilantism is outlawed after a real superman is accidentally created in a lab accident. Dr. Manhattan, as his is branded, is called upon to stop the Viet Nam war, thus winning it for the US, and keeping Dick Nixon in office for three terms. That is the foundation of this very interesting story that starts with the murder of one of the heroes, and the subsequent investigation. The story doesn't focus so much on the action as it does on the twisted psychology of people who would dress in strange costumes to fight crime. It is a gritty, violent, sexy, and very gripping story with a rather unconventional and unexpected ending. The one thing it is not, however, is a children's tale. Which brings me to the movie...and parental moronity.
The Watchmen movie is a brilliant translation of the comic to the big screen. I cannot think of a more faithful adaptation. The casting is brilliant; the performances excellent; the effects well suited, and the few changes made actually help the story flow more smoothly. That being said the film pulls no punches. There is rather graphic violence and sex and language that has earned the film a very proper R rating. So, of course, the theatre was filled with four and five year old children. Not to mention the screaming infant three rows behind me. Selfish parents who refuse to sacrifice their own enjoyment for the sake of their children's well-being really piss me off, and make me wish the R rating were more strict, since it has become painfully obvious that parental guidance is woefully lacking in many cases these days. The most generous assessment I have of these idiots is that they just assume that since the film was based on a comic book that it must be a kids' movie, but even that level of fail doesn't stand up to the film's R rating.

Now for the reason for the title of this post. Dr. Manhattan, as played(sort of) by Billy Crudup, is the only superhuman in the story, and he spends most of the book, and movie, naked. And to the artists from both medias credit, they don't worry about tastefully placed potted plants or anything like that. Dr. Manhattan's big, blue willy makes many appearances. His is not the only nudity in the movie, for both Malin Ackerman and Patrick Wilson have some pretty graphic sex scenes, but the only whining I've heard on the Intertubes has been about the dreaded blue penis. Oddly enough, only men have lodged this particular observation. I still don't get the fact that female nudity has become almost common place in films, but one glimpse of the male member and people lose their minds. I'll grant you that it's a rather silly looking piece of equipment, but hardly more off-putting than any of the ladie's accoutrement. It just goes to show that no matter how advanced we think we are as a people, sometimes we are little better than Medieval monks bumbling through life trying to pretend that human beings don't do anything that couldn't be aired on Sesame Street.

In other news, the Battlestar Galactica series finale aired on Friday, and we loved it! If you haven't seen Galactica, I highly recommend you start from the beginning. It is one of the best shows on television, IMHO, and the ending capped the series beautifully. Sure I had a few quibbles, but they were minor and didn't affect the overall quality of the finale. It was a thoroughly well done show that ended when it should, and on its own terms.

So say we all. ;-)

Peace out, y'all.
Marius