By Sam Watermeier<[email protected]>

For a fleeting period during “Watchmen,” I felt like I was experiencing a great film. This feeling arose during the opening credit sequence in which Bob Dylan’s “Times They Are a-Changin’” plays while freeze-frame images of superheroes involved in historical events (the moon landing, Vietnam protests) are displayed. This three-minute sequence alone not only perfectly sets the tone of the film and successfully transports viewers to a specific time and place, but, more importantly, completely deconstructs the superhero image. Dressed in full attire (masks and capes), the superheroes are made to look awkward and almost silly in these images, and in this sense, the film daringly exposes and comments on the absurdity behind the notion of them altogether.

If only the rest of “Watchmen” was this bold. While much of the first half of the film has an effective, radical approach, the second half unfortunately falls victim to genre conventions due to the misguided direction from Zack Snyder (“300”).

The first act of “Watchmen” is an anti-comic book film, refusing to play to audience expectations. There are no major action set pieces or gaudy character introductions. Instead, time is devoted to developing the characters and talk about superheroes in general. The film takes place in an alternate 1985 where Nixon is still president and superheroes are cast in a negative light. There is an especially poignant scene in which a retired cop speaks of the glory days when superheroes not only fought crime, but felt exhilarated doing so, not having to endure pressure from the people or their government. We see other characters like Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley), a corrupt vigilante whose ever-changing inkblot mask symbolizes the constant evolution of superheroes in society, skulk through the streets trying to recapture this feeling.

These intimate, dramatic scenes demystify superheroes, stripping them of their romantic quality and bringing them down to a human level. Director Zack Snyder’s emphasis on dialogue scenes and resistance to take the more traditional route filled with non-stop action and spectacle is pleasantly surprising considering he helmed the garish “300.” His restraint does not last long, however.

The second half of “Watchmen” plays out like a bad sequel to the first half, exchanging substance for style. Snyder makes up for the lack of action scenes by stylizing brief moments of brutal violence that should have remained harshly realistic and repulsive as the graphic novel intended. By stylizing these moments, Snyder makes the superhero characters look larger than life and exciting, thus going against the idea of deconstructing the superhero image. I liken this second half to “The Matrix Reloaded” in that it is a diluted, popcorn version of what precedes it.

Critics are already comparing this film to “The Dark Knight,” praising it as “rich” and “cerebral.” This praise is invalid because it really ought to be paid solely to the acclaimed graphic novel upon which the film is based. The thoughtful quality of the film stems directly from its source material, not the director or actors (none of whose performances are worth noting besides Haley’s, who provides a wonderfully pulpy voice-over as Rorschach). If only it had not conformed to expectations of superhero movies in the end, “Watchmen” would have come close to reaching the same level of greatness as “The Dark Knight.” Unfortunately, Hollywood movies like “Watchmen” will always be thought of as products before art, at least when they are left in the hands of Zack Snyder.

Watchmen

Directed by: Zack Snyder

Starring: Malin Akerman, Jackie Earle Haley, Patrick Wilson

Rated: R

Released: March 7

Overall: B