Essential linkage: So how different is the Watchmen film from the original Alan Moore classic? EDIT: Plus watch the credits online!
So, you've seen the film (or are going to soon) and you're pretty impressed (and boy, are we impressed!). But if you've not read the comic, you might be wondering what all the fanboy fuss is about - or possibly just curious about the backstory of some of the characters... or mystified by that freaky giant cat that comes out of nowhere.
If you're at all curious, then, by what the movie's left out from the book, or what changes Zack Snyder and his writers made to the original, the AV Club is the place to be. There's an excellent Book vs Film entry up today that gets right to the heart of the differences, and addresses why some bits were left in and some out.
"There's a lot more about the Keane Act in the book, explaining how society changed and why exactly superheroes were outlawed, and the different ways all the Watchmen reacted to the new law. (Silk Spectre was relieved; Rorschach sent a note attached to a dead rapist to make his intentions to continue his vigilante work clear.) There's also more from the police, who have their eyes on Nite Owl, and who take an opportunity to remind him that even as the situation in New York and the larger world gets uglier, there's still no place for superheroes under the law."
Definitely worth checking out. But be warned - it's spoiler-riffic!
ETA: uY+co, the company that produced Watchmen's credits, has released the entire five minute sequence online. I cannot stress what a thing of beauty these credits are - they are so full of detail, care and artistry that it boggles the mind. Check out the credits here.
Issue: 133 | February, 2012