Zack Snyder – WilfridWong.com

Watchmen

I should feel blessed that I have yet to unwrap the comic book “Watchmen” I bought years ago. As strongly recommended by our friend TK, I bought that comic book; and since he is keen to watch the movie – though I have heard split reviews on this film – we went ahead with it.

It is the time of the month again and Cynthia just has to have her facial done at Vivocity. And hence, all three of us just have to watch “Watchmen” at Golden Village. Why would anyone wish to watch a movie at Golden Village, I have no clue. We pay for the movie ticket and we have to take in 20 minutes of advertisement, on top of the 161 minutes “Watchmen”. As your friend, I strongly recommend Cathay cineplexes that often start the shows on time, with better systems. Especially for a film that go beyond the two-and-a-half hours mark.

For some strange reasons, I really like the film “Watchmen”. I like the idea of an alternative history, a bizarre team of retired masked heroes (can’t really call them superheroes) trying to save the world (gasp!), a script that reads like poetry at times, humanity with a debatable means that don’t quite justify the ends, a well crafted storyline that has lots of character development opportunities, and a great soundtrack to go along with. One scene kind of reminds me of “The Day The Earth Stood Still“. Well, the reason of saving the world is certainly more compelling in “Watchmen”. And that one scene of the duo masked heroes fighting their way into the prison reminds me of the show “Matrix”. The kind of class and style, full of fascinating moves. It’s been a while since I’ve felt that way. At the end of the show, I turned to TK and asked if in the comic book, these masked heroes are so powerful, he said no. Interesting. I was told though the film is a pretty faithful adaptation of the comic book.

So I asked TK why he is not jumping off the chair. I like his reply. He said that the feel is different. It’s like looking at two photos taken at the same subject. I am looking forward to reading the comic book and see the difference myself.

PS. I have a strange feeling that I did dream of writing this review years ago.

300: March To Glory

There are many references to Spartans when it comes to literature and nothing inspires me more than a casual chat with one of the Colonels I worked with, a chat on how he was trained in the Spartan’s way of life. Imagine this, an ancient military tradition more than 2,500 years ago still inspires the military training today. And when I heard that “300” is showing this year, my anticipation is high.

“300” is an adaptation of a graphic novel by Frank Miller who is famous for his film noir-style comic book stories (such as Daredevil, Batman, Sin City, and etc.). I find it hard to compare “300” with any ancient war movies I have watched. Its shot-for-shot adaptation makes it stands out as unique amongst others. I in especially fall in love with the battle sequence. It was like reading a comic book – each shot is a brilliant composition – in a sequential transition. I was prepared for lots of blood and gore and “300” certainly has plenty of it. At times I wonder if the movie industry is solely responsible in pushing the tolerance of the audience over the years.

The real gem of the movie, in my opinion, is the presentation of the essence of the Spartans through dialogues and path of actions – the essence of courage, bravery, honor, mastery of skills, and above all, respect. Their respect to women warms my heart though I am not sure if it comes from Spartan or the artistic freedom of the writer.

The Battle of Thermopylae led by King Leonidas, his 300 Spartans, and the Greece allies – a total army of just over 5,000 against 2.6 million Persian army is a historical event. “300” has some deviations from history but by and large follows it. For those who are interested in the history itself (like myself), follow the link to Wikipedia below.

“300” is definitely a movie worth watching. If you are a girl, imagine all the muscle men you get to see throughout the movie. All of them have 8 packs on their abdomens, I kid you not. As for me, the translucent image of the Oracle – a very pretty Spartan woman – dancing artistically to the smoke of incense is without doubt my favourite. Below is one of the movie trailers.

Further Reading: Battle of Thermopylae.