Rating of
3.5/4
Less Heroics, More Substance
Unknown - wrote on 03/20/09
After a second viewing (via director's cut), I've grown an appreciation for this film. Beyond the excellent visuals, there is a rich super hero-esque story that's all about these flawed characters and the overly violent alternate version of our world that they inhabit. This is an adult piece that subverts our own society's lack of hope. We gather most of this through the narration of Rorschach, who is the most noble and, ironically, the most offset of all the former heros. But even more surprising is that the emotional core of the film generates from the cynical and volatile Comedian, who has done despicable deeds. The three hour runtime packs in deep information of all the characters at a swift pace. That is, up until the final hour when things slow down for more explanations. Despite this, I still enjoyed the way in which the finale plays out. It's subversive nature on the usual super-hero story was pleasantly unexpected and I found it much more satifying in a different way.
