Thriller opening analysis - Watchmen

Watchmen (Snyder, 2009) is an alternative superhero film which is based on the comic book series in the late 80s. Unlike many comic book films it continues the story in modern day, rather than reprising the same characters from the original.

  
The establishing shot gives the audience an accurate representation of what the film is to contain, crime, superheroes and violence. The extreme slow motion of the shot reflects the picture-like capturing of the moment, much like the photographer who are observing the scene. The introduction gives us a selection of moments and highlights in the careers of the minutemen which gives the viewer background information on the film, and is also a nod to the comic books because it contains the original heroes who starred in the comic, not the next generation heroes who make up the majority of the film. 

 

  

This moment at 0:14 is captured in a low angle shot to make the hero - Silk Spectre, look superior and powerful. The actual character herself breaks the common stereotypes of heroes being male. She is being honoured and awarded by the men of the police force, many of which look disgruntled because of it. This shows that she is a strong and brave character, breaking the 'Damsel in distress' stereotype. 

This shot (0:41) which shows the title of the film is framed so that all of the minutemen are captured in it with the title also in shot, almost showing that this is the reason for the name of the film: They are the watchmen.The banner behind them gives us the information that they are in 1940, although the introduction uses ellipses of time to create a sort of timeline of the watchmen, providing essential and interesting background information as well as using iconic moments and figures to relate the characters to a certain time. The next shot is an example of this. 

This shot from 0:47 to 0:57 follows an american bomber plane which is emblazoned with a picture of Silk Spectre on its side. This reflects that it is at the time which America became involved with the second world war such as pearl harbour or even the bomber which dropped the nuclear bomb on Hiroshima, which is reflected in the next scene, with a paper reading "Japan Surrenders" This shot also stresses the cultural importance of the watchmen, they are classed as national heroes and represent the bravery and strength of their country. 

The next shot is a recreation of an iconic photo from after World War II. The moment is flipped on its head because instead of a sailor kissing the nurse it is a female hero from the watchmen (Silhouette), who afterwards we see pursues a relationship with the nurse, which breaks the stereotype that heroes would be heterosexual, and it was very unusual for there to be same-sex relationships at this time because it was frowned upon. 

 

This shot at 1:17 shows one of the Watchmen who has been murdered and left on display, which shows the audience this is the start of the heroes' fall from grace, that they are no longer respected. People have realised that they are no more powerful than regular civilians, meaning crime can still thrive. The next shot also foreshadows the end of the Watchmen. 

 This shot shows a dinner celebrating the retirement of Sally, the alter-ego of Silk Spectre, who was an instrumental part of the Watchmen. The audience can see that Sally is pregnant, so it would be dangerous to continue being a crime-fighter. The child which Sally has becomes one of the next generation of the Watchmen, taking on her mother's old alter ego. The way the shot is framed holds a heavy resemblance to the famous painting of Jesus and his Disciples, 'The Last Supper', from Sally's arms held out to Mothman standing at the left side of the table. The Director of the film will have done this intentionally in order to reflect that this is their last meeting and also that they are like disciples of Jesus, they are the do-gooders of the world. 

At 1:54 the audience sees a gruesome shot of Silhouette and the nurse who have been murdered in their beds, with 'Lesbian Whores' written on the wall. The killer had a homophobic motive and it reflects that the life of a hero is dangerous for yourself and the people you love, and that despite being righteous, the heroes are finite. The Watchmen are slowly being killed or institutionalised, reinforcing that not all of the heroes are perfect human beings. 

This shot sums up the overall importance and influence of the heroes, more specifically Dr. Manhattan who was changed in an experiment and is widely respected, including by the president at the time himself, John F. Kennedy, which also provides a time stamp of the time, this shot will have occured between 1961 and 1963, up until his assassination which as we can see in the next shot, was executed by a familiar face. 

After seeing the iconic moment of JFK being killed, the camera pans right to reveal The Comedian, a member of the watchmen with a rifle that killed him. His motives for killing the president are unknown, but his insertion into such a culturally shocking moment, reflects the impact that the heroes have had throughout modern history. It also gives the viewer the impression that The Comedian is a ruthless character with a deadly shot. 

The Watchmen's cultural importance is also stressed in this shot, showing Andy Warhol being interviewed about a piece he has created based on Nite Owl who is one of the new Watchmen. It reflects just how commonly known the heroes are and also inspirational to people of influence such as Warhol, and as confirmed at 4:35, Bowie and Mick Jagger (as shown). This creates a feeling that being a hero has turned 'pop' and the world is in a vigilante renaissance, the heroes fight villains, but also soak up the fame and the enterprise, tacticalised by Adrian Veidt AKA Ozymandias (pictured below in the foreground with David Bowie, Mick Jagger and The Village People in the background, all of whom were notorious in the 70's)

This final shot inspires the viewer and shows them the new generation of Watchmen, standing noble in front of an American flag. This reflects their patriotism and bravery against evil. The wall also has photos of the previous members of the Watchmen which proves that they are proud of the legacy that they have created.

The music which accompanies the opening is the 1964 Bob Dylan song, The times they are a changin' which lyrically perfectly accompanies the fast moving introduction with its lyrics about the reluctant passing of time and its acceptance. The song's tone is somber and adds emotion to what seems like an emotionless profession. Bob Dylan is one of the most notorious and influential folk singer-songwriters of all time, and the iconic tune creates an atmosphere of nostalgia for the viewer. The credits are in a bold yellow font similar to the font of the Watchmen logo and with the colour palette which is associated with the film - yellow. The credits are as follows: 

Warner Bros. Pictures and Paramount Pictures Present

a Lawrence Gordon/Lloyd Levin Production

A Zack Snyder Film

WATCHMEN

Malin Akerman

Gerard Butler

Billy Crudup

Matthew Goode

Carla Gugino 

Jackie Earle Haley

Jeffrey Dean Morgan

Patrick Wilson

Matt Frewer

Stephen McHattie

Laura Mennell

Casting By Kristy Carlson, c.s.a.

Visual Effects Supervisor, John "DJ" Desjardin

Costumes Designed By Michael Wilkinson

Music by Tyler Bates

Co-Producer, Wesley Coller

Edited by William Hoy, a.c.e.

Production Designed by Alex McDowell, RDI

Director of Photography Larry Fong

Executive Producers Herbert W. Gains, Thomas Tull

Produced by Lawrence Gordon, Lloyd Levin, Deborah Snyder

Based on the Graphic Novel co-created and illustrated by Dave Gibbons

and Published by DC Comics

Screenplay by David Hayter and Alex Tse

Directed by Zack Snyder