Where Are the Heros?

My wife and I headed to Frederickburg this past weekend to kick back and relax. Granzy and Grandad offered to baby sit for us so we could go catch a movie. There are only 3 screens at the theater in Fredericksburg, and Watchmen seemed to be the most fun. So, we got our popcorn and soda, tickets, and sat in the empty stadium seats at 3:15pm.

As Zach Snyder's film rendetion of Alan Moore's celebrated comic book came to life, it's hues were dark and fragments of the pain of humanity filled the viewing area. It was a work of art. It was beautifully and skillfully crafted. The film itself was incredible. But the story....ah, the story...

The story, (without giving it away), had NO HERO! There wasn't a single character to cheer for. The line of good and evil was so awfully blurry! You can clearly tell who you're supposed to root for, but even then, you end up not liking anyone. Perhaps that's the response to the line from the trailer, "You've never seen superheros like this," yeah, I hadn't and I don't care to again. This film will not stand the test of time other than being another filming breakthrough by Snyder. The story portraid in the movie, is one in which has no heros. What ever happened to making the hero good and the bad guy evil? Those are the types of stories that will stand the test of time.

Star Wars had heros. It was clear. You never had to think about it, or even judge them. During Watchmen, I found myself torn. Do I root for the rapist hero, the murdering hero, the blow your friend up hero, or the adulterous hero? I can climb into my grays and be okay with it, but I don't want to. Something inside me would much rather see black and white. Good vs. Evil, where the good is actually good, and the evil is actually evil, not blurring them along the same line. That's what makes Star Wars so powerful. You can root for Luke and Leah, and the rest. It's easy and you feel good doing it.

As for Watchmen, I wish the integrety and strength of the skillful and artistic filming had be laid along side of a story of the same qualities.

Searching for real heros...