Back when Watchmen was first finished and it was learned that the original 3 hour version was going to be cut down to about 2 1/2 hours everyone in the fan community was upset that the film was being butchered. After watching the theatrical release I thought that Zack Snyder had done a great job adapting the unfilmable graphic novel and couldn’t wait to see what the full version looked like when it came out on DVD.
Having now seen it, I have to admit that the hype wasn’t worth the wait. Don’t get me wrong, the film is still great and I believe that over time it will eventually build up a cult following to rival Blade Runner. But the extra footage isn’t anything that really adds to the over all film. What was exorcised was mainly the footage of Hollis’ murder and Dan’s reaction to it. While it fits in nicely with the rest of the movie, the film is not enhanced by it, and actually works better without it.
By showing Dan’s angry attack on a gang member for Hollis’ death, it takes away from the impact of his final confrontation with Veidt after Rorschach’s death, where up to that point he had always been in control. By showing two break downs, Dan’s final lines to Veidt don’t achieve the same strong emotional audience reaction they had in the theatrical release.
