Watchmen, and what a real hero is...

I've been having a lot of fun lately blogging with Emily Richett from WXMI (Fox17). Last night, I went to a pre-screening she hosted for the comic/graphic novel based movie, The Watchmen. I didn't know much about the comic series that inspired the movie, but it looked incredible and EPIC. (Background: It was released in 1986 as 12 issues, then packaged as a graphic novel and it is decribed as having " revolutionized the comic world".) So I went to this movie. It looked Sin City-ish. It was. Sorta. In that gritty graphic graphic novel way.And I loved so many aspects of it, even down to some of the violence. (Let's face it, violence is a part of life. Heck, birth is incredibly violent, and that's one of the most important moments in life!)(though a couple of scenes had me covering my face, for sure) When I got home, I grabbed my EW mag I had just gotten (b/c we NEVER check our mail) that had The Comedian on the cover (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) And I read the article about the movie. They broke down the characters, and the archetype hero they resembled, as well as the complete irony in the faults of each. (such as The NiteOwl being a "schlubby impotent" loser, while being a cross between Iron Man and Batman) (Or the Super Human Dr. Manhattan who is horribly (and dangerously) estranged from his OWN humanity). And then the quote, "What would people who dress up in costumes and fight crime actually be like? They'd probably be fetishists who lived on the fringes of society. They'd all be a bunch of freaking lunatics." came along. And I thought about this. I thought about how damn true that is.And ya know, it makes complete sense. (Of course, knowing the origin stories behind the characters helps understand why they are dark, disturbed, and hell bent on their brand of vigilante justice.) To know how to fight your enemy, you have to know your enemy. We have been using spies for an eternity. And the risk in getting pulled into the "dark side" are huge, yes. But only someone who has some sort of darkness will be able to "shoot to kill, and shoot to save". I'm not saying that I condone bad behavior. These characters have some serious issues (namely the Comedian, who is sadistic and twisted, though Rorschach is completely unglued, too). I believe there should be some semblance of balance, though I always want good to triumph in the end. Dark serves its purpose. This is not some kid's super hero flick, where though you may have to sacrifice one or two minor characters, it all ends up ok in the end. This movie is heavy laden with politics, and reality. Sometimes, reality is tragic. But sometimes, we all need a glimpse into the dark side of the life we lives in order to better protect it, as well as to better appreciate all the good things we still have. (and hey, I will say that in the end, the phrase" There's no news to write about, people all over the world are holding hands and singing songs about peace and love. It's like living in a damn hippie commune" was said, and I cheered quietly, lol!) I didn't mean to write a movie review, though I did want to explain some of what I saw that helped me complete the pieces to this bit of knowledge. I really was touched by this movie in a way that might not make sense other than that it wasn't just an action flick, or anything like that. It was an in depth study into the human mind, and the extremes in which we will go to "save the world". (The size of said world is relative.)