Comic-Con: Watchmen Footage Wows, Rattles

Fri., Jul. 25, 2008 3:56 PM PDT by Luke Y. Thompson

Warner Bros. Entertainment

The most buzzed-about movie at this year's San Diego Comic-Con is, without a doubt, the brainy, violent superhero flick Watchmen. So director Zack Snyder (300) brought plenty of ammo to today's panel, including his cast, some dark philosophy and very crowd-pleasing visuals.

"People are starting to realize that superhero movies don't just exist as mindless entertainment," Snyder said, mentioning The Dark Knight in particular. "They talk about stuff that's serious."

The new, effects-heavy footage played like catnip to fans at the swarming pop-culture expo—and they demanded to see it a second time. Here are the details:

Based on Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' sprawling and acclaimed graphic novel, Watchmen is set in an alternate reality where costumed heroes are common but outlawed. Like 300, it stars mostly unknowns and a ton of cutting-edge effects, including Billy Crudup as a huge, glowing-blue nuclear-fueled superbeing.

When asked about any potential rivalry with the Blue Man Group, Crudup deadpanned: "We're not on speaking terms any more."

The sneak-peek visuals expanded on what's in the trailer currently running before The Dark Knight, including scenes of Crudup's Dr. Manhattan blowing people apart from the inside, a love scene in the shadow of a mushroom cloud, and the splashing of blood onto the smiley-face button that is the book's (and movie's) trademark.

There are also shots of the mask on Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) morphing into symmetrical ink blot patterns, the psychotic Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) getting his scar from a broken bottle, Dr. Manhattan busting in on the story's spoileriffic final location, and, um, Malin Akerman unzipping the front of her costume.

Snyder has scored with an adult, effects-heavy graphic novel movie before, and reaction from the die-hards at Comic-Con indicates he may do it again. But does it gotta be so dark, Zack?

"What is darkness?" he asked the crowd. "If someone is psychotic in a movie, is it a metaphor or is it real?"

Having seen these bad guys, let's hope not.