'Watchmen' trailer isn't music to our ears
The comic-book-movie genre has an interesting problem: Rabid fansters want their beloved heroes adapted faithfully on screen, right down to the minutiae. The makers of Watchmen the movie, based on the celebrated graphic novel by Alan Moore, have been doing a good job with the costumes, keeping the changes minimal and the fans happy. But the trailer, which was just released, has this rabid fanster peeved to the point of foaming, merely by the choice of music. They had five perfectly good songs to choose from that Alan Moore used in the book. But no, they pick “The End Is the Beginning Is the End” by the Smashing Pumpkins. Didn’t anybody get the memo after Corgan formed Zwan? More important, the song was written about Batman for the movie Batman and Robin. Did they think comic-book geeks wouldn’t notice something like that? Perhaps they’re banking on them paying closer attention to the Watchmen Veidt Enterprises ad contest (which has some winners) or making their own versions of the trailer, with musical selections that aren’t much better. |
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the song sets the mood perfectly and it fits perfectly.. who cares it was in B & R? It catches the mood of the trailer spot on..
Posted by: Shaz | Jul 29, 2008 9:51:29 AM
To bad the song wasnt written FOR batman... Artard
Posted by: Psssh | Jul 29, 2008 2:04:56 PM
I think your facts on the song are spot on and present excellent points, but I have to say that I felt the song fit the trailer better than it ever did for Batman & Robin. Frankly, I thought the remixed Corgan had the right mix of seedy and apocalyptic for the trailer.
Sometimes things are better the second time around... like beef stew, Ocean's Eleven, and remixed, slowed-up Smashing Pumpkins tunes.
Posted by: Andrew | Jul 30, 2008 1:35:10 AM
First of, the song has nothing to do wit Batman directly, second it wasn't made FOR Batman and Robin, it was just used in it. Third, the song kicks ass and goes well with the movie, and makes the trailer really dreamatic, and fourth, anyone find it ironic that the movie it was used in originally brought forth the end of super hero movies for awhile, and the plot of watchmen deals heavily with the end of heroes?
Posted by: Leon | Jul 30, 2008 3:24:16 AM
-- the song in the trailer is "The Beginning is the End is the Beginning"
--but "The End is the Beginning is the End" was written for Batman and Robin
--both songs are awesome!!!!! :)
Posted by: nobody | Jul 30, 2008 9:45:51 AM
It never occurred to the author (or the commenters above) that the use of this song is intentionally referential of the travesty that was Batman and Robin to reflect the main thematic thrust of The Watchmen? It is a book that deconstructs the notion of the superhero and the associated spectacle after all...
Posted by: phaedrus | Jul 30, 2008 4:22:55 PM
Caramel is completely right. I had never heard of Watchmen before the trailer and the song seemed to evoke a really interesting mood that paired with the images perfectly. Had they chosen a different song, I might never have given Watchmen a second thought. I decided to google the song to find the artist and that is the only reason why I found this page.
Posted by: | Jul 30, 2008 4:44:11 PM
I was rather pleased at the trailer, because it's pretty obvious that they lifted entire scenes from the graphic novel and placed them into the movie. You can't ask for much more faithfulness than that.
If you're going to pick a fight over something petty, do it over Owl's costume.
Posted by: W.E.B. Adamant | Jul 31, 2008 9:36:48 AM
I'm about the umptinth person who was not only mesmerized by the trailer along with the song but googled it to find out the performer (who I thought was the Smashing Pumpkins by the voice)and have had my interest peaked to find out more about the Watchmen.
Cullers = 2
Watchmen trailer = 22
I think someone might be doing something right.
Posted by: j5ofd | Aug 1, 2008 4:46:15 PM
stop whining u fag the song fit perfect with the trailer and it should be in the movie as well. that song MADE that trailer as far as im concerned
Posted by: z3ro | Aug 4, 2008 2:51:49 AM
stop whining u fag the song fit perfect with the trailer and it should be in the movie as well. that song MADE that trailer as far as im concerned
Posted by: z3ro | Aug 4, 2008 2:51:57 AM
The Dark Knights kicks this movies ass...Go Smashing Pumpkins! .... :D
Posted by: bob saget | Aug 7, 2008 8:41:08 PM
The internet has come a long way since trolls started blogging.
Posted by: Jon | Aug 8, 2008 12:16:57 PM
"The beginning is the end is the beginning" is the perfect song for this movie as the director said.
Something no one seems to notice is that it perfectly describes the action of the comic. Not to be a spoiler, but the comic itself starts and ends with the same image of the smiley face and the action/images of the comic reflect on one another. The beginning really is the end is the beginning on many levels.
Posted by: vincent | Aug 11, 2008 1:45:21 PM
When I watched the trailer, I felt like the song made the trailer about 5 times better. The overall mood and sound of the trailer is like nothing else. I am not a comic book geek and I have not read any watchmen things and irdc if the song was made for batman or anything.
Posted by: Ben | Aug 14, 2008 2:45:50 PM
YOUR AN IDIOT.. the song is a great mood setter.. Get off your high horse and embrace the world and feel the song helps set.
Posted by: Adan | Aug 14, 2008 4:13:45 PM
Holy fuck. You're ADMITTING that you're an uptight, anal, critical fanboy and you are okay with that?
Life is a LOT more enjoyable if you just enjoy things you have no control over for what they are.
Thanks for listing the song title though, I'm getting the song right now.
Posted by: Arlo | Aug 15, 2008 10:44:13 AM
The original version was written for solely batman and robin and is clear it the lyrics.
"and in your darkest batman
I hold batmans flame
We can watch batman devoured in its pain"
And I don't see why the director used the song in his movie. I mean what is he trying to do, advertise his movie to the millions of Americans who actually have lives and aren't totally consumed by a comic book. Please ok watchmen has enough rabid fans to surpass the The Dark Knight rampage. In fact there should be a 5 question quiz at the entrance of the theatre about watchmen and if you can't answer all five you shouldn't be able to watch the movie.
Posted by: | Aug 17, 2008 2:09:27 PM
"The music made the trailer as far as I'm concerned. Quit whining.
Posted by: lame | Jul 21, 2008 1:59:42 AM"
+ 1. It's awesome.
Posted by: Adrian | Aug 17, 2008 9:22:26 PM
"Yeah, I hear there's a movie about the book War and Peace. I never read it, but the the two minutes i saw of it seemed stupid."
Thats how you sound, Rebeca. Tune out, this movie doesn't want you.
Posted by: | Aug 19, 2008 5:45:36 PM
The song makes the trailer! Also I believe it to be an inside reference to both how Batman and Robin destroyed the Batman franchise in front of a Batman film that reinvents it, as well as a new film that will expose the world to a new title to come to big screen! Hence "the beginning is the end is the beginning!
Posted by: Mike | Aug 26, 2008 8:33:40 PM
personally who the heck cares what the song was written for. thast the thing about songs is they mean differnt things to different poeple, batman and robin was a les than....great so really? its a previewshut up!
Posted by: biggy | Aug 27, 2008 12:04:46 AM
i just checked it and the songs are verry similar, but they are differnt. the song from the batman movie is called "the end is the begining is the end" and is fast and very hard, where as the song in the preview is slow and is called "the begining is the end is the begining". I realize it may not make fans more relieved but it is a differnt song...sort of.
Posted by: Chris | Aug 27, 2008 12:28:05 AM
Music was a perfect fit for multiple reasons:
1) Watchmen is not your average comic book hero story arc. It's whole underlying theme tears apart and essentially criticizes the comic book superhero genre and everything they had become. Batman and Robin was possibly the worst comic inspired movie ever. Basically, everything in that movie is what the underlying satirical theme of Watchmen addresses and subtly attacks. The connection Snyder was attempting to make was perfectly orchestrated.
2) Greg Schmitz of Rotten Tomatoes did a sick frame-by-frame breakdown of the trailer (for those not fasmiliar with the Watchmen world), explaining in depth what every shot of the trailer represented in the book and how the music related to that frame. The lyrics are almost a perfect fit for what is happening in each frame (although Snyder did have to take out a few seconds here and there in the song so the words would align with the images). Check that out, I didn't even realize this correlation until I read it.
Also, above I read someone ask about the doomsday clock. yea, I was definately surprised that didn't make it's way in there, but I assumed that clock mechanisms and gears that appear in the trailer reprersent the doomsday clock (doubt it had anything to do with Dr. Manhattan's father's profession). This did throw some of my roomates who have never read the book for a loop though, as they literally took the name 'Watchmen' to involve watch makers...
Posted by: ROb | Aug 28, 2008 12:51:05 PM
I personally think this movie looks pretty awesome. I'm never read any comics in my life, so I have no idea if they stick to the comic, don't stick or whatever. I love the comic book genre though. I just think it looks good.
Also, I think the song was a good choice. Many people that see this will be comic book nerds but many people like me, won't be, so I think they wanted a song that would appeal to everyone, not just fans of the comic.
I know I LOVE this trailer. It's so creepy. The song and the images match up really well. It gives me the heebie jeebies. Haha. Which, in my opinion, is really cool. I love movies that can do that. Let alone, trailers. Haha.
Posted by: Shayne | Oct 13, 2008 7:51:43 PM
Snobs
Posted by: | Oct 22, 2008 2:44:01 PM
"specialy since Watchmen is a "what if" of both DC and Marvel in 1986,"
No this is not right
Watchmen was written with the charlton heroes first and then changed slightly.
Posted by: Daydaydad | Oct 23, 2008 12:56:35 PM
Actually, the name of the song in the trailer is "The Beginning is the End is the Beginning", rather than, as is says in the article, "The End is the Beginning is the End." Just pointing that one out... :)
Posted by: beth | Oct 26, 2008 6:01:50 PM
I thought that that song really worked out in the trailer. It set the gloomy mood perfectly. Plus, Batman and Robin and all the Clooney Batman portrayals were insulting so you might as well use this great song on something worth while!
Posted by: Bernie | Nov 21, 2008 6:55:02 PM
I too came here while trying to find out the name of the song.
the song set such a dark tone for the movie that I instantly became interested.
I get the super-fans agnst, but in this case it isn't the biggest deal in the world.
Posted by: nerds suck | Dec 17, 2008 4:09:14 AM
Generally, movie trailers are not produced by the studio behind the film.
The companies that produce our beloved film trailers are an industry in its own right.
Most of these companies receive rough cuts of the movie and sometimes even specifically shot scenes for a trailer. All of this happens months before the film goes into post production while the film score and soundtrack is still a shadow and a thought.
In fact many trailers have borrowed from another movie's soundtrack, not just songs but the orginal film score as well. Uber film buffs will know this to be true.
Only when dealing with a film franchise will you hear music that identifies with the movie. Otherwise third party organizations decide what music is best suited for the trailer that they produce.
Of course none of this is set in stone, but that's generally the way it all works.
So please don't let the music you hear in a trailer set off alarms for you to think that the final cut won't stay true to the source material.
Posted by: Cozzars | Jan 14, 2009 11:12:10 AM
worst msuic form watchmen trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOqeSuaKDgE
Posted by: Application87 | Jan 23, 2009 9:12:21 AM
many of these ridiculous comments make me laugh.
It's a frakkin song that fits well with the trailer for an amazing film that many people spent years making.
Watchmen was a great graphic novel when we read it over a dozen years ago.. and the producers have fought hard to preserve it's integrity.
Those of you "superhero fans" that don't know of Watchmen.. get off your computer and go read something that has pages. They are normally called "books".
They have those on computers now.. so you are in luck.
Go read "Arkham Asylum" and "Neuromancer" and prepare to complain when people try to translate those to the big screen.
Posted by: JD | Feb 14, 2009 4:17:50 PM
I loved the trailer music and the editing that went with it.
Posted by: roseduelist | Feb 15, 2009 11:36:32 PM
LMAO. "Trailor"
The music blends extremely well with the imagery. A dark and unsettling sound for some dark and unsettling visuals. Very cohesive. I commend the folks who put this trailer together.
Posted by: V | Feb 18, 2009 6:16:21 PM
