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Introduction
Watchmen is the title of the film that I have chosen to study for this assignment. The film was released in March 2009 with gross sales of $107.5M. One of the most startling aspects of Watchmen is the brutal reality of the consequences of achieving the American Dream. The gritty side of America that many prefer to overlook; to think, almost fervently, that they should focus only on their high hopes to advance in the world and fulfill their dreams. However, the majority of Americans attempt to ignore that their dreams may come at a cost, which they ultimately pay with their morality or their lives.
The American dream is something that almost everyone aspires to at some point in their life, if not everyone. The American dream is a set of values that aim to ensure that all citizens have a fair likelihood of succeeding and meeting their needs. The Declaration of Independences assertion that all men are created equal remains at the center of the American dream. In essence, the American dream seems to be the idea that anybody in the United States, regardless of their socioeconomic, spiritual, ethnic, race, or culture, may achieve economic success and upward social mobility through their own hard work. Millions of people from across the world are flocking to the United States in quest of the American Dream, which is a catchphrase that sells throughout the world.
It was in 1931 that James Truslow Adams attempted to understand the Great Depression, which was both an economic and an impending political disaster at the time. The growth of authoritarianism in Europe prompted many Americans to fear that the legendary man on horseback who might become an American tyrant would be supported by despotic forces. By seeing money as a value rather than as a method of producing or measuring value, America had lost its path, Adams argued.
The failure of the American dream of a better, richer, and happier existence for all our people at every level was, rather, the definition of the American ideal for Adams. Adams did not mean richer in the material sense; he contrasted the American ideal with materialistic aspirations. According to him, it is not only a dream of motor vehicles and high incomes; rather, it is a dream of social order in which each man and each woman will achieve the highest height of which they are intrinsically capable.
Moral Lessons are Learned by the Characters in the Film
Some of the moral lessons from the movie are discussed hereunder. When one becomes older, they have a new viewpoint. There are many individuals who do not know until later in life just how true Sally Jupiters observations are, despite the dramatic nature of the occurrence she cites as an example. Everyone wishes they had spent more time with their loved ones and less time at work when they were dying, but no one wishes they had worked longer or earned more money. Everyone has a choice; Rorschach writes in his first diary entry. People choose to be where they are, whether it is in a nuclear weapons race or a dead-end job. People who succeed are not those who sit around waiting for things to happen; theyre those who go out and obtain what they want.
Another moral lesson from the movie is nothing is hopeless as long as there is life. It is true that individuals might reach a point of despair when nothing seems possible, yet the human spirit is extraordinary in this regard. When they are at the bottom, there is always a chance for them to go back up. They have the power to effect change and to take the necessary steps to get things moving in the correct direction. Things take form throughout time, not only in the present moment. It is in everyones hands to make a mark, to make a meaningful contribution. In the meantime, hard work and dedication can alter that; the next masterpiece is simply waiting to be carved into existence under the surface of the stone.
Since characters are so difficult to keep track of if one does not recognize the characters from the book, they are presented as exceedingly complicated in the film. For Joe Morgenstern of the Wall Street Journal, seeing Watchmen is the spiritual equivalent of getting slapped on the head for 163 minutes unless youre heavily involved in the novels flawed characters, the novels jaundiced viewpoint on valor, and the other picture of American history. In her review of the movie, Dana Stevens of Slate said, Crudup depicts the anguish of a guy whose human needs and memories have been rendered all but unreachable by the crushing force of technology. Watchmen, however, plays like Zack Snyder executed a similar scientific experiment on Alan Moores beautifully human-size plot.
One of the most terrible catalysts for his pursuit of the American dream is Edward Morgan Blake, often known as the Comedian, who has been a significant figure in the comic from its inception. Following his assassination snowballed events that almost destroyed the east coast and precipitated nuclear war, not to forget the lives of millions of people lost in the Alien assault. All through the comic, tiny details of the Comedians life are revealed; ritzy parties with celebrities and violent activities he took during the Vietnam War. However, the Comedians shattered dream was most poignant during his meeting with the terminally sick Moloch. In which the Comedian recounts all of the deeds he performed for the government in order to advance his ambitions for money and fame but realizes far too late that it was a mistake and that the world we knew was a joke, later crying and pleading for someone to explain the world he attempted to live and advance in.
Research Section
There were twelve issues of Watchmen, a critically acclaimed comic book series published between 1986 and 1987. It was the earliest comic manuscript to be accepted by the general public as a real tale that dealt with a number of important issues and concepts. A comic novel for grownups rather than a mere picture book for kids that one would pick up at the supermarket for a few coins. However, prior to Watchmen, there were tales that dealt with important issues like alcoholism, drug addiction, and political beliefs that were noticed by individuals who were not comic book fans. It is still considered one of the most important books ever written by Time Magazine.
As a result of this transformation, comic book characters become darker, more serious, and increasingly aggressive. This period is known as The Dark Age in the comic book industry, and it ended with Marvel going bankrupt, but neither was caused by Watchmens poor storytelling. People misinterpret why Watchmen was so successful because of its popularity. As a result, many notable comics book artists attempted to copy the dark and mature aesthetic of Watchmen without realizing that the storys substance, not its target audience, made it a hit. Comic book authors throughout the world continually draw inspiration from Watchmens storyline. One cannot deny Watchmens place in the pantheon of comic book excellence.
In 2009, Zack Snyder adapted the book in to a film. After the first graphic book came out, almost every subsequent investigation into the world was met with skepticism and criticism for a number of reasons, including the requirement of creating extra content or the continuation of a plot that was not necessary. One of the most important releases is Snyders version of the film. At moments, it is slavish to the original series, but at other times, it takes the plot and turns it into a film, a faithful adaptation of the original. It is safe to say that this was the initial plot on the big screen alone.
When it comes to both the storyline and the graphic book it was based on, Watchmen takes place in the 1980s. Author Alan Moore constructed a fictional universe based on American dream, although the tale is more like an alternative American history in The Watchmen graphic book. For his fifth term as President of the United States, Richard Nixon is re-elected, and Americas nuclear war with the Soviet Union is edging closer by the day. In the eyes of the average American, these occurrences are both harrowing and heart-breaking. Graphic books and films show an American existence in which superheroes like the Watchmen affect history by working with or against the government.
Members of the Watchmen are vigilantes, or civilians who act as a collective to punish criminals outside of the judicial system. Despite their many flaws, they are still human beings. Through a series of flashbacks, we get to see the heroes of 1940, the first generation of heroes. Because of their involvement in the film, this group had a greater impact on the events represented in it (the end of Vietnam and the killing of President Kennedy). Watchmen explores both the past and present of American dream in the twenty-first century.
The Watchmen storyline weaves in and out of real-world American history, even blurring the borders in certain situations. Violent crime rates had already risen since 1960 by 1980, but the advent of crack in 1985 accelerated the upward trend. With footage from New Yorks streets, the citys underbelly, and the Sing Sing Prison, the film faithfully captures the periods tumult. Even though computers and space travel were relatively new in the 1980s, Dr. Manhattan in Watchmen was well-versed in both. The notion of the American dream connects even more deeply with the current audience because of a culture where people may broadcast elements of themselves via platforms such as Facebook, the film says of the commercialism of ones own self-promotion in search of fame and fortune. Using their vigilante avatars, Silk Spectre I and Ozymandias achieve success in Watchmen.
For many Americans, war has led to a rise in street violence as a result of the conflict. Because the police do not appear to be doing their jobs, Americans still look for heroes like the ones depicted in the comics to save themsomeone who will defend and fight for the underdog. As a result, they are left wondering what the average person can do to make a difference or be heard. In this movie, the repercussions of war and the terrors of nuclear warfare are shown. The same words can be said for the American dream. Most Americans wish for the day when crime will reduce. The American dream is to see no life lost due to police brutality.
Watchmen, a 130-million-dollar movie, uses cutting-edge technology and spectacular effects to tell its story. Good vs. evil, the desire for money and fame, war as a danger, social identity, and the advancement of science are among the many stereotypically American themes explored in the film (just to name a few). An unflattering vision of American dream is reflected in The Watchmen. For this reason, Watchmen is a film that reflects the (alternative) culture of the 80s while being relevant today.
Worries of a bomb war conflict were indeed common in the 1980s, even though the fear of hydrogen weapons had been around for a long time. This is shown well by Robert McNamaras observation that the Cuban Missile Dilemma did not escalate into a nuclear exchange because of the presence of cool heads. Hiroshima and Nagasaki were the real things, even if the Cuban Missile Crisis may have been the theoretical worst-case scenario for hydrogen bombs. Since Chernobyl, a Russian nuclear power facility, went into meltdown in 1986, the Chernobyl disaster was more essential to the development of Watchmen than any other disaster. When it came to nuclear war, there was no doubt that it was a serious possibility, given that the two most powerful countries in the world had divisive ideologies and constantly clashed.
Conclusion
It is true that Watchmens American Dream depicts the gritty reality. Within the realm of comic books, the American Dream has been distorted. Usually, superheroes emerge victorious, the day is saved, and everyone returns home safely. Watchmen offers a whole new perspective on the world of superheroes. By manipulating the psyches of characters like as the Comedian and introducing difficulties such as societal conformity that even superheroes cannot overcome, Watchmen has generated more human characters. For the most part, these characters even when endowed with superhuman abilities are dull. This relates to the fact that the American cultural obsession with comic strips, comic books, and superheroes has always been strong. The distinction is that the American Dream is becoming more difficult to attain in the modern day. Americans are no longer interested in reading about men who can lift a vehicle with one arm or women who are bulletproof. Rather than that, the comic book industry is gravitating toward more grounded characters that inspire us as everyday folks. Indeed, watchmen was the quintessential depiction of the American Dream in this more realistic perspective.
Bibliography
Baker, Geoffrey, Anna Bull, and Mark Taylor. Who watches the watchmen? Evaluating evaluations of El Sistema. British Journal of Music Education 35, no. 3 (2018): 255-269.
Charlesworth, Julie, and Allan Cochrane. Anglicising the American dream: tragedy, farce and the postmodern city. In Imagining Cities, pp. 219-232. Routledge, 2018.
Lizza, Katherine. On Watchmen: An Interdisciplinary Analysis of the Graphic Novel that Changed Comics. PhD diss., Lehigh University, 2018.
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