Thoughts on the movie "Watchmen (2009)"

Watchmen presents the complex dynamics between the warring parties (US and USSR), Dr Manhattan, Ozymandias, Rorschach, Nite  Owl, Silk Specter, Comedian, and the living or functional Minutemen. This movie presents different perspectives from every party as if we are being told by each party how they view the world. There doesn't seem to be any true protagonist, just the dynamics of interlocking interests and ideology of all parties involved.

Watchmen presents us with an extreme situation that may invoke an extreme iteration of our ideology. We seem to be driven towards identifying with and criticizing the ideology we hold in the manifestation of a Watchmen character. Their reaction to extreme situation of total annihilation, staring into the barrels of a rifle, seeing the depths dark abyss for what is truly is, presents a unique opportunity for us to examine what choices they made. They all reacted differently.

Nite Owl chose to "live a normal life" after the banning of masks, whilst gritting one's teeth telling the lie that they wouldn't choose anything else. He believes that the masks should move on since the world doesn't need or want them anymore, mostly want. This fails him as he eventually realizes that he didn't become a watchmen only for the noble cause, but because he embodies the hero cause. He can't simply walk away and be a normal person. There's an entanglement, not simply a choice that he can abandon. Its a calling. That's why when the world seem to come to an end, he came back to action as he perceives he has nothing to lose. He is a pragmatist.

Rorschach chose to stay on course. He is a deontologist, believing all acts are morally judged. Our will have inherent value, not simply the consequences of our actions. He chose to exact justice based on this ethical world view. The extreme of his manifestation of deontology is after the world bombs, he still wants the truth to come out as he understands good and evil to be literally black and white. He doesn't care about whether the world turns back to nuclear annihilation after the truth is revealed. Truth is an inherent value he cannot abandon. The critique for him is he works alone in his own terms. Lacking any ability to compromise, he cannot work with others and becomes a target and harms law enforcement who's sin is basically getting in his way. He is prosecutor, judge, jury, and executioner. He believes that he understands what right is and what wrong is, won't compromise for anything, and believes other people's perspective is only going to slow his process or taint his holy will.

Ozymandias is a consequentialist utilitarian. He chose to think about the greater good above any individual interest, experience, or will. The bombs he detonated were the extreme ends of his ideology, thinking what is one man against millions. A man dying by his feet in the order of making the world a better place doesn't make him flinch one bit. Utilitarian ideology is all good in marketing only. Ozymandias will never want to be the man sacrificed. He is king, God, and the great designer. His kind is truly luciferian. He believes the attributes he has, their intelligence mostly, merits him being the ones who benefit from the sacrifice made by someone else. A sacrifice betrayed by a lack of will to sacrifice, a forced event.

The Comedian is a brute who chose to make fun of the whole chaos of existence and laugh until one can't breath any longer. He believes that by denying that he cares, by pretending, parodying the lack of prudent will, being an idea of what a person is by society's standards is the best bet to live on inside the chaos. He sees suffering and the callousness of people and mistakes the nonchalance of people with their true feelings. Everybody cries alone in their bedroom after denying service to a widow who has no money. Every soldier who kills is haunted by the ghost of killed in justice. He doesn't believe that though. The Comedian acts like the American Cowboy he thinks everyone is. Seeing the depths of human depravity must've made him believe that to cower behind a persona, is his most potent shield.

Dr. Manhattan chose to transcend the whole situation and avoid dealing with the inevitable extreme ends to come. He believes that since time is but a mere illusion, that everything is preordained, that nothing truly matters but the continuation of the play he feels to be a puppet in. The puppet who sees the strings is what he understands himself to be. But he is also a puppet who has a giant hand to reach most others, gifted and burdened by the responsibility by strength none other possess. His gift of knowledge and strength betrays each other. He is burdened with so much knowledge that nothing seems significant, so he doesn't act. He is also burdened by so much strength that everything demands him to act and everything that happens almost hinges on his every word. The truth is he can choose to enact the play even though he sees the strings, thus granting his gift to affect others. Or, he can destroy everything and then reach a state where he is but a librarian seeing the world through the window of his building, cataloguing, maintaining, and keeping every book there is to read in the universe to spell out the word "GOD". These are two choices he doesn't commit to. Instead he chooses to be stuck in a quagmire where he cares enough about humans, since he is one, that he wants everyone to avoid nuclear annihilation, though he doesn't care about the homeless person next door dying of starvation. He is just as much a utilitarian as Ozymandias is in that regard.  He also chooses to not stop the Comedian from committing double murder. This quagmire he put himself in is truly grotesque and he isn't going to summon any courage enough to choose to act.

All in all this is a great movie that truly wants to develop its characters from scratch and each of them are truly rich in soul. Consider this movie as full of ideas to ponder.