There has been a lot of hubbub about the game MadWorld and how it’s single handly ruined the Nintendo Wii’s family friendly image with its unnecessarily, over-the-top violence. I’d lament about how simultaneously ridiculous and depressing this is, but I feel I’ve already covered this topic sufficiently when I covered the Top Gun documentary.  Instead, I figured I’d point you towards this article by Destructoid’s Jim Sterling. He does a far better job of explaining things than I ever could.

Speaking of accountability, I just wanted to point out that there won’t be a podcast this week-end, nor will there be one the following week-end. The Northern Geekcast should return to its regularly scheduled intervals starting on March 28th. Thanks for understanding!

People make books into movies. People make comics into movies. They have done so for years now, and will more than likely keep doing so for years to come. When I was young, I remember I would lament and criticize movies for not doing justice to my favourite literary tales. Since then, I’ve come to understand that books and movies are simply two different mediums. I’ve come to terms with that. Now every time I walk into a theater, I remind myself not to get overly anxious and to keep my expectation levels reasonable.

Having said that, I thought the Watchmen movie was horrible.

I already knew, heading into the movie, that there would be changes made to the script. If the Watchmen movie would have remained completely faithful to the graphic novel, we would have found ourselves watching a 5-hour long movie. The problem, I thought, was that there were too many drastic changes; too many important details were left out. As someone who has read (and loved) the book, I couldn’t help but feel gut-wrenched by the sheer number of plot-holes and the mutilation of the storyline.

But I stood my ground (or rather, sat my seat) and watched it the entire way through. It was like watching a train wreck: gruesome and horrid, and yet impossible to look away from. I had to know how it ended: the story had changed so much, so many details had been left out that, had the filmmakers kept the original ending, nothing would have made any sense.

Part cheesy comic book movie, part soft-core porn, Watchmen left me feeling angry, disappointed, and embarrassed. If you liked the movie and I’ve upset you, then I offer you my sincerest apologies. I certainly hope some of you were able to find enjoyment from this film, but after having stepped out of the theater, all I could think of was:

“Well, at least now I understand how Laurie must feel after being teleported by John.”