Reviews

The film shows us a glimpse of a world where superheroes identities are known to men as a group of retired heroes take part in everyday life. The story takes off as Rorschach, a costumed vigilante, learns that one of his comrades was murdered and in his investigation uncovers a huge plot to kill and discredit all superheroes. Rorschach gets in touch with his former retired associates and together they fight to save themselves and the world, which is endangered as well. As you see the narrative of this film is quite special, though it contains the essence of every superhero movie - saving the world. However, the take on the costumed heroes in Watchmen is entirely different compared to other similar films, as they are presented broken, retired, old & used.

Regarding the casting, I believe some of the choices were phenomenal. For instance, the performance of the narrator of the film Rorschach, portrayed by an incredibly talented Jackie Earle Haley, was so dark, realistic and convincing that it was a real pleasure to watch him act. Jackie's version of Rorschach goes in line with the noir tone of the graphic novel and shows a vigilante who without hesitation is prepared to sacrifice himself to save everyone else. Another breathtaking performance was delivered by Jeffrey Dean Morgan (portraying the Comedian), an actor so versatile and brilliant. Prior to Watchmen Jeffrey experienced a world in need of saving in a successful CW's TV show "Supernatural", and already there showed his devotion to the material. In Watchmen, Jeffrey portrays a reckless and violent hero showing us his dark side, which he does masterly. I even believe that Jeffrey's experience in Watchmen inspired him and helped him years later to deliver such an astonishing performance in "The Walking Dead" as a ruthless leader Negan. As for others, Patrick Wilson as a hero Nite Owl, Malin Akerman as Silk Spectre II were quite good in their roles. Both brought the essence of their characters very close to the source material, though missed out on bringing such depth and devotion as in the case of Jeffrey and Jackie.

Overall Watchmen with its incredible visual effects, great performances, and a compelling storyline is, in my opinion, one of the hidden jewels of the films based on DC comics.

Jamie Patterson's movie presents a quite different and a rather dreadful picture of malfunctioning relationships. The film tells a story of Danny, who was left by his girlfriend and his big love, and Katie, who parted from her sadistic boyfriend. Both characters meet under quite unusual circumstances and establish a somewhat bizarre relationship with each other.

With its peculiar storyline, Billboard is presented in a unique and intriguing manner, with constantly changing camera settings and occasionally odd elements of sound editing. Such an extraordinary way of representation makes the movie particularly interesting for the lovers of art films, which leaves no doubt that Billboard is not a movie for the mass market audience.

The actors of the movie perform quite well. Anna Cox does a very good job and shows the audience a Katie who is on the edge of a breakdown and who finds 'happiness' at the end. Since the actions of the Ex, played by Lucy Griffiths, have a huge influence on Danny's behaviour, Lucy's performance had to be very compelling, as it truly was. Lucy Griffiths is just so remarkable in such small but memorable roles. Joe Rainbow, alias Danny (one of the main protagonists), was the only one of the actors who performed in an unconvincing manner and could have done much more with his character.

Overall, the movie is a 'dark' tale of broken relationships, which shows a rather ugly side of people's personalities.

This final episode of the season, as a conclusion to the whole series, is beyond doubt remarkable and breathtaking. It is a story that shows the very true examples of love, friendship and loyalty, which build the foundation of the existence of mankind. The actors give absolutely their best and amaze with their brilliant performances where they show so many feelings that it becomes almost unbearable to watch and crying comes naturally. The appearance of Marian close to the very end of the episode is the final great sparkle of the show which makes us realize how deep and everlasting love can be. The essence of the whole romance between Marian and Robin (which lasted over the entire two first seasons) is captured in one of these final scenes, in a short interaction between both characters. It is just unbelievable that love can be portrayed in such a deep way and within such a short scene.

In addition to this overwhelming and choked up feeling in the scene with Robin and Marian, the entire episode is full of similar moving moments. A comparably touching moment is the final scene with Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne, when the long-lasting enemies become friends. It is just unbelievable that the actors managed to put so much into their performances, and this is one of the main reasons this final episode is 'something worth watching'. In particular, I would like to emphasize the perfect performances of Jonas Armstrong (aka Robin Hood) and Richard Armitage (aka Guy of Gisborne). Their acting as well as the complexity of both characters makes us really enjoy the show and the story. The decision to bring in Marian is the best one made by producers and directors and makes it possible to demonstrate an endurance of Robin's feelings for his one true love.

Overall, in my opinion this concluding chapter of the BBC's Robin Hood is so captivating and so remarkable that it can only be compared to the last episode of the second season. Furthermore, the creative ending of the show is a real treat and shows a very different side of Robin Hood's legend. Hereby, the show presents an exemplary way of renouncing the Happy End, which has not yet been done in other Robin Hood film- adaptations.

I would like to express my everlasting gratitude to the producers, Matthew Evans (the director), the writers and in particular the actors of this great episode. Thank you for this amazing spectacle!