As with much of Zack Snyder’s work, Watchmen – his 2009 adaptation of Alan Moore’s seminal graphic novel – isn’t universally beloved but is arguably the most popular of his superhero pics as many cite the film as one of the finest entries in the comic book movie canon.
In fact, its opening credits sequence is often singled out as perhaps the best scene. Set to Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changing,” the montage speeds through the events of World War II up until the 1980s in Watchmen‘s alternate, superhero-filled world.
For one star of the film, it’s among the best opening scenes in cinema history. Patrick Wilson played Nite-Owl in Watchmen and is now rejoining the DC universe in Aquaman as Prince Orm. He was asked by Heroic Hollywood to compare director James Wan and Snyder’s styles and in the process gave his thoughts on the sequence.
“They [Wan & Snyder] have a lot of similarity in that, visually, they want to create such a different tone. The opening credits alone of Watchmen will go down in history as one of the best opening credits in film.”
Though Watchmen is not part of the contemporary DC shared universe – formally known as the DC Extended Universe – Snyder has given many of his former stars cameo roles in the franchise. Carla Gugino (Silk Spectre I) was the voice of Kelor in Man of Steel, Billy Crudup (Doctor Manhattan) was Henry Allen in Justice League and Wilson himself voiced the President in Batman V Superman.
Of course, Snyder is no longer an active voice in the DC sphere, but his influence can still be felt in Aquaman. Apart from handpicking Jason Momoa as the King of Atlantis, the Arthur Curry actor revealed that the solo film was initially built to run directly on from Justice League, though this connection is no longer evident due to Joss Whedon’s recut of the movie.
Be sure to catch Watchmen‘s Patrick Wilson in Aquaman when it swims into cinemas on December 21st.
Published: Dec 7, 2018 01:44 pm