Belonging in the pantheon of famous comic book writers with Stan Lee and Jack Kirby,Alan Mooreis famous for creating some of the most iconic characters of all time. While he never worked for Marvel Comics in a serious capacity after his stint for Marvel UK in the early 1980s, Moore was an influential writer for DC throughout his career until his retirement from comic books in 2019. Last month,Alan Moore released his new book, having since focused on writing novels.
While he’s influenced the superhero genre to the point ofchanging the meaning of superheroes withWatchmen, Moore has since disavowed it and hasn’t held back in his expression of distaste for modern superheroes and their fandoms. In fact,Alan Moore doesn’t own a copy ofWatchmenanymore. He has distanced himself from most of his work as a comic book writer due to sour memories and negative experiences.Moore is also famously dissatisfied with almost every film and TV adaptation of his work,but one can’t deny his influence, both on the audiovisual landscape, and the written one.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Cast
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is a 2003 action-adventure film directed by Stephen Norrington. Based on the comic series by Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill, the movie features a team of legendary figures, including Allan Quatermain (Sean Connery), Captain Nemo, and Dr. Jekyll. These characters join forces to thwart a plot that threatens world stability. The ensemble cast also includes Stuart Townsend, Peta Wilson, and Tony Curran.
Despite being based on an award-winning book of the same name,The League of Extraordinary Gentlemenas a movie is merely a skeleton of a coherent superhero story about literary characters teaming up to form a sort of vintage Avengers.The archetypal character designs, lack of clear narrative direction, and mediocre performances all make it a tedious affair. It’s particularly disappointing when there are a few great moments that clearly prove the material could have been adapted more faithfully.
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Instead, it’s a tonally inconsistent, unnecessarily wacky ensemble action film that made Sean Connery feel so disappointed, that he quit acting altogether.The League of Extraordinary Gentlemenfeatures cool CGI, so it isn’t boring, despite inexplicably meandering on its slow march toward the climax. However, the film almost wholeheartedly commits to being ridiculous, which sullies the intention and the point of Moore’s original work, and because it’s still an adaptation, creates a thematically confusing storyline for the film. Unsurprisingly, it was a commercial and a critical failure.
The Return of Swamp Thing
The Return of Swamp Thing is a 1989 film featuring the heroic Swamp Thing facing off against the nefarious Dr. Arcane. The latter runs a laboratory filled with genetically mutated creatures and becomes fixated on Heather Locklear’s character.
Wes Craven’s firstSwamp Thingfilm came out in 1982, and Moore took charge of the character in the comicsonly a few months later. Moore’s run is widely considered to have crafted the best version of the character. So, when Jim Wynorski started working on the sequel, he largely based the character on Moore’s version. Unfortunately, he upped the campiness of the narrative and the character’s disposition, which makes the film a poor adaptation of the source material, seeming to have missed the point altogether.
There’s potential for a strong horror comedy, but there’s no balance.
As a spoofy comedy,The Return of Swamp Thingis a highly entertaining watch, but the painful awareness that that’s not how Moore intended it to be puts a dampener on the experience. Moreover, the goofiness clashes with the narrative itself when the themes deserve more serious treatment. There’s potential for a strong horror comedy, but there’s no balance. The supposed monster just becomes the subject of gags, to the point that the filmmaking feels incompetent. However, without the context of Moore’s work, and when in the mood for a trashy comedy, the film is a fun watch.
Batman: The Killing Joke
Batman: The Killing Joke, directed by Sam Liu, explores Batman’s pursuit of the escaped Joker, who targets the Gordon family to demonstrate a twisted parallel to his own descent into madness. The animated film delves into the psychological battle between Batman and his notorious adversary.
The source material forBatman: The Killing Jokeis highly divisive.Due to the extremely violent nature of the Joker’s attack on Barbara, which paralyzes her, the book itself isn’t well-received. Moore himself publicly disavowed it, saying it’s “far too violent and sexualized a treatment for a simplistic comic book character like Batman and a regrettable misstep” on his part (viaGoodreads.com). So, naturally, when it finally got adapted into a film, the film divided viewers as well.
Despite Mark Hamill coming out of voice-acting retirement to portray the Joker and reuniting with Kevin Conroy, the film simply doesn’t hold up. Along with the flaws of the source material, it adds a random romantic arc that seems forcefully introduced to increase the emotional stakes, but instead just distracts from the main plot. There’s even unnecessary context added to Barbara’s character in the form of an infamously bad prologue that makes what happens to her later in the story even more problematic. If not for Hamill’s return, it wouldn’t be worth watching.
From Hell
From Hell was released in 2001 and was directed by The Hughes Brothers. It’s based on the From Hell graphic novel by Eddie Campbell and Alan Moore and stars Johnny Depp and Heather Graham. The plot revolves around a detective that’s investigating the Jack the Ripper murders and becomes romantically interested in one of his possible victims.
Based on the graphic novel series of the same name which uses the character of Jack the Ripper to create a sinister mystery thriller,From Hellis a considerably underrated adaptation of an Alan Moore work.It’s not a bad film, using a dark color palette and horror-esque cinematography to create an ominous atmosphere where Jack the Ripper’s persona becomes a force to be reckoned with. However, the execution of the storytelling is mediocre at best. The plot meanders unnecessarily before reaching its conclusion, with storylines that aren’t properly fleshed out.
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The source material is grittier and substantially more fascinating because it uses the perspective of the killer. Johnny Depp as the detective protagonist delivers a compelling performance, but the uneven tone can’t be overlooked, even thoughFrom Helldoes an excellent job of rendering the gothic atmosphere at points. The poor editing choices don’t help its case as it looks like a product of the 2000s in a bad way, using cuts and transitions found in music videos of the time.
Watchmen
Watchmen, directed by Zack Snyder, is a gritty adaptation of the graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. The film takes place in an alternate 1985 America during the Cold War, following a group of retired superheroes investigating the murder of one of their own. As they delve deeper, they uncover a complex conspiracy that could alter the course of history. The ensemble cast includes Jackie Earle Haley, Patrick Wilson, and Malin Akerman.
Watchmenis arguably the most divisive of Zack Snyder’s films. Fans claim it’s perfect and captures the exact essence of Moore’s work. On the other hand, those who dislike the film claim Snyder missed the point and misrepresented the characters, ruining the thematic journey of Moore’s book. Moore himself stays detached from not just the film, but its source material as well, and has, on multiple occasions, voiced his dissatisfaction with the adaptation. It’s interesting to note thatZack Snyder is proudest ofWatchmen, among his comic book movies.
The main character, who’s supposed to be perceived as villainous, becomes a cool superhero, whose biggest flaw is that he’s only a Batman wannabe who can’t do everything Batman can.
While on a visual level,Watchmenfeels like a comic book come to life, with the locations lit and framed exactly as they are in the source material, the characterization is so flawed that the message gets lost in translation. The main character, who’s supposed to be perceived as villainous, becomes a cool superhero, whose biggest flaw is that he’s only a Batman wannabe who can’t do everything Batman can. Originally, he was a racist, misogynist, and homophobic Nazi, but Snyder portrays him as a competent fighter worth idolizing and romanticizing, thus sending the wrong message to viewers.
Constantine
Constantine follows John Constantine, a chain-smoking occult detective who has journeyed to Hell and back. Released in 2005, the film pairs him with a policewoman to investigate her twin sister’s mysterious suicide, taking them into a hidden world of demons and angels in modern Los Angeles.
Based on the character of the same name, created by Moore,Constantinefeels like the perfect transitionary film for Keanu Reeves betweenThe MatrixandJohn Wick.He’s charismatic as ever, committed to the titular character’s charming shadiness, which works in perfect sync with the anxious disposition of Rachel Weisz, who shares amazing chemistry with Reeves. An added bonus is Tilda Swinton as a non-binary angel. The gothic atmosphere in a supposed underground world in LA where spirits and supernatural beings reside provides the perfect setting for Constantine’s adventure.
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The tonal inconsistency, a consequence ofConstantineattempting to simultaneously be a gothic horror and a superhero action film, is a major flaw. However, despite the trappings of the usual superhero film, where the characters are never fleshed out enough, and the action takes precedence over the emotional core, the atmosphere and the superior performances make it a fun movie to watch. The pacing issue wherein most of the film feels like a slow burn, but the ending feels rushed because the lore is never well explored, is also hard to overlook at times.
Swamp Thing
Swamp Thing follows CDC researcher Abby Arcane as she delves into a mysterious swamp-born virus in a small Louisiana town. Her investigation reveals the swamp’s mystical secrets, and as horrors emerge, the town’s safety is jeopardized. Released in 2019, the film blends elements of science fiction and horror.
While Wes Craven’s film received a lukewarm reaction, and the sequel is generally more disliked, the one-seasonSwamp Thingshow received critical acclaim on its release, garnering a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It largely follows the arc created by Moore, and features a talented cast of fresh faces who are up to the task of performing the horror, so thatSwamp Thingfeels less like a campy, scare-filled ride through a dark setting and more like a bonafide monster horror show. Strictly speaking, due to the protagonist’s backstory, it could even be classified as a body horror show.
Swamp Thingis a slow-burn show that spends time with the main character, exploring the emotional ramifications of their powers, and fleshing out the world he lives in so that the horror feels more authentic. Unfortunately, due to the cancelation of the show, the writers were forced to wrap the story up with not enough episodes at hand. Thus, the last few episodes of the show feel disappointingly rushed. Its atmosphere, the compelling performances, and the visual design of the monster and the location are all factors why it deserved a renewal, but that wasn’t to be.
Arguably the most popular adaptation of an Alan Moore story, James McTeigue’sV for Vendetta, starring Hugo Weaving as the titular V, is a dystopian action thriller. Possibly the most traditional superhero that Moore has created, V certainly has extreme methods of dealing with corruption, but the nearly Draconic regime created by the corrupt government in this fictional world, makes his actions seem justified. Decidedly political,the film leans into Moore’s creative choiceto design his anarchist hero using Guy Fawkes as inspiration.
V for Vendettafeatures attentive worldbuilding that fleshes out the nature and extent of V’s mission and provides the story with the perfect politically charged backdrop necessary to drive home the message about the consequences of inaction in the face of oppression. Satirical and endlessly quotable, it personifies rebellion through the character of V, who represents the collective anxieties of people living under a fascist government.Alan Moore intended to create a relatable worldby featuring everyday people as villains and inaction as the ultimate weapon of fascism.
Set in an alternate history where superheroes emerged in the 20th century, the series explores themes of racial tension and political intrigue. Following the events in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a detective named Angela Abar uncovers a conspiracy involving masked vigilantes, the legacy of the original Watchmen, and a cult-like organization aiming to seize power. The narrative intertwines past and present, revealing deep-seated secrets and societal issues.
The most successful and critically acclaimed Alan Moore adaptation,Damon Lindelof’s one-season showWatchmenavoids the pitfalls of Snyder’s flawed film by being a sequel to Moore’s comic book of the same name.While iconicWatchmencharacters do appear in the show, they aren’t the protagonists, and this way, it doesn’t risk messing up their characterization or seemingly promoting the wrong messages. If Moore hadn’t already detached himself fromWatchmen, he would perhaps have enjoyed the show.
Watchmenwas nominated for 26 Primetime Emmy Awards in 2020, and won in 11 of those categories.
As a story about the antagonistic behavioral patterns of so-called superheroes,Watchmentakes an unflinching look at white supremacism. The social commentary, as Moore intended, isn’t confused by romanticism. Instead of focusing on presenting the characters as cool, the show uses a gritty world design to question the motivations and actions of superheroes. Series creator Lindelof announced his departure from the show in 2019, which led to its cancelation, and he maintains that he doesn’t have any more stories to tell in the world. Yet he can rest assured that he created the bestAlan Mooreadaptation yet.
Alan Moore
Discover the latest news and filmography for Alan Moore, known for V for Vendetta and Watchmen.
