Some Belated Batman-Watchmen Thoughts

- One of my favorite parts of the Watchmen preview is the scene with the Owlship aka "Archie" rising from the water. For some reason it gives me irrational hope for a Blue Beetle movie. (After all, the two Nite Owls were based on Ted Kord and Dan Garrett.)

- Shouldn't the second Silk Spectre's costume contain, oh, I don't know, silk?

- Should they be showing such a big final spoiler like that in the trailer? (Those of you who have both read the book and seen the trailer will know what I'm talking about.)

- I was surprised when I read that Carla Gugino (Silk Spectre I) and Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Comedian) were going to be the ones in the assault scene. While I consider Gugino one of today's hottest actresses, and she and Morgan are good looking enough to play younger than they are (both 35+), that scene happened when both characters were in their late teens, and playing teenage might be a stretch for both actors, no matter how good-looking they are.

- I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that Matthew Goode would play Ozymandias. He really impressed me in "The Lookout". My only hesitation with him is his age (30) which may be too young for Adrian. Then again, Adrian is supposed to be a peak physical specimen, even at 46, so casting younger may have been appropriate.

- Stephen McHattie as Hollis Mason aka Nite Owl I? Interesting against-type casting choice there.

- The Dark Knight movie itself was damn near perfect. Writers Chris Nolan and David Goyer, individually and together, have written some of my favorite movies over the last 10 years (Dark City, Memento, Batman Begins, The Prestige) and they nailed out a complex, challenging script. Ever read one of those Books of Questions, which contain such conundrums as "If you had a choice to save either your wife or child from death, but not both, which would you pick?"? That's essentially what Joker put Batman, and Gotham, through.

- The actors delivered as well. While the hype on this movie centered around Ledger's performance, the other characters delivered as well, particularly Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent. Eckhart has impressed me even in movies I didn't care for (In The Company Of Men, Your Friends And Neighbors), and he shined in another of my favorite recent movies, Thank You For Smoking.

- My only two complaints with the movie? 1. While Bale gave his usual great performance, it may have been a mistake to actually digitally enhance his "Bat" voice. While the voice complies to what the comics depict, it should have been toned down slightly in his interactions with Gordon and Dent. 2. The plot involved Gordon's family at one point, but never made a mention of young Barbara. The kids seemed a bit young, and they only spotlighted the son (although pre-Crisis, at least, Barbara did have a brother, Tony). They missed a shot at a good nod to the fanboys. (Although, considering young Barbara was last seen in "Batman and Robin", I can see the hesitation.)