Genre Trailer

Genre Essay

For my essay I have chosen the Fantasy mystery Watch men one of Dc’s darker films about an alternate 1985 where a once group of superheroes, are informed that a former colleague is murdered, so the crazed member of the team Rorschach vows to find his murdered but in the process finds something he was not excepting.

The plot suggest that’s they are trying to deal with society and how they are not be excepted into it, so they become unwanted saviours who are ridiculed an abused by society this is shown through the constant assaults on the ship of one of the superheroes and at one points this is made extremely clear when a Molotov is thrown at his ship, I think all of this is one big allegory, with the superheroes supposedly being a corrupt government so the people are going against them as in the film the are going against the corrupt ways of he superhero group. Also fear of the unknown and a faceless enemy as it is quoted “John thinks there’s going to be a nuclear war” but it is never specified from whom this attack will come from that sense of paranoia and that how can they fight an enemy if they are not clear who the enemy is.

 This is obviously not one of dc’s usual films which would appeal to the young and old but instead just the old in this case as a dark theme runs throughout this film and this is very clearly shown through lighting, there is not one scene throughout where the sun is visible or there is a blue sky or in fact they are never in a shade of light that would suggest anything but a lurking problem and a horrible conclusion.

There is a narrative that is spoken by the team member Rorschach and its is him swapping between scenes and speaking to different characters but when this is happening his face is not shown but just the person whom is speaking to signifying that he is a mysterious masked man with some sort of problem.

Something, which is also a strong signifier that it is a fantasy mystery, is its fast paced shot cuts showing how the mystery is progressing throughout the film, this is telling us how they are getting closer to solving the mystery what also accompanies this is the music as it comes in with the narrative two thirds of the way in showing a change in mood.

Many shots have bullet speed in them empathising the strength and the significant of fights or actions played out this is stereotypical of any fantasy as it allows you to take in and appreciate the scene and visual.

Zack Snyder is well known for fantasies so is automatically an icon for fantasy films, attracting an audience that follows Snyder and his work.

This trailer is very stereotypical of a fantasy with its great visual effects and unusual unnatural music but also alongside its mystery with that change in music and pace in thot cuts which speed up to be a signifier that the near.