PR Gossip

I went to see Watchmen last night and really loved it. I didn’t know what to expect, not being a DC Comics fan I hadn’t heard the story, and I didn’t initially think it would be my kind of film, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was a kind of cross between Sin City, Kill Bill and The Dark Knight.

The thing that impressed me most had to be the soundtrack. I absolutely loved it. The film uses a very Tarintino-style use of strange song choices to heighten the scenes and make the audience feel a bit confused or uncomfortable.

For example, the opening scene is a brutal and really violent fight sequence ending in someone being thrown out of a window. This is set to the beautiful ‘Unforgettable’ by Nat King Cole. To go from that to a montage of American history set to Bob Dylan’s ‘The Times They Are A-Changin’ has to be duly noted.

The characters were well developed and I genuinely cared for them (or was petrified of them in the case of Rorshack!)

There’s been a lot of hype about this film, mainly from DC Comic enthusiasts. The film’s online presence has been massive and really uniquely executed. I think their social media strategy has been fantastic. The main website links to a blog called ‘I watch the Watchmen’ which is totally interactive and a dream come true for fanatics (both social media and Watchmen).

There are a number of tools available including iPhone apps, a selection of character images so you can change your profile picture on your social networking sites, skins for blogs and websites, widgets, film clips that you can add yourself into and social bookmarking.

It’s great to see film companies and big-budget films using social media to engage with their audience and spread word of mouth online. I think these tactics will start to be used more and more often, which is great news because die-hard fans can totally immerse themselves in the film and feel part of the experience.