The Watch

The Watch

The whole logo bit is actually one of the more funnier bits in the movie.  

Even after all the Trayvon Martin stuff, I found this movie very funny in some places.   I thought the movie has some problems, but the cast is very good and some of the “off the cuff” moments are funny. 

It is true there is a dark cloud formed above this movie due to the Trayvon shooting, but the movie goes off on such a different path that it is not even relevant to the shooting. They even changed the name and focus on the sci-fi elements of the plot for the marketing. 

And, it should be noted that there a lot of similarities to Attack the Block, too many for some people.  I didn’t have a problem with it.  Could the premise and the script use some polishing?  Yes, but the cast does a good job bringing out the funny bits.  I mean even the minor characters are funny.  I loved Will Forte (with his partner).  He is funny and I loved seeing them butt heads with the Neighborhood Watch. 

The story isn’t that funny by itself.  There are moments here and there that stand out, but it needed a little bit of punching up before becoming a shooting script.  The premise is sound, but not fully explored.  I think the movie should have clashed with its two storylines, the nerdy neighborhood watch and the alien plot. 

One scene has the Watch on a stakeout and some of them open up beer cans in the car.  They pretend not to have an open container, when the cops roll up.  And, the entire scene is very funny, and ends on a funny bit. 

- Jonah Hill’s character is very funny.  He plays an edgier character than what he usually plays.  And, this is one of Hill’s skinnier roles.  Hill is great. 

-Look for a small role by R. Lee Ermey:  He’s great as the asshole old man with a gun. 

-The aliens are a little on the weaker side.  I was a little disappointed with them overall, especially their weakness.  They could have done a better job.

-R-rated:  Despite the fact it feels like a PG-13 movie, there is some nudity and some gore.  The nudity happens all in one scene…an orgy scene.  I am all for nudity, but it seems odd that a studio would let this movie be an R rating. The orgy scene seems to be the only reason it is R-rated. 

-Speaking of orgy: Look for the Lonely Island people in a cameo in that scene. 

As I wrote before, the script has some weak aliens, if not undefined, and some unfunny scripted moments.  But, I still liked the movie more than the general public or the critics.  The cast is great and there are some funny moments.

Grade: C+