One of the questions being whispered around the blogosphere is this: Will women see Watchmen? We're such alien creatures, after all, and so uninterested in superheroes or crime fighting of any kind. Even sites I thought better of suggested that the most appealing reason to see it was Dr. Manhattan's glowing genitalia. (Ladies, if there is a shallow, eye-candy reason to see it, it isn't a glowing penis. It's Jeffrey Dean Morgan or Patrick Wilson, depending on your preference.) But I won't go into "women actually like the same movies as men" for the millionth time. If it's good, we'll see it. It doesn't need a love story, or a female protagonist (though that's always nice), or a cute guy. If it's interesting, we'll watch it. We're not a different species. End of story.

However, if I am going to go with the girl hook angle then ladies, see Watchmen for Silk Spectre II, Laurie Juspeczyk. But temper your expectations because despite the slow-motion explosions and high-flying kicks, she is not going to be the kick-ass heroine you crave. Nor will she be breaking the Bechdel rule. In fact, she pretty much embodies every flaw that we've complained about when lamenting cinema's female protagonists. Laurie is defined by her relationships to men. She's like the Jennifer Aniston of comic book characters.

But dare I say it ... that's what makes her interesting.





When I first read Watchmen, one of my major complaints was its female characters. Both Silk Spectres are defined by their relationships to men, their good looks, and their skimpy costumes. The Silhouette is only hinted at (and unavailable as a love interest, she's summarily killed off in the background), Janey Slater is practically a MacGuffin (though ultimately too unimportant even for that), and Rorschach's mother ... well, we won't go there.

One can argue that their insignificance and sexuality is part of the satire and genre deconstruction of Watchmen and that's certainly true, but I've never been particularly thrilled by Alan Moore's women. As a whole, they tend to be weak and dependent on men. (Or they hook up with each other. The Lost Girls aren't picky.) Whatever you want to say about the women of Marvel or DC, they do tend to have some independence from the heroic dudes. Jean Gray has suns to eat and worlds to burn, she can't sit around wondering if Cyclops or Wolverine is hotter.

The lack of independence and superpowers puts Laurie into an interesting and awkward spot cinematically because while clad in latex, she's not radically different than the women of He's Just Not That Into You. That's going to leave many chicks hoping for Wonder Woman bitterly disappointed. But for superhero films, she's a revelation.

But while fans have clamored for flawed superheroes, we've tended to keep our heroines fairly pure of heart. No one was clamoring for a grittier Sue Storm, no one wants a real world Wonder Woman, and the biggest flaw any of the X-Women have is Storm suffering from a bit of righteous frustration. To see a costumed adventurer who is unsure of herself, reliant on government money, and suffering from mother issues is kind of a big deal. (However, Laurie has already been censored – word has it that her movie incarnation isn't addicted to nicotine.)

What does separate Laurie and her flaws from the rom-com crowd is that she does enjoy a story arc. I don't want to spoil the story for newcomers (I'm still tip-toeing, but come March 6th you're on your own), but Laurie does come into her own. She overcomes her man and mom troubles to kick some ass, she decides to own that latex, and she wins a debate on the value of humanity with the biggest blue brain of all. If it's handled right in the movie, you should be able to excuse her issues and enjoy her for being human. After all, what real life girl doesn't have man trouble and mother problems? Some of us even have pretty weird lives at 3am. She may live in yellow latex and in an alternative 1985, but she might be more recognizable than most chick flick drips.

So, if women really do need the hook of a fellow female to get them into Watchmen, she does exist. You should be able to debate her, lament her, or celebrate her. You should be able to do the same for Sally Jupiter, who declares that being a costumed adventurer is better than being a housewife or working in a bank, and whose relationship with the Comedian is all kinds of controversial. Neither Laurie or Sally might uphold the Bechdel Rule – but women who go see Watchmen for them should be able to. How often can you say that about a comic book adaptation?