She Likes to Watch

When it comes to major movie events, I like to play it cool.

I stay away from fan sites. I avert my eyes from teasers, television specials and Variety articles. And I avoid spoilers — oh, those dreaded spoilers — at all possible costs.

The reason is simple: The higher the hype, the higher the potential for crushing disappointment. Sure, my strategy has worked better in some cases (”The Dark Knight”) than others (”Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”). But it generally does work.

That makes avoiding a movie like “Watchmen” all the harder.

Based on the acclaimed graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, “Watchmen” appears to be one of those rare Hollywood beasts — a lovingly crafted, meticulous researched epic with all the elements of a science-fiction classic. The film, set to open in theaters in March 2009, boasts “300″ director Zack Snyder, spookily good special effects and an extremely talented (not to mention good-looking) cast including Billy Crudup, Carla Gugino, Patrick Wilson and Jackie Earle Haley.

Beautiful characters. Beautiful sets. A dynamite plot. All based on the one of the best graphic novels — heck, one of the best novels, period — of the 20th century. How could I resist?

Science fiction hub i09.com has been following “Watchmen” from the beginning, releasing tasty tidbits such as set photos, costumes and  footage of Nite Owl’s awesome Owlship. Heck, it even snagged a snapshot of the comic’s original team of crime-fighters, The Minutemen.

One of my favorite featurettes so far has been “Girls Kick Ass,” a look at the lovely ladies of “Watchmen.” Carla Giguno and Malik Akerman star as Sally Jupiter (aka Silk Spectre) and her daughter Laurie, respectively, and man, do they look good.

Warner Brothers deserves part of the credit for the beautiful posters, photos and other promotional material they’ve created for “Watchmen.” As with “The Dark Knight,” the studio is doing a great job of teasing and titillating moviegoers.

Is it any wonder I’ve grown a bit obsessed?

I have to resist. I have to avoid the hype.  But in the case of “Watchmen,” I really really want to believe it.