Any time you introduce a film that bears such names as Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, and Jonah Hill, you expect to be shown something of merit. The Watch, from director Akiva Schaffer, does the former but falls far short on the later, offering up a misguided story with nothing close to a memorable joke.
Written by funny man Seth Rogan, The Watch has the potential to be something great. A foursome of concerned citizens, all with their unique niche, form a neighborhood watch and ultimately uncover an alien species that is on the verge of a global attack. You can't tell me there aren't a million and one jokes loaded into that basic outline alone. Sadly, the film rarely ventures into the proximity of a laugh, instead beating the few they succeeded with to death as they chose to play things same instead of venturing outside of the box.
Sure, there were some great moments (a unique scene involving the first-ever picture with an alien quickly comes to mind), but where the film suffers most is in its ability to carry out those jokes and link them together. Rather than a full-fledged comedy experience, I felt as if I was watching a rerun of some terrible 80s show"”one that was kinda funny the first time but definitely not now.
The film's resolution comes a bit too easily and is predictable from about the twenty minute mark. Sure, explosions are cool, but they need to be earned to a certain extent. The rest of the film is filled with cock jokes and grotesque behavior"”something that creates smiles, but rarely an audible laugh. Maybe I'm not young enough to appreciate the immaturity of the situation, but its strong R-rating leads me to expect some sign of maturity...maybe that is why they threw in the completely random semen troubles; "˜cause that shit is mature!
