In the comics, I imagined Veidt as a handsome Robert Redford type. He's supposed to good-looking and approachable. So it's a shocker when it turns out that the more classic superhero type is the ultimate bad guy.
In the film, he's this thin, cold, aloof billionaire ... it's a really strange change to the character.
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I understand what you mean about him having more of a Robert Redford look in the g/n, although there are a lot of women who consider Matthew Goode very good-looking.
All for a box of chocolates...
I don't think it's a question of him being attractive, it's the type of attractive. He has a very stern, high fashion type look, while RR is a much more inviting, likeable type handsome. RR is sort of a dated reference btw, just seems sorta random.
shareRR is sort of a dated reference
okay replace him with Chris Evans
shareFunny you should mention Evans; I remember waay back someone in a comic describing Steve Rogers as a 'Robert Redford type' (I also remember Spider-Man making a very similar comment about Daniel Rand/Iron Fist in their first meeting).
"A big ball of wibbly wobbly, timey wimey stuff" The Tenth Doctor explains all.
You are right, let's change that to Carry Grant. Is that better?
shareYes. I pictured more of a wholesome, boy-next-door type, like Chris Evans as Captain America.
In reality, Patrick Wilson (when he's blond) would've made an absolutely perfect Ozy, and they should've gotten somebody like Sam Rockwell, Scoot McNairy or Joaquin Phoenix to play Night Owl II, instead.
I love Patrick Wilson, but I always felt like he was a little too WASPy ubermensch to be Dan. I expected more of a rumpled, down on his luck Jewish everyman (I know they never explicitly say Dan Dreiberg is supposed to be Jewish, but come on) with a hidden badass, passionate side, like those 1970's antiheroes from intellectual thrillers.
It was hard to buy Patrick as awkward with women or kind of dorky, but he would have been awesome as the perfect, Machiavellian Ozy.
I expected more of a rumpled, down on his luck Jewish everyman
I would agree that movie-Veidt seems more obviously a villain than book-Veidt. He has this very cold, eerily calm way of speaking in the movie that just doesn't fit with the personable guy from the book (Veidt's interview with Doug Roth is a good example of how shockingly down-to-earth and likeable everyone finds him in spite of being extremely rich, successful and handsome).
I didn't see Veidt coming as the villain when I read the book for the first time; I suspect I probably would have if I'd seen the movie before reading the book.
I didn't see Veidt coming as the villain when I read the book for the first time
I agree. Even his first appearance screams, "Villain."
You are sin.
I didn't perceive him as a villain and he's not intended to be at any time in the movie. Quote: "I'm not a comic book villain". He wants to do Goode ;-). Free energy and all that hippie/socialist stuff. Even his "evil" plan was meant well, to save the world.
It makes sense that as the smartest man alive he can easily create a public persona but can't truly connect with anyone.
I'm very happy with how he turned out but I hadn't read the comic book before I saw the film. Some things are a bit weird in the comic though, he's some kind of circus artist displaying his athletic abilities...
Robert Redford is not the type a Rorschach would describe as "possibly homosexual", too archetypical and the character was meant to be more mysterious.
None of the "heroes" are clean, that is clear from the beginning, except Nite Owl I and II but later on you see Nite Owl II go completely out of control. As a matter of fact I found Veidt relatively clean and spotless compared to most of the others.
Sounds like your problems are with the comic then.
Even Matthew Goode has regrets about the role.
he's a mustache twirling villain, a cliché.
shareSnyder has no idea how to be subtle so it's no wonder Veidt came off as a mustache-twirling bad guy from the start.
share