Great work and fast pace but be prepared to be unsure

Rating: 10/10 (6 March 2009)

I am a sci-fi geek but never read the Watchmen graphic novel (GN) until I saw the trailer at the start of Dark Knight. I read a summary of the GN on wikipedia so I had a general idea what was going to happen and when I did read the GN, that foreknowledge made the GN even better, in my opinion. I remember at various chapters, I would pause and just have to "digest" what I had read and the thoughts, ideas and concepts it involved. Especially thoughts of what makes a hero and what makes a villain. My point is that at the end of the GN, I knew I liked it but it would take a bit of pondering to really fully enjoy the experience of reading it. That is a rare and good feeling I think.
The movie delivers that same feeling. Having read the GN, I knew what was coming, who various characters were, who would do what and it really did not lessen my enjoyment of the movie. I was amazed and impressed at how true to the GN the movie was. Everything is not exact but many minor differences are perfectly fine and fit the overall theme of the movie. Many other things are part of deleted scenes or stuff involving the "Tales of the Black Freighter" comic which eventually will all be on a DVD in an ultimate cut that will last almost 3.5 hours. I was fine with that and the movie did not suffer with those elements deleted. It will be a great movie with them too but I understood the need for some deletions and agree with what was shown. After the movie, some applauded but many, like me, were quiet. Just as when I finished the GN, I knew I liked it but I also knew I would have to digest it a bit. I look forward to that.
My son was with me and he had not read the GN so I was anxious to discuss many parts of it with him to see if he was confused. He said he liked it and in our discussions, it was obvious he followed the movie and the moral dilemmas it raises. The 2.6 hours passes very quickly.
I cannot imagine any better adaptation of the GN. The casting was great but I agree with many other comments about the poor music in the film. Sometimes, it really distracted. Worst of all, the Smashing Pumpkins song "Beginning is the end of the beginning" that was so wonderful in the first trailer was not featured in the actual movie. I really missed that.
I strongly encourage you to see this movie, whether you have read spoilers, wikipedia, the graphic novel or have no idea what it is about. The best advice I can give though is to have someone with you because after it is over, you are going to want to discuss it to help you get your thoughts around some of the concepts.