A New Kind of Superhero Movie

Rating: 9/10 (17 July 2009)

I must admit, I really wasn't expecting this. I had anticipated seeing yet another "superhero movie" and being visually entertained for a couple hours, but this adaptation of the allegedly legendary graphic novel Watchmen far exceeded my initial expectations. David Hayter, who last wrote the first two X-Men movies, really outdid himself in writing this epic 160-minute film.
Set in the 1980s, Watchmen focuses on a handful of superheroes whose servitude to the world neither seems wanted nor necessary, with the exception of the enigmatic and omnipotent Dr. Manhattan. When one of the Watchmen is murdered at the beginning of the movie, it sets the stage for a jam-packed tale centered around questions of revenge and the human condition. Unlike other superhero movies I've seen in the past, not only do you have dazzling special effects and a multitude of action sequences, but the accompaniment of blood, gore, nudity, sex, and swearing. This, coupled with the dark imagery pervading the film, does a fantastic job of making the movie an adult feature, rather than a just torrent of guys and girls in tights kicking each others' butts. Heavily emotive and extremely interesting flashbacks show the history behind the characters if you, like me, am not aware of the details behind the graphic novel (which I believe gave me a distinct advantage).
The plot gives the feeling of a true crime type of movie, which further allows one to view the story as more of a tragedy than a simple action movie. The acting is particularly well done, and I was pleasantly surprised to see Jackie Earle Haley as one of the main characters (his last performance that I saw in Little Children made this role even more unexpected). The aforementioned special effects, though fantastic, don't overshadow the movie itself, and the mysterious orchestral score adds suspense and trepidation. To further the impression of a dark drama set in the past, the score is peppered with songs from Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, Jimi Hendrix, and others. Though the movie was nearly three hours long, I was never bored and yet was consciously aware of its length.
All in all, I hope (and believe) that Watchmen will open the door for more mature and adult-themed superhero films with R ratings, and being the first one of its kind, does a darn good job of setting the bar for those of its kind yet to come. If you're looking for superhero action mixed with Dark Knight-styled imagery and lots of extras, you simply can't get any better than this.