Great adaptation

Rating: 9/10 (18 August 2009)

If there is a problem with Watchmen it is that people unfamiliar with the original novel will expect a superhero story. Watchmen is almost an anti-superhero story and if you are expecting something similar to Superman, X-Men or Fantastic Four you will likely be both confused and disappointed. The whole idea of Watchmen is much too epic to get across in less than three hours.
For starters, the "superheroes" do not have any superpowers, except for doctor Manhattan. Night Owl is wealthy from his inheritance so he can afford some nice toys like Batman, but apart from that the so called heroes are real human beings with flaws and sometimes questionable motives for putting on a costume at night and going out to beat up the "bad guys". Unlike regular cartoon heroes they do not all have full confidence in their own judgment and neither does anybody else, except for Rorschach making him the main driving force in the plot. Like a psychological dissection, they all have different aspects of a superhero character.
It all takes place in a nightmarish version of the 20th century where right-wing politicians like Nixon can be elected for five consecutive terms, gangs roam the streets and the population is in a bad state of cold-war paranoia.
Alan Moore has crafted a brilliantly complex plot featuring psychologically deep characters in a world that mirrors the darker parts of human nature. Both the Comedian and Rorschach understand just how dark that can be, but naturally only the Comedian sees the humour of it. Translating this depth to a feature film is almost impossible as has been predicted, however Zack Snyder has succeeded surprisingly well and has kept very close to the original storyline and graphical style.
The acting is very good for the most part, Rorschach and Night Owl are acted with great respect for the characters in the novel and really come to life. I was slightly disappointed in Ozymandias, not because of the acting, but I believe the actor himself could have been better chosen since he does not have the physique or charisma of Ozymandias in the novel. Other than that it was impossible to develop the characters any better.
The ending was the only major alteration but it does not alter the outcome much and was needed not to over complicate the climax.
I will probably watch Watchmen again and enjoy it more with each viewing. It is not for those who want an action packed battle between good and evil because this if far from it, but if you enjoy depth and realism then it could be a very enjoyable two hours and forty minutes. It probably helps a lot to read the book first to get a better understanding of the Watchmen universe but it isn't necessary, although I would highly recommend it in any case!