Justice is coming to all of us, no matter what we do...

Rating: 10/10 (11 March 2009)

For such a devoted fan of the original comic book as myself, there is simply no word to describe the feeling of excitement that you get when everything you have ever known and loved about the legendary graphic novel comes to life on the silver-screen! It is difficult to compact 12 issues into a single 2 and a half hour movie without jeopardizing the integrity of the story, but Zack Snyder has managed to hit it right where it counts, and make it count! Where to begin? This movie merits so much in terms of the quality of acting, set design, visual effects, and writing. For starters, the acting was overall top-notch and superbly done. Jeff Dean Morgan and Patrick Wilson pulled off their characters of The Comedian and Nite Owl II perfectly and precisely to the book. Billy Crudup delivers a superb performance as the angelic yet apathetic Dr. Manhattan. And Matthew Goode does a surprisingly decent job as Veidt.
But all of them pale in the shadow of the incredible job of playing Rorschach done by Jackie Earl Haley. His is on a league of his own, equal in power and complexity to a similar role performed by the late Heath Ledger almost a year ago. I know it is not within the Academy's usual behavior to recognize comic book movies, the painful lesson learned from The Dark Knight's performance at this years Academy Awards. But know this: such a spectacular yet chilling role as this deserves only the best in recognition. The highlight? The famous opening monologue that first introduces us to this unique character: "And all the whores and the politicians will look up and shout SAVE US! And I'll look down and whisper NO".
Some of the supporting cast are also noteworthy, in particular, the roles played by Stephen McHattie and Matt Frewer, as the first Nite Owl and Moloch respectively. All-in-all, a very good job well done on acting.
The visuals are impressive to say the least, with Zack Snyder's realization of a dystopian New York City taken directly from the pages of the comic book. Everything is there, from the Gunga Diner to the Bernies' newspaper stand, to the infamous "WHO WATCHES THE WATCHMEN?" graffiti. A few of the designs from the comic book, most notably Nite Owl II's costume and Dr. Manhattan's martian palace, have been redesigned and enhanced for more effect in the process of translating page onto the bigscreen. And while Zack does indeed use a lot of slo-mo, he does not overdo it the way he did in "300", and does put it to good use, most notably, in the amazing montage of opening credits that introduces us to this unique world of an Orwellian 1985.
Overall, "Watchmen" is a fitting and very faithful adaptation of what is rightly "the most celebrated graphic novel of all time". My only remote complaint would be the choice of soundtrack cover in two scenes, but otherwise, Tyler Bates delivers a top-notch original score. For being only 2 and a half hours, this movie has just about managed to convey most of what the graphic novel is all about: a deep and multi-layered story that seeks to question what indeed is the role of the hero in a decadent American society. That said, I simply cannot wait for the extended 3 hour cut! To conclude, go watch the Watchmen! Graphic novel devotee or new to the series, prepare to have your mind blown away by a story that delves deeper in the horrors and ugliness of the human mind then any typical superhero movie would've dared to go. But be warned: this is not for the faint-hearted!