Who watches the Watchmen? I DO!

Rating: 8/10 (23 November 2012)

Watchmen is one of those films where you need to find a day where you have NOTHING planned, and then sit down and watch it. This film requires a heck of a lot of concentration. Being 2 hours and 40 minutes long means it isn't the longest film out there by any standards, but the pacing is a tad slow for most people (including myself) and so getting through it may be a bit of a pain unless you have nothing else to do.
I shall start with what I always start with; Director and actors. The actors in this film are, of course, top notch. Jackie Earle Haley as 'Rauschach' worked beautifully. His dark and mysterious tone suits the character perfectly. Dr. Manhattan was also brilliantly played by Billy Crudup as a very cold and unmovable genius was superb. The ensemble is good all round. The best part of the ensemble is, of course, Zack Snyder. Having loved the beautiful cinematography, well-paced and gripping story of '300', I expected great things from this film, and he delivered in most circumstances.
The cinematography in this film is exceptional. The intro is stunning, and merits as possibly on of the best of all time, and the general atmosphere of cold-war America, tainted by violence and the fear of nuclear war, feels eerily possible. Just brilliant. Every blaze of yellow looks great, every shining blue person is a great addition to the overall feel of the film.
The plot is great, apart from one small thing; the pace. It just seems that the action culminates far too late, which makes the ending a bit iffy. Yes, it works and looks great, but the execution just leaves you thinking "WAAAAAAAA... oh, that it?". Not very good considering the outstanding nature of 300.
Therefore, I cannot put this film up there with my favourites. It looks superb, and has some brilliant acting not to mention the label of a brilliant director on it. It is all brought down a bit though by the poor pacing. I simply could not watch this film twice, in a year even. 8.3/10, a noble effort at such a grand concept.