Not my favorite movie - but way up there

Rating: 9/10 (9 March 2009)

The opening credits are pure gold and probably the best ever, in my opinion. But it's a shame to have to say this as it means the rest of the movie isn't quite as spectacular. But it's still a level higher than anything else out there though light and breezy it's not. In fact in some ways it may be the darkest movie I've ever seen. Even darker than Sin City mostly because of the way Sin City was realized in black and white. This on the other hand is a real action movie for the most part. Only Billy Crudup's somewhat distracting but still quite well done Dr. Manhatten is always CGI though the action itself is often digitally enhanced. My favorite superheroes were The Comedian, Rorschach, and Ozymandias though Nite Owl II and Silver Spectre II were more endearing than I expected. In some ways these last two are the heart of the movie. They set the tone which is off beat and create the focal point. By its end I could see why this somewhat odd movie's underlying novel was so revered. It makes some points that few other films have made and for that I have to give it high marks.