A truly amazing, challenging work of art

Rating: 9/10 (16 November 2009)

Watchmen is a truly excellent movie on almost every level, from character development, to political and social commentary, and it's as visually amazing as it is thoughtful and moving. Any movie that can hold one's attention for 2 1/2 to 3 hours without becoming boring for one second... now that is something truly special. I was constantly engrossed and almost every scene has something edifying and thought-provoking, both in dialogue and in subtext. There are many layers and each has a purpose in the end, making for a near-perfect screenplay.
The cast all shine in their roles. Some people say Malin Akerman can't act, but I think she did a pretty good job in this movie. Jackie Earle Haley is perfect as Rorschach, being both menacing and darkly funny. I also loved Matthew Goode as Ozymandius, who is in many ways the tragic hero of the story. Jeffrey Dean Morgan has less screen time than the rest of the cast, but succeeds greatly in bringing to life the complexities of the Comedian. The plot is too complicated to go into, but every character is developed very well, each with their own flaws and moral ambiguity. The scenes added to the Ultimate Cut DVD also flesh out more the characters of Hollis Mason and Sally Jupiter, and the animated Tales of the Black Freighter is both frightening and symbolic, and gives a whole new angle to the inner thought process of the film.
Ideas like moral relativism and objectivism, determinism and nihilism are explored in a really interesting way in the development of the characters. On an entirely different level, the story is a commentary on utilitarianism and deontology. (If you don't understand these terms, I'd suggest a quick trip to Wikipedia.) The philosophical nature of the story makes it less action based and more of a character piece. It works because it has brains and heart and doesn't try to be a typical Hollywood comic book movie. The story is dense and if you can't digest it all the first time around, multiple viewings will be very rewarding.
The fight scenes are fantastic, and the whole film is incredibly cinematic. The computer visuals aren't perfect but they are amazing to look at, along with the cinematography inspired directly by the graphic novel. Zack Snyder's sense of style doesn't go into CGI overload like Sin City or even 300, but keeps things fairly realistic and balanced. They also use a very unique color palette that brings a natural mood to the sets, like a perfect mixture of reality and fantasy. There is a lot of slo-mo but it all works to add tension to the fight scenes. The soundtrack is great as well, with classics like The Sound of Silence and 99 Red Balloons making each scene resonate as if the film had a beating heart.
Sometimes good isn't good, and evil isn't evil. Passion and judgement can be destructive, and maybe having enemies keeps us sane. Goodness can come out of chaos, and failure can be victory. The ends may justify the means, but only if you believe that there is an 'end'. I love this film because there's so many messages and so much to think about, that you can watch it again and again and see new things each time. And most importantly, I understood it without knowing much about the comics.
I recently read the comic, and although the film is just slightly less thought-provoking, Snyder did an incredibly faithful job of adapting the characters, themes and settings into a concise but still deep package. I don't think anyone else could have done a better job with this material.