Watching the Watchmen

Rating: 9/10 (15 March 2009)

First things first; I read the graphic novel prior to seeing this movie. I, personally, think this is a necessary step. Obviously, I cannot comment on the experience from the perspective of somebody previously ignorant of the source material, but due to the depth and detail of the graphic novel which incorporates several mediums of communication such as excerpts from biographies, other comic books (comic within a comic) and journal articles. That being said, this is a movie review.
The movie is very similar to the graphic novel, a lot of the script retains dialogue taken directly from the novel; several of the shots are literal translations from paper to screen in a very impressive manner. This movie is a very faithful adaptation of the novel. Some elements are changed, and it is common knowledge that the end is changed fundamentally, which I will not discuss here in my hopefully spoiler-free analysis. Any changes have been made out of necessity, to reduce the still-long length of the movie, and in some cases, made out of convenience, not detracting any meaning from the story itself; essentially, de-bulking the story to fit a movie.
I thought the casting was brilliant, Rorschach is very similar to Christian Bale's Batman at points, such as his husky voice, and unquestionable resolve. That being said, Rorschach still holds his own, and some, making him a modern legend. The cinematography was breath-taking, the drama fast-moving, which, with such a large amount of dialogue to go through, never seems slow or stuck.
One thing which did surprise me was the amount of violence in the film and the graphic nature of these scenes - admittedly, all present in the graphic novel, albeit, some changes have been made.
This is not your average superhero movie - it's grimy, it's real, it's dirty, it's violent, it's pain-stakingly psychoanalytical explaining several means, not necessarily converging on similar ends. This is a movie of morality, war, conflicting attitudes and resolve where the audience truly empathises with some characters and finds others utterly repulsive.
Overall, I thought this movie was excellent. I am glad I read the graphic novel before it, but even so I believe the movie could stand on its own; however, I recommend reading before seeing to get the most out of it.