Believe the Hype

Rating: 8/10 (7 March 2009)

The Watchmen, a semi-dynastic group of superheroes with all of the emotional, psychological and even philosophical problems of the rest of earth's human population, has been, essentially, washed up. In his third term as president, and on the verge of WWIII with the Soviet Union, President Richard Nixon has banned super-heroism. Some turn to alcoholism (The Comedian), roguish skulking (Rorschach) or resignation and depression (Nite Owl II) while others exploit and explore their abilities in new ways (Ozymandias and Dr. Manhattan). Yet somebody is going out of their way to hunt them down, one by one. Will the seemingly unbalanced Rorschach succeed in reuniting The Watchmen to prevent nuclear holocaust and to defend themselves against their unknown enemy, and more importantly - WHY are they being picked off one by one and by whom?
Loaded with irony, strong characterization and a cleverly spun plot, The Watchmen is very much worth seeing. The performances are generally very good, though I thought that Matthew Goode's interpretation of Ozymandias was a little too predictable and stereotyped. Billy Crudup and Patrick Wilson were stand-outs for me. Malin Akerman was fine, but not really challenged by her role. The effects are appropriate and never over-bearing and the script is much better than average. Well-directed and edited and very well shot, there are only a few unnecessary scenes in this lengthy film.
Unlike many comic book or graphic novel films, the pace of The Watchmen is far from frenetic. Its pace is exactly that of a noir film. Some will figure out who is pulling the strings early on, but will almost certainly be unable to discern why and how. Many more will have a hard time following the film since, like many noir adventures, its course is not really established until it is too late to stop or even impede it. Rorschach, upon whom most of the first half of the film really revolves, provides the complementary angry, ironic and fast-talking' voice-over to complete the noir atmosphere.
Surprisingly, despite the nihilism which underlies so much of the noir genre and was so penetratingly palpable during the real-world cold war, the film ends up being as much about ideological conflict, duality, problems of perspective, and philosophy as it is about millennial adventure. And if you walk away questioning your own concepts of good and evil and the place of humanity in all things, you've paid attention in the open and thoughtful manner the film really demands.
Highly recommended for people with good attention spans. Not recommended for others.