Yes, it CAN be enjoyed by fans AND non-fans-- excellent!

Rating: 8/10 (6 March 2009)

I saw a midnight showing last night. Mostly males in their early 20's, but about 10% gals, too. I was a fan of the graphic novel when it first came out to show you how old I am. Two questions arise: Does it hold up well against the graphic novel, and is it a good movie? Well, you will never be able to live up to the graphic novel, I'm afraid. It is truly apples and oranges. But I happen to like BOTH apples and oranges. So I can separate the two as an original fan and a movie fan. There are details, nuances, and depth that the movie could never get into. If you like graphic novels, or really good books in general, you should go out and buy Watchmen and enjoy it. I'm going to re-read it. But No, due to the details, it doesn't hold up.
Now, how about just as a movie? It is truly an amazing achievement. It is eye-popping, it soars, it has characters you care about, and best of all, it's LONG. In a good way. The length allows you to really get into the story and characters, in much the same way the long movie 'Dark Knight' did. In fact, if you liked Dark Knight for its story, you'll definitely love Watchmen.
There will be some fanboys who will NEVER love this movie, just like its creator, Alan Moore, doesn't. Too bad for both. They are close-minded.
Superman has been re-told over and over in various forms and story lines. It hasn't hurt the overall mythology, has it? Enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime mythology. There will be no sequels or re-makes. And enjoy it on the big screen with someone who loves big blockbuster movies that are NOT Indiana Jones.
I gave it an 8 instead of a 10 because while you DO care about the characters, you simply can't care about them deeply enough, ala Slumdog Millionaire. So instead of leaving the theater with leftover roller-coaster, powerful emotions like Slumdog, you leave happy after having watched the type of big film that Hollywood, and not Bollywood, can make.