Powerful on visuals and performances, deeply flawed on storytelling

Rating: 5/10 (16 February 2016)

From director Zack Snyder, the man behind the visually stunning historical epic '300', comes a dark, complex vigilante thriller based on the acclaimed comic book series by DC comics. This film set in 1985 during the height of the Cold War, follows a league of superheros: masked vigilante Rorschach (played by Jackie Earle Haley), techno expertise Nite Owl II (played by Patrick Wilson), glowing blue- skinned being Dr. Manhattan (played by Billy Cruddup), Silk Spectre II (played by Malin Akerman), and former black-ops specialist known as The Comedian (played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan); who are shut down by the government after a political meltdown. However, when one of their former members is brutally murdered, the superheros step out of retirement to solve the mystery behind the criminal responsible of this horrendous act. On the other hand, their investigation is challenged when tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union heat up to the point of an anticipated nuclear world that is set to devastate the world.
This is not your average superhero film that some come to expect. Instead of glamorizing with flashy action sequences and profound special effects, this film conveys a dark tone that makes even other DC films like the Dark Knight trilogy seem light-hearted, and dwells heavily on plot development with action making up only a minority of the storyline. This film, however, juggles two stories at the same time; one centering on the band of superheroes going under investigation of a murder of one of their own, and the other revolving around a looming global disaster by a nuclear war between two rivaling countries, with plenty of political and historical commentary, much of which is introduced in slow motion cut-outs during the opening credits with Bob Dylan's popular song " The Times They Are Changin" playing. The result, unfortunately, is one bloated plot that transcends into a convoluted mess. The plot move at a significantly slow pace and we are left with plenty of plot elements that never seem to add up. The connection between the government conspiracy and the murder of one of the former Watchmen is left unclear, or at least understated. Along the side, the story tosses numerous subplots to the table that fail to fit in with the main story, especially the ones dealing with the Cold War conflicts including the Vietnam War. Many may the impressive visual effects and the occasional bloody action scenes that upload in various points of the runtime. Some of the futuristic and fantasy imagery serves as eye-candy in many scenes including the stunning CGI on Dr. Manhattan's body. The performances by the cast are decent, especially by Billy Cruddup who plays Dr. Manhattan, which delivers some redeeming value to the film.
Watchmen is by no means a bad film but rather one that is terribly misguided. While the visuals and performances stand strong, the film suffers greatly in terms of storytelling, thus lacking the spirit of Zack Snyder's other works. The overly complex plot may appeal to some whether or not they are able to comprehend it, but leave others sorely disappointed.