A stunning and powerful adaptation of the best graphic novel ever made!

Rating: Null/10 (27 July 2009)

Let me start off by saying that I saw the Director's Cut of Watchmen, so this review is based solely on the DC. Watchmen is a film that might enrage a lot of people who were expecting to see an action film. The novel is a very provocative and very complex look at the superhero life. A lot of the superheroes are very flawed, and unlikeable as well. The film explores the basin of the world they live in, and the problems facing them and everyone else at that time. The novel is filmed almost entirely scene-by-scene into the film, and I am glad it was so faithful. I thought the film was brilliantly written and executed, almost to perfection. Yes, it is true that a lot of things said in a comic book can sound and look totally ridiculous on film, but I thought Watchmen did not have those problems. Of course, the context of the film is not as subtle as the novel, no film ever could, but it reaches pretty damn close, and for that, I am grateful. Many scenes work very well,and those that do not work in the same way as the novel work in their own right. A large part of why the film is as brilliant as it is is because of Zack Snyder. While I enjoyed Snyder's 300, it was pretty much always style over substance, with no real character development or plot. However, he was perfect for Watchmen. He gave it his 'flair', and you can see the similarities to 300, the slow-motion action, the shots, but I thought it all worked very well. While the graphic novel is very dense and not mainstream at all, it does hit upon some moments of action and thrills, and Snyder directed those moments in his own way. I thought it all worked, especially the new ending.
The performances in the film are simply great. I have heard many complaints about how the acting is not what people envisioned for Watchmen, but I have to say, from all the actors that could have taken these great characters, I am glad these did. Jackie Earle Haley, Billy Crudup, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan are the ones getting the raves they deserve. All three was spot-on from the novel, and I do think they all deserve serious awards recognition, especially Haley who has given the single best performance of 2009 so far. His mannerisms and expressions are exactly what I imagined for Rorschach. The same for Morgan and Crudup, both incredibly great. I also want to recognize three other great performances- Matthew Goode, Patrick Wilson, and Carla Gugino. Personally, I loved Ozymandias in the novel, and I was afraid how Goode would portray him. I thought he was brilliant. I actually think he gave justice to the character in a whole different way that i envisioned him. I think he was just as great as Haley, Crudup, and Morgan. Patrick Wilson plays Nite Owl II, which was actually my least favorite superhero of the novel. I thought Wilson gave it his all best, and made him even better in the film. I thought he played him with doubt, fear, and confusion, and was great at it. Also making him the most likable of the bunch, since his character, also Silk Spectre II are the most likable and least flawed of them. Carla Gugino was brilliant in her character. Like with Goode, she portrayed the first Silk Spectre in a different way than I would have thought, and I loved it. Now to Malin Akerman, who is being picked as the weakest in the cast. She was not as great as the other five, but seeing her character, no actress would ever be. But I thought she was very good. She did have some flaws, although I think it was some flaws in her dialogue at times. But overall, I thought she pulled it off. I was expecting something much worse than I got, because she really was not bad at all. The rest of the supporting cast are all great, but the stand-outs are all pretty much said already.
Now to the technical aspects. Watchmen has amazing visual and sound effects. I thought the scenes in Mars with Jon and Laurie was very true to the novel, and I loved it. Dr. Mahnattan's body glow, and his whole appearance was pretty much perfect. I loved the music in this film completely. While I did think the score towards the end was a bit too high and mainstream, I get why Snyder is doing it. But I do not really hold it against him, since the studio at least let him do this film. The opening credits, showing us a lot of the superhero world and from 1930-1985, with Bob Dylan's 'The Times They Are A 'Changin' was absolutely my favorite opening credits in years! The music put throughout the film was also great. And from all of the controversy, I seriously thought that the 'Blue Penis' was barely shown. I seriously did not notice it, and I cannot believe all the fuss it created. It was nothing! I thought the ending credits' song, from My Chemical Romance, was unfit in the story.
Overall, here it is! Watchmen the film, and I am so pleased with the way it turned out. For those who said it was unfilmable, well, they were wrong. I also think some of the criticism pointed towards the film is unjust, and cannot believe some critics did not like it. But again, I saw the Director's Cut, so I cannot really know how the theatrical version turned out. Bravo to Zack Snyder for giving us fans, and the rest of the world, the film about the Watchmen!