Parents, be aware! Watchmen is no kids' movie!

Rating: 10/10 (11 April 2009)

Wow, am I ever impressed with how superhero films have been lately! I mean, we kicked off summer 2008 with Iron Man (which was excellent), the comical action movie ''Hancock'' then we had one of the most visually impressive movie I have ever seen (Hellboy 2: The Golden Army), the outstanding and incredible ''Dark Knight'', the very good (I'm not talking excellent quality, but just some good, old, explosive fun) Punisher: War Zone. The Incredible Hulk, while not outstanding, wasn't bad and now we have this movie, Watchmen. And besides The Dark Knight, Watchmen topples all of the movies I named, and by far. Not only is it excessively visually impressive, but it is another creative take on the darker side of the superhero genre.
If you have seen Zack Snyder's breakout films, which are Dawn of the Dead (the 2004 film, which has got to be the best remake out there) or 300 (another piece of visual quality), then you probably know what to expect from Watchmen. So while this is a superhero movie, please note (if you are a parent), that Watchmen has it's load of graphic, gory violence, profanity, and shots of blue Dr. Manhattan penises and and of actress Malin Akerman's breasts. Please also be aware that it's based off a graphic novel, and not a comic book. This doesn't matter much to some people, but to me, it's like comparing a Spider-Man or a Superman comic with the excessively violent Sin City, which was later turned into a movie rated ''R'', and earned a 16+ rating in my province. I was in a room with a lot of parents with young children, and there were scenes I was shocked to see young children in the theater room, and believe it or not, some parent dragged his son home before the attempted rape scene with The Comedian and Sally Jupiter. However, while not a children movie, it is more than just a delight for the older viewer.
I won't do a plot summary for this one, as I am scared to give out spoilers, but I will undeniably speak of the artistic quality. The actors were not excellent, just Okay, with perhaps the exception of Billy Crudup (Dr. Manhattan), Jackie Earle Hayley (Rorschach) and Jeffery Dean Morgan (the Comedian), but the visual effects steal the show. Zack Snyder uses again the same slow-motion action as in 300, and believe me, it never gets old. The script is also good quality. It shows us an alternative version of the United States where Snyder and the scriptwriters question themselves on how the History of America would have been if superheroes would have lived with us since the 1940's. Thus, we are shown many events of the American History, transformed with intelligent and creative, yet accurately false depictions of the Vietnam War, or the assassination of JFK to name a few.
Go ahead, people, spend your money. It is rare a movie as visually impressive as Watchmen is released.