Not Bad, but Please read the Graphic Novel it's much, much Better

Rating: 7/10 (6 May 2010)

Watchmen centers around a variety of very human super heroes. After a death of a common friend, they all must meet up again and try and unearth a possible criminal plot.
Watchmen is not a complete waste. This is a very faithful adaptation of the Stellar Grahpic Novel, but it manages to loose most of the life of the book. The characters are fairly interesting and unlike most super heroes but as a movie of the book and as a movie in general it isn't particularly great. The only thing that saves it from complete failure is the quality of the subject matter is is based on.
It becomes clear very early that Zack Snyder was not the right man for this job. Virtually all he did was directly put most of the graphic novel onto the screen with no directing technique and then what he added/changed was very weird or just plain bad. If you saw 300 you understand his method of directing: Slow down violence to make it really cool and meaningful. Unfotunately all this does it make it seem very melodramatic and out of place. If the material he were adapting weren't so good he would have completely blown it (Again, 300). But, I do have to give him credit for how little he changed, and for the most part he cut out what he should have.
The acting is kind of a mix bag. At times it's decent(Jackie Earle Haley) at other times it's awful (Malin Ackerman). So I wouldn't say the acting is out right bad, but it's certainly not Oscar worthy. But it's not always the actors' fault, I found some of the casting to be outright mind boggling: Matthew Goode as Ozymandis (WHAT?). I found Patrick Wilson to be a little to young and skinny to be Night Owl as well.
It's hard for me to be that objective as I read the book first, but this movie just doesn't seem to get the same meaning and feeling as the graphic novel did. It doesn't appear that Snyder took appropriate time and care in making this a very cohesive movie. Many scenes seem very out of place and some are just ridiculous (Richard Nixon anyone?). The violence seemed gratuitous and unnecessary oftentimes, as did the sex scene.
So, if your never going to read the graphic novel then see this just so you know the story as it is very interesting and original. But I implore you Please, Please, Please read the graphic novel.