Now this is how you do fight scenes!

Rating: 9/10 (14 March 2009)

I've never collected comics or graphic novels, and never spent much time reading them. But I like a lot of the movies that are based on them. Batman, Spider-man, X-men, The Fantastic Four--the list seems endless. Movie adaptations of comics is a genre that seems to pretty closely adhere to the plot/action/special effects basics. Where Watchmen sets itself apart from the pack is first with the uniqueness of the original comic. I had never heard of Watchmen until the media started reporting about the studio legal issues. Reading about the Watchmen story--superheroes who have been cast out from a delusional, pre-apocalyptic world--got me interested.
Beyond the unusual background/setting of the Watchmen world, you have a movie that breaks away somewhat from the strict formula that has been established. You get a lot of character development as the movie spends large chunks of time on dialog and background story for the individual characters. Having not experience the original comic, I liked the added information, but at times it caused the movie to drag, particularly in the middle, and I would say this is largely responsible for the 2.5+ hour runtime.
Despite the unusual amount of time spent on character development for an action/adventure movie, and the slow story development particularly toward the middle, the exceptional cinematography and action sequences more than makes up for it. This movie is simply visually stunning. And, on top of it, it's believable. I get so exasperated with the close-in, shake the camera around, action filming that directors in recent years have resorted to when filming fight scenes, car chases, etc. Look to Bourne Supremacy (2004) for a perfect example of this--it gives me a headache. Kudos to Zack Snyder for taking the time to film fight scenes that look like real fight scenes. In fact, Watchmen has the best action fighting I've seen in a big budget film in years.
Along these lines, one of the things I like best about Watchmen is that in an unreal science fiction world of superheroes, Watchmen keeps the filming real. What do I mean by this? I like movies like Live Free or Die Hard (2007) and Transformers (2007), but they are classic examples of overdoing it. Must the action build up to impossible feats that defy not only the laws of physics, but also the boundaries of willing suspension of disbelief? I think the biggest plus for Watchmen is that it doesn't fall victim to the age of computer generated graphics. Everything looks real and plausible. It does not go over the top into the realm of the fabulously ridiculous. Unlike Wanted (2008), another graphic novel to movie rendition, when miraculous feats occur, Watchmen provides a believable context for how the miraculous is accomplished.
The same media which piled up the unrealistic expectations for Watchmen is already kicking dirt on this film because of the modest box office showing. The critics are blathering about the convoluted plot and plodding pace. I don't get it. Yes, maybe too much time was spent on character development, but the plot is as straightforward and simplistic as it gets--the superpowers are about to ignite a cataclysmic nuclear war, and a rouge band of forgotten superheroes have to prevent it. That's it. Don't get distracted by all the hype, side bars, snide comments, and whatever other garbage the media generates.
The bottom line: If you enjoy movies like The Dark Knight or even Hancock, there's absolutely no reason you won't like this film.