Watchmen: Review By Clockworkcookie

Watchmen is a sort of love it or hate it movie, as is the case with most unique movies. One thing is certain, it's not easy to get into it. I can lend you a perspective from someone who's opinion about it has changed in time.

When it came out, I knew nothing about Watchmen the graphic novel. In fact I didn't even know about its existance. I went to the theater completely ignorant of the entire mythos behind the attractive trailer and posters. All I knew was that this was some kind of stylish superhero movie, possibly a more interesting (but still actiony) version of a Sin City style flick.

You can imagine how I initially felt about this 3 hour long feature that has a LOT more dialogue and character presentation than proper action. I was very surprised. My first reaction was that it was a good movie with a great visual style but way too presumptuous and patronizing for its genre.

But as the days passed I realized it wasn't the type of thing that would leave you indiferent as I found myself thinking about those characters more and more, and wondering about what kind of metaphors, archetypes and ideas they represented. I found myself wondering about a second viewing to help me understand things better - not the plot per se (it's pretty straightforward) but the underlying imagery and concepts.

I eventually decided to buy the graphic novel instead, and that's when I realized what a special movie Watchmen is. It is incredibly faithful to its original material. Nothing was dumbed down, sanitized or glamourised to make the movie more mainstream. It is an R rated superhero movie that kids simply should not see, and this alone already sets it apart in the current industry - it is a marketing nightmare!

The visual and technical aspects are perfect. The setting of this alternate reality version of New York is gloomy and atmospheric, the costume design is very impressive - specially in the modernization of some costumes from the book, namely Ozymandias - but the best aspect of the visuals is that so many scenes can be directly compared to panels in the graphic novel. Not in an over the top way like Sin City, it's still a logical traditional movie but it was simply shot, directed and edited with great care. The musical soundtrack is amazing.

As far as the acting goes I specially apreciated the excellent performances of Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach, and Matthew Goode as Ozymandias.

Haley delivers a perfectly visceral and show stealing performance and is as close to the original material as one can possibly imagine. Goode, on the other hand, has added a lot more to the Ozymandias of the novel, and he did great at combining the dual nature of this fascinating character in a more natural way than the book portrays.

Other actors manage good enough. A special note for Jeffrey Dean Morgan who made the Comedian into someone we truly would like to see more about, as oposed to the mere shadowy presence he is in the novel (imo).

Overall I think the greatest strength of Watchmen is not simply its social commentary and thoughtful plot, but mostly that it's so visually engaging and that the variety of characters is so intriguing and compelling. It's a good movie but it's not a movie for someone who just wants to see superheroes kick some ass. It absolutely transcends its genre.