The movie is everything the trailer promises. I am not going to say it was perfect and that the whole 162 minutes were equally exciting. Let’s just say I prefer watching movie adaptations of comics (or in this case a graphic novel) and this movie was rather entertaining. Below are the Watchmen:
From upper left: The Comedian, Rorschach, Silk Spectre II
Lower left: Nite Owl II, Ozymandias, Dr. Manhattan
It is the 1980s, alternate world. Everything starts with the death of The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Or let’s say everything restarts. When the former “superhero” is murdered, Rorschach develops the theory that someone might be after the whole gang. Adrian Veidt (Matthew Goode) finds the idea ridiculous- he has made his secret identity as Ozymandias public knowledge and is living his life out in the open as a well-respected, multi-billionaire businessman. His partner in most matters is Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup)- who has turned into a blue-skinned man- with some interesting powers; due to a lab accident. He also happens to be the only Watchman with superhuman powers. He is not very concerned either. The world has some other serious issues- like the possibility of Russia going into atomic war against the United States. Silk Spectre II (Malin Akerman) – his girlfriend- does not share the cold-bloodedness. Also sick and tired of Manhattan’s apathy, she finds comfort in the friendship of Nite Owl II (Patrick Wilson)…
Just like any other movie, I favor some characters over the others. The character I enjoyed watching the most was definitely Rorschach (played by Jackie Earle Haley). With the namesake inkblot test patterned mask, his average built (becomes obvious how much smaller he is during the prison scenes). He fights well, he keeps a diary that we hear the entries of, offers his dark points of view on life. Yet he has the best storylines and he can more than take care of himself when in trouble.
The Comedian ( played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan) plays a crucial role in the movie – we get to see a lot of him through flashbacks and notice actions that are borderline psychotic- he can kill innocent people just because they get on his nerves, for instance. You can’t really tell what this guy is doing in a team that aims to protect people…This personality adds up to the dark atmosphere. His morals and motives are very to hard to get…
While Dr. Manhattan has the most interesting backstory and some really cool lines, his apathy and figure start stalling the movie after a while.
Although we see a lot of the Night Owl II, we don’t really get to know him. Nor we care about Silk Spectre. Somethings feel missing. Somethings are left without explanation and that part of the story doesn’t make sense. You will know what I mean when you see Ozzy’s “pet”. I for one am on the lookout for the director’s cut. Still, I wouldn’t mind a sequel. It might be flawed, but it is damned good entertainment.
The movie has many flashbacks that involve the past of the watchmen, and the “superheroes” that came before them…