Watchmen

The movie follows two generations of the costumes heroes. The first generation having gotten old and retired, killed or just disappeared. The movie starts off in October of an 'alternate' 1985, where the second generation of heroes are forced to quit by the government, go to work for the government or continue to do the job outside of the law. When one of them is murdered (one from the first generation), the new generation investigates, and starts to unravel a huge sinister plot stretching both generations that will change the course of our world.

I had heard about the graphic novel before, but as most comic books bore me, I never thought to read it. However, it came highly recommended by some friends of mine who were very excited about the movie. So I gave it a try, and it did not disappoint. The graphic novel was brilliant. It made me very excited as well to see the movie. The movie did not disappoint either. It was surprisingly true to the source material. Very little changes and omissions were made. The characters were just as vivid and rich as they were in the book, and the director translated that to cinema almost flawlessly. The characters of the heroes are portrayed as 'human' as well, being that they have many flaws, and are definitely not the 'up standing citizens' as heroes are often portrayed in the genre.

In fact, the "heroes" torture, kill and suffer from weird personality disorders. Some have a nostalgic view of the past, where heroes are the good guys, and the lines between good and evil are black and white, and finding that is not quite the case any longer (or ever was). Some are fixed in the belief that what they do is right, and no matter what awful things they do, their ends justify the means. They vary from being amoral to nihilistic to lunatics to having no humanity at all. And those lines are not always clear either.

With characters that complicated and fascinating, and a critique of society and humanity as sharp as this, there is a reason the graphic novel made Time Magazine's 100 Best Novels list. the movie may not be destined for that much fame, but it excellently captured all of the fantastic elements of the comic. So to say the least; the movie is as deep as you look, and fulfilling on all levels.

The acting is spectacular. I even thought the worst characters still did a great job. You leave wanting more of The Comedian and Rorschach. Even with all of the story lines running at the same time, the movie is still watchable and not too confusing. The action and visual effects are very stylized, and well done. Even the long running time (2.5 hours) just fly’s by (for me anyways).

I just have one bit of advice: This is not a kids superhero movie. Leave them at home. It is rated R for a reason folks.

So who is watching the Watchmen? ...Hopefully you are. And I can only hope that you will get as much out of it as I did.

All in all : )

Lives up to the pre-views? Much MUCH better.

Stars (out of five): 4.5

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