Watchmen (2009)

When adapting one of the most important graphic novels in existence to the screen, the questions that come to the fore are usually ones of accuracy and suitability for cinema. One ultimately wonders with this movie just how much adapting occurred when translating the original work to film. It's accurate almost to a fault, presenting a deeply, darkly dense tome of a film filled with unlikable but powerful crimefighters, all fighting against their own issues while trying to unravel the mystery surrounding the murder of a retired "hero". Make no mistake, there are moments in the film that soar, but even at two and a half hours of wall-to-wall plot and exposition it still may come off to some viewers as impenetrable, if still interesting. In many ways, it's a film made for the existing Watchmen fans more than the casual moviegoer—it is uncompromising, brutal, and at times bafflingly complicated. But it's also exciting, refreshingly new, and visually striking. In among the abundant nudity and stomach churning violence lies a story whose light was only mildly dimmed by the transplant. Ultimately, the failures of the film seem to lie not in the craft of the players on and behind the camera, but in the impossibility of putting something so potent and deep into a new format. Watchmen, as a graphic novel, has a limitless scope carefully exploited to take full advantage of the drawn picture and written word. The film then, is mostly very well made and the product of obvious devotion to the source, however it too often tries to find its footing in a product that was never meant to be seen in motion.

8 out of 10.

Note: Of the two versions available as of July 2009, the Director's Cut is definitely the one to see. It manages to fix the majority of the sticking points of the theatrical cut, and though it adds a few new complatints the result is still definitely a net win and a smoother experience in almost every way. Just be prepared for the full three hour runtime.