It’s another superhero movie that does have something unique to offer. This movie belongs to the class of movies that offer a different experience for each individual viewer. You may like it or you may not like it! However it’s a remarkably well made movie considering the intricacies of the plot. The foreboding and dark atmosphere of the comic series is very effectively simulated for the big screen!
Credit must go to Jack Snyder for attempting something that was termed "undoable" around 10 years back. The makers of this movie had two options: either to remain true to the comic series or adapt the script for the big screen by incorporating suitable changes. They chose the former, which was a good news for the comic series fans. But downside of this was that the movie doesn’t always has a fluid transition between sequences. The sequences shift in and out of flashbacks on a regular basis. The atmosphere feels oppressive at times as the movie drags on. As in many other cases here also we can safely conclude the graphic novel is indeed better than the movie!
However I’ll still recomment this as a movie to watch. One reason is Rorschach(Jackie Earle Haley) the central character of the movie! Brilliantly crafted along with his trademark transcendent mask and all, Rorschach is a masked vigilante who carries on crimefighting even after the US govt outlaws vigilantism. No one knows his identity, no one has ever seen his face.
Watchmen is set in the cold war era, where US and the Soviets are each striving to attain superiority over the other. And the US gets an upperhand when a freak nuclear accident turns Dr. Jon Osterman(Billy Crudup) a watchmaker turned scientist(Remember Sylar in the TV series Heroes?) into Dr. Manhattan, a superhuman being who can directly manipulate the quantum reality, and can see simultaneously into past, present and future. The sequence where Dr. Manhattan creates his own private world on mars is a treat to watch. Dr. Manhattan is the only character with real superpowers in the movie. The other superheroes like *the Comedian, Night Owl, Silk Spectre, Ozymandias and Rorschach *are normal human beings.
Because of the US govt outlawed vigilantism, most of the freelance superheroes quit crimefighting. Only ones still active are the Comedian and Dr. Manhattan, both of whom work for the government, and Rorschach who is an outlaw. Many of the masked heroes suffering behavioral disorders, sickness, old age and death, this movie offers a very believable description of the problems that might arise when anyone decides to do crimefighting as a masked vigilante!
The movie starts with the murder of a veteran masked man the Comedian. Rorshach, himself a wanted man, investigates the murder and comes to the conclusion that somebody is trying to kill the masked heroes. He tries to get in touch with others, of which only a few active members are left, but they don’t take him seriously. Undeterred he carries on when a turn of events lead to New York being destroyed by a nuclear explosion. His quest takes him to fierce cold terrain of Antarctica where the extraordinary plot is reavealed. The twists in the movie are good and if you’re watching the movie with an open mind you are going to enjoy the movie!