The Watchmen Review

If you go see The Watchmen do not go thinking you will be moved and prodded by the forces of good an evil. Do not go thinking that you will identify and admire an action hero that saves kittens from trees and steals the hearts of women. You will not have enmity for a villain or see an epic battle. This is not your typical Spider-Man/Superman action film. This does not glorify super powers and acts of insanity. Quite in fact there are no superheros in this movie, only vigilantes. There are no villains that exploit man's weakness. The only villain is you, the moviegoer, the collection of organs and cells that slumped in an itchy seat waiting to be entertained.

The Watchmen is a story, based off of a graphic novel issued by DC Comics back in the 1980's. It begins with the murder of an original member of The Minutemen, who were the original group of crime fighting vigilantes. After the murder, the Watchmen start to feel threatened that the attacks will continue on each of them. In the background the world is on the fritz of a nuclear war between the United States and the U.S.S.R.

Who are the watchmen? It is evident that they are not gifted with superhuman attributes (with the exception of Dr. Manhattan). They are trained fighters, similar to a Batman-like character. Dr. Manhattan is a collection of elements and molecules that can do anything and be anywhere. He knows everything and can figure out any intricacy in the known universe. The only puzzle that is left unsolved for Dr. Manhattan is the human being.

This story is a telling tale of the human race. It dives deep into the cruelty and evil that lurks in all human beings. It is set in a time of the Cold War and only through massive destruction and devastation can the world be saved. Man is his worst enemy and no superhero can solve this.

I have heard mixed reviews of this movie before I had gone to see it. In my opinion, those that disliked the movie went in there thinking that they will get a group of superheros that take down a bad guy and save the world. Those that knew something about The Watchmen appreciated the straight-from-the-comic perspective and underlying story. You do not need to have read the comic to appreciate the movie (I didn't), but you need to have the right mindset and expectations. Director Zach Snyder did a great job in bringing the comic to life. If you read the graphic novel you will see exact scenes in the movie as they were illustrated. Snyder did a good job as well in keeping with the goriness of the novel. Even for me, some scenes were gut wrenching.

I give the movie a Guilty (good - worth seeing) verdict.