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Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Carla Gugino, Jackie Earle Haley ... see more see more... , Jeffrey Dean Morgan , Patrick Wilson , Matt Frewer , Stephen McHattie , Laura Mennell , Rob La Belle , Robert Wisden , Gary Houston , James Michael Connor , Mary Ann Burger , John Shaw , Jerry Wasserman , Don Thompson , Frank Novak , Sean Allan , Garry Chalk , Ron Fassler , Stephanie Belding , Michael Kopsa , William Taylor , Chris Burns , Malcom Scott , Danny Wattley , Nhi Do , Walter Addison , Keith Martin Gordrey , David Mackay , Gerard Butler , Jude Law , Keanu Reeves , Jason Patric , Carrie Genzel , Rob LaBelle

300's Zack Snyder brings Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' critically acclaimed comic book Watchmen to the big screen, courtesy of DC Comics and Warner Bros. Pictures. Set in an alternate universe circa 19... read more read more...85, the film's world is a highly unstable one where a nuclear war is imminent between America and Russia. Superheroes have long been made to hang up their tights thanks to the government-sponsored Keene Act, but that all changes with the death of The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), a robust ex-hero commando whose mysterious free fall out a window perks the interest of one of the country's last remaining vigilantes, Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley). His investigation leads him to caution many of his other former costumed colleagues, including Dr. Manhattan, Night Owl (Patrick Wilson), Ozymandias (Matthew Goode), Sally Jupiter (Carla Gugino), and her daughter, The Silk Spectre (Malin Akerman). Heralded for bringing the world of superheroes into the literary world, Watchmen gave the super-powered mythos a real-life grounding that had been missing in mainstream comics to that point. The film adaptation had languished in one form of development hell or another for years after the book's release, with various directors on and off the project, including Terry Gilliam, David Hayter, and Darren Aronofsky, as well as Paul Greengrass, whose eventual dismissal stemmed from budget conflicts with the studio. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

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68% liked it

993,669 ratings

Critics

65% liked it

285 critics

R, 2 hr. 43 min.

Directed by: Zack Snyder, Zach Synder

Release Date: March 6, 2009

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DVD Release Date: July 21, 2009

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Stats: 70,996 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (70,996)

  • jmanard52
    July 28, 2009
    jmanard52
    I had never read the graphic novel till about a year and half ago. I had really missed out on something awesome. Now for the movie it was not disappointing in any way to me. The changes being only a one time reader of the graphic novel I didnt notice too much. There were many pa... read morerts though from the novel that jumped right out at me and that was impressive. I thought as a whole it was a very well done and solid movie. Darker than most superhero flicks, as the comic was darker and changed the way comics were forever.
  • FrizzDrop
    April 12, 2012
    FrizzDrop
    As a voracious reader and a fan of the source material which was Watchmen, the greatest comic book (and I do mean comic book, not graphic novel) to gain critical and commercial success, I was rearing to go on this adaptation. I had already heard a bleak prognosis for this film, b... read moreut I still wasn't disappointed in too many ways. Zack Snyder, who is really most famous for visually compromised films such as 300 and Sucker Punch, took on Watchmen with a lot more care than I can give credit for. He didn't write the script, but you can tell he had a vital hand in the production, costuming, and the direction reaks of him. If I had to say Watchmen suffers from anything it is its faithless keeping with the novel. Every backstory of the heroes, every moment of the plot that actually needs telling, was included in this. It's nothing but a faithless adaptation in so many ways and really makes the characters pop onscreen. What's bad about being faithless, is that it takes almost an hour and a half to fit every backstory into the film and still you have an entire evil scheme to unearth along the way. Not just that but the decidedly gritty and morose tone of the book seems lost among the superhero bullshit that inevitably comes with big budget films. The violence in Watchmen wasn't there to entertain the reader, but show the state of human nature and the evils of society. Here it's almost glorified ad nauseum, especially that of Nite Owl and Silk Spectre II. Plus, the ending is completely changed, probably to satiate a wide audience, and some key scenes are warped, which I don't truly care about but it makes no sense to change them. The casting was decent, especially that of Rorschach, The Comedian, and Dan Dreiberg. Some choices annoyed or even irritated me, but every person chosen was great as their alter ego and didn't take away anything...well, maybe the sex scene did as it was so intentionally graphic that I openly laughed at the absurdity. Really, it's more funny than anything, and probably that's not a positive in lieu of the circumstances. It was also unmercifully long and drawn out with the backstories taking up a good chunk of the film, which I understand because you need that buildup for the characters; to feel for them to the bitter end, but because they changed the ending and the true poignancy of a hero's sacrifice, it feels hollow. Much of this is hollow to some extent since some very important and eye grabbing visual choices of the book weren't included. The writer of the book, Alan Moore, has said that Watchmen is unfilmmable and won't watch the adaptation. I suppose I don't wholeheartedly agree with that, but if you're going to do Watchmen, you have to have more than just a moody visual milieu and intense violence. You must think about questioning your entire moral code, and what would happen if you lost it. I wish the film had addressed the actual message behind this instead of making it commercial. There was just too much compromise with this and not enough understanding, and that saddens me.
  • fb1463751009
    March 9, 2012
    fb1463751009
    Gritty, smart script, and interesting plot, this movie may seem like a classic in the making, but there are incredibly problematic pacing issues. Everything that is praised about this movie is because of the original graphic novel; the movie was almost identical with the book, bu... read moret with such a faithful adaptation comes pacing issues as well. The cinematography was breathtaking though.
  • fb701560354
    January 30, 2012
    fb701560354
    A compelling, visceral, visually stunning film, Watchmen is a powerful experience unlike anything I've seen. There are other films that depict the end of humanity, and reveal its flaws, and power. But none have depicted it like this. The complex narrative, which I may not have... read more fully understood on first viewing, and which may frustrate others, is fantastic at keeping the film from being a preaching anti-human movie. Not that it turns into that; no, in the end, it's message is unsettling for those who are really listening, and may linger on in our minds for a long while. The slowed-down action sequences are intoxicating, the soundscape and visual effects are astounding, and the soundtrack is awesome. The length of the film, and the acting (which wasn't bad, but could have been improved upon), are my only complaints.
  • garyX
    January 17, 2012
    garyX
    Based on the Alan Moore graphic novel, Watchmen is set in an alternate reality where costumed "heroes" were created as state sanctioned vigilantes to fight the mob and who helped the US win the Vietnam war and get tricky Dicky elected for 5 successive terms as president. Another ... read moresuperhero movie with a difference, it sticks firmly to the moral grey areas, showing these "heroes" as human and fallible. The core of the film is provided by Rorschach's noir style investigation into the murder of fascistic black ops hero The Comedian, set to the backdrop of a skewed history and political situation. It all makes for very interesting viewing and tinges the usual stylized action and spectacle with a nicely grimy undercurrent. Snyder's overly stylized visuals which I found rather empty and irritating in 300 work perfectly here with some meaty characters and plot to back it all up and Rorschach makes for an interesting and charismatic anti-hero. Definitely up with the best of the modern style hero movies, Watchmen is intelligent, dark and although I wouldn't describe it as "exciting", it's perfectly paced over its 2 and a half hour length. Considered by most to be unfilmable, Snyder has managed to pull off a bit of a coup with this one and created a superhero film that ranks amongst the best.
  • SajinPA
    November 27, 2011
    SajinPA
    Perfect adaptation to the grand-daddy of graphic novels.
    (If you have'nt read the comics there's a good chance you may not like its movie version)
  • neoshredder
    November 25, 2011
    neoshredder
    Man, this movie has more guts than a lot of the Hollywood blockbusters out there. It gives you absolutely no origin story whatsoever, and I have to give it credit for not treating the audience like idiots, although it might be a little confusing for those who have no read the com... read moreics. Other than that, It's great. The story is complex and interesting, the characters all have personality to them, and it has some truly awesome action sequences as well. A fun movie to watch. Check it out.
  • jarobb3
    September 26, 2011
    jarobb3
    Dark and complex, there's a lot here that I loved. However, there was just too much going on for one movie, even with the ridiculously long runtime. Would have been a prime candidate for an Original+Origins movie franchise, but the result is just a so-so comic book movie with a f... read moreew super-awkward sex scenes.
  • fb100002535597619
    September 15, 2011
    fb100002535597619
    A truly great film, "Watchmen" is about a group of retired superheroes who investigate the death of their former teammate, and discover a shocking conspiracy. Watchmen is visually dazzling, powerfully written and acted, and one of the century's best films.
  • fb100001493964409
    September 13, 2011
    fb100001493964409
    This review is going to make fans of the graphic novel mad. Very mad. Let me start by saying that I read the graphic novel well over 10 times prior to watching this, and I LOVED it. I loved it so much I read several other graphic novels since and restored my faith in comics. So, ... read morewhat do I think of the movie then? Most of the performances are spot on, in particular, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and James Earle Haley (that being said, the guy who plays Ozzymandias is TERRIBLE, which, without spoiling too much, is a HUGE problem). But, the big issue, what did I think of the ending (altered from the comic's ending)? I'm going to be honest, I almost like the movie's ending better than the comic. The comic's ending is cooler and is more visually spectacular, but the film's ending is interesting because it gives a larger moral dilemma than the comic. I recommend this film only to those who can stomach the following: Long runtime, graphic violence, and some graphic sexuality. If you can handle those, you're set for a great film experience.

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Critic Reviews

Richard Roeper
March 13, 2009
Richard Roeper, Richard Roeper.com

Great book, mediocre adaptation. Full Review

Peter Rainer
March 9, 2009
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor

Watchmen left me looking at the exit far more often than at the screen. Full Review

A.O. Scott
March 6, 2009
A.O. Scott, New York Times

Zack Snyder's film version of Watchmen is a grim and grisly excursion into comic-book mythology. Full Review

Christopher Orr
March 6, 2009
Christopher Orr, New Republic

[T]there are problems both with the tale, which was an awful lot more subversive 20 years ago than it is today, and the telling, which in contrast to Moore's radical experimentation is disappointingly... Full Review

Joe Morgenstern
March 6, 2009
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

The reverence is inert, the violence noxious, the mythology murky, the tone grandiose, the texture glutinous. It's an alternate version of The Incredibles minus the delight. Full Review

Andrew O'Hehir
March 6, 2009
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com

I think Snyder and his writers channel moments of the humanity and humor that's always present in Moore's work. Full Review

Sara Vilkomerson
March 6, 2009
Sara Vilkomerson, New York Observer

It wasn't that I wasn't engaged in some of the (many) story lines, it's just that there was never enough time spent with any particular one to so as to become emotionally involved ... which seem stran... Full Review

Lisa Kennedy
March 6, 2009
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

Watchmen is a two-hour, 42 minute ride through a dystopian scape with appropriately twisting and conflicted story lines. Full Review

Colin Covert
March 5, 2009
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Watchmen bites off more than a single film can chew, and chokes on its gluttony. Full Review

Tom Maurstad
March 5, 2009
Tom Maurstad, Dallas Morning News

As transferred to the big screen by director Zack Snyder, Watchmen is often visually stunning but also confusing and scattered. Full Review

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Facts

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    • Dr. Manhattan/Jon Osterman: On Mars, you taught me the value of life. If we hope to preserve it here, we must remain silent.
    • Rorschach/Walter Kovacs: The world will look up and shout, 'Save us!'
    • Rorschach/Walter Kovacs: And I'll whisper, 'No.'
    • Dr. Manhattan/Jon Osterman: I'm so disappointed in you Adrian [trying to grab Ozymandias]
    • Dr. Manhattan/Jon Osterman: Would you please go away? Please leave me alone. I said LEAVE ME ALONE! [exiles to Mars]
    • Rorschach/Walter Kovacs: Rorschach's journal: October 12th 1985-Tonight a Comedian died in New York.
    • Laurie Jupiter/Silk Spectre II: Such an asshole. [Shoots Adrian]
    • Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias: [fakes death and kicks Laurie]
    • Dan Dreiberg/Nite Owl: Veidt you bastard! If anything happens to her?
    • Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias: Then...grow up.
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Watchmen Trivia

  • He was a night watchmen, a male model, and a cop with a sweet ride. Who was he?  Answer »
  • What comic book adaptation is 300 director Zack Snyder now filiming?  Answer »
  • Who acts as The Comidian/Edward Blake in the highly anticipated, graphic novel adaptation Watchmen (2009) ?? He's also had a main part in: - The accidental husband (2008) - P.S i love you (2007) - Grey's Anatomy  Answer »
  • Zack Snyder, director of the upcoming comic book adaptation of The Watchmen also directed which other comic book movie?  Answer »
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