Who Watches the Watchmen?.... I did

First, let me apologize for being a square and having not posted for over a month. Geez, you'd think while not working I'd be capable of posting daily. Anyway, I figured I'd try and get back on track by doing a movie review. I've seen several in the theater recently, and many more on DVD, but instead of doing a recent release, I'm going to do a brand spanking new release. And if you weren't quite paying attention with the title, the movie I am referring to is Watchmen.

Plot: Originally a comic mini-series from the late '80s, Watchmen takes place in an alternate 1985. Superheroes (not really super-powered, but just normal people who wore costumes and battled criminals) exist. The US won Vietnam and Richard Nixon is still in office. The Cold War is at an all-time high and nuclear war is imminent. The movie starts with one of the heroes being killed. The remaining heroes (having since been driven underground due to a law that made vigilantism illegal) try to figure out who is responsible and try to prevent nuclear holocaust.

Review: First off, let me claim to have read the graphic novel many a year ago. However, due to my age at the time and the years since, I really couldn't have told you anything about the story, so this review will not focus on accuracy to the source material. (On a side note, I did a wikipedia check after watching the movie, and it appears that the film stayed pretty close to the comic).

On the whole, I really enjoyed the film. It is a visually spectacular movie, and a superb job is done making the setting feel real. I had no trouble believing the film was set in 1985. The action was intense and brutal, but not quite as continuous as you might think. Much of the film is spent as flashbacks giving you background on the heroes and the setting. While very well done and really is the meat of the movie, it is also my main area of complaint. Keep in mind that this is minor, but the main plot (finding the killer and preventing nuclear war) often takes a back seat to the flashbacks. It is a long movie, but I never felt like the movie was dragging and I certainly was never bored. Overall, I am a fan, and feel like the movie lived up to my expectations.

It was a well-deserved "R" rating with plenty of violence, cursing, and some nudity (male and female).

I give Watchmen 4 out of 5 stars, and highly recommend the big screen treatment.

Best "Hero" in the Film: Rorschach (played by Jackie Earle Haley)

Also, Director Zack Snyder is doing a darn good job for himself. 3 major releases and 3 awesome movies (Dawn of the Dead remake, 300, and now Watchmen). That's all for now. Until next time....and it might be sooner than 1 month.