Watchmen (2009) ****

The year is 1985. The United States won the war in Vietnam. Richard Nixon is in his fifth term as President. The St. Louis Cardinals have won the World Series (oh, that actually happened). And in this alternate 1985 costumed superheroes have been outlawed, existing for the last forty years and helping change those little historical tid bits I listed above (except the World Series). Watchmen explores this odd 1985 that is filled with retired superheroes and a world on the brink of nuclear annihilation. The film opens with the death of Edward Blake, also known as the Comedian, a retired costumed superhero who is beaten to death in his home. The rebelious Rorschach (Jack Earl Haley) who sports a mask that chnages into- you guessed it- Rorschach images. As the film progresses other former superheroes such as Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson), Ozymandias (Matthew Goode), Silk Spectre (Malin Akerman), and Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup) are pulled into a shceme that proves to be much bigger than the simple murder of a former member of their clan.

The Watchmen aren't like a Justice League or X-Men. Excluding Dr. Manhattan they have no real super human abilities other than they can kick your ass better than anyone else. Dr. Manhattan is another story all together. If God created man then man created a God on Earth when our good doctor was irradiated in some Marvelesque experiment. He can do anything. Nothing hurts him. He is perfection.

With Watchmen director Zack Snyder (Dawn of the Dead, 300) has the daunting task of putting writer Alan Moore's masterpiece on the big screen. A daunting task considering that Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns are considered the old and new testaments of comic lore. The film is a political statement for 1985 with Snyder wisely avoiding updating the film to present times that drug down Moore's other adaptation from this era V For Vendetta. I've never read the graphic novel so I have no idea how that piece compares with the film other than what people have told me which is the usual "they left a bunch of stuff out". The movie's two hours and forty minutes long: you have to expect the studio to try to make some money back. Snyder does get a good flow in the film, though some bits do seem rushed in the long run.

I have to say that Watchmen wasn't the earth shattering experience that we're led to believe is contained within its confines. As a comic book movie (excuse me, graphic novel) it is above average, mainly due to Moore's source material that plays more intelligently than the standard fare coming out of Hollywood. It's not anything great, but it is a very good film. Maybe I'll crack the comic book (graphic novel) sometime.