Watchmen: Die Wächter

Before anyone sees this film, Zach Snyder should be given a pat on the back. He did what a dozen directors struggled to do for twenty years: he made a Watchmen movie. It seems unthinkable that anyone could properly put the greatest graphic novel of all time on the screen. But Snyder has done pretty much that.

While it is not Alan Moore's Watchmen, it is the closest thing that anyone else could have put on the screen. Snyder approached the material with enough reverence that fans of the comic will appreciate the film. As Snyder has openly declared, the final act does include significant changes, but the alterations that take place fit better on the big screen than the original ending would have. It works because it cuts down on a lot of the necessary back story which Snyder could not include.

Even though many pages of the book were not included, Snyder did take the time to try and preserve other information by including short "historical" sequences in the fantastic opening title sequence. By this point, viewers will also have had a chance to appreciate the stellar, and time appropriate, soundtrack. Unlike the hard rock recordings the Snyder chose for the background of 300, Watchmen's background fits the tone and mood of most of the scenes. The only questionable choice was the selection of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," not because of the recording, but rather its awkward placement. Some may also question Snyder's inclusion of gore not present in the book. While the comic does include it's share of violence, Snyder did overtly change several scenes to be more violent. These changes, while flashy on film, may disturb squeamish moviegoers. However, changes aside, Snyder has captured the essence of the book and packaged it in a beautiful 2 hour and 40 minute delight. Overall, it is a satisfying film experience for someone familiar with the source material.

But this might be a different experience for anyone who does not know the book. There is a lot to digest, and the overwhelming visuals may distract some moviegoers from the bigger picture. The interaction of these unique characters remains an integral point to understanding this film, and when the book was pared down for the movie, the relationships of the masked adventures became a bit more forced. The best part of the comic was the glimpse of what is "beneath the hood," and we have less of that in Snyder's adaptation. Additionally, the ending, while simplified, is still a bit convoluted.

Fans and those previously unfamiliar with Watchmen should go in with an open mind. Snyder has performed what Doctor Manhattan might deem a miracle, so it may take more than one viewing to truly appreciate this unique adaptation.

A group of ex-heroes now abandoned and limited by governments lives in the shadows until someone starts to eliminate them one by one. Rorschach is one of these heroes that begins searching for clues to his old colleagues' murders. The story is one of the most powerful aspects of the movie. Plot twists are good and complicated enough to make it interesting. I have watched the ultimate cut and it had another story in the story that was visualized by animation and somehow related to the main story.

The cast is another great aspect of the film. Good actors like Jeffrey Dean-Morgan, and Patrick Wilson along with a whole crew of amazing cast is expecting you.

CG, art, costume design, music, and soundtracks are quite good, especially for a movie released 13 years ago. Zack Snyder did his best in converting one of the darkest and most complex comic books into a movie by being faithful to the books. The only setback, in my opinion, is the length of the film. 3 and a half hours even for an ultimate cut is long if you cannot balance the action and dialogs. This made watchmen a little boring in some places, as I said, it's not balanced so there is maybe an hour in the middle of the movie without much going but on the other hand, you have lots of new information in the last 15 minutes.

Overall, Watchmen is a good superhero movie without regular clichés. It can be worth your while if you are into the genre. But it could get boring sometimes in the middle of it.

I don't believe that I can add anything further, when commenting about this masterpiece, apart from to say, that in my humble opinion, this is possibly the most underrated movie of all time.

I thought this movie was just OK when it came out in 2009. Now watching it in 2023 I am watching this movie realizing I was an idiot in 2009. I see the Boys and almost every comic movie since in it in 2023. They've all pulled something from Watchmen. Superheroes with real people problems that have real opinions negative and positive doing both good and bad things all the time. It's great and I'm finally seeing what those that got back in 2009 that were way ahead of the curve. Acting, camerawork, effects, costumes, story, nostalgia, all put on full display in this movie. Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Jackie Earle Haley put on a show in a movie that I felt like everyone was exceptional. That's how good they are. Give this another go if you're somehow here reading this debating on whether you should watch this movie.

Some time after "The Boys" I decided to give this film a rematch... Back in 2009 it was still a time when there was not that many similar to each other superhero films Watchmen cam out a bit too early..., What makes Watchmen feeling so fresh in 2020 is that it's completely different to most of Marvel films.... The characters in Watchmen feel more like real people than idealistic figures you usually get - they age, they change opinions on things, they do wrong things... The world is also much more similar to ours in 2020 that it was in 2009... Brilliant film 9/10!