Watchmen

***1/2 Stars

To get to the point (because that's what needs to be said) Watchmen the movie is not the graphic novel. However, for a graphic novel that is almost impossible to adapt to film, Zack Snyder's Watchmen is the best you will get.

On that note, this is probably a three-star movie. But I have to give the extra half star because I don't see how this film could be any stronger (minus a few issues that only those who have read the novel would pick up on) when relating to the source material. For an almost three hour movie, Watchmen moves like a streak.

For those who are virgins to Watchmen, the one thing you should know before the film is this: It is not 300 or The Dark Knight. The only relevance it has to those two films is that it's directed by 300's Zack Snyder and it has superheroes. That's just the marketing campaign to sell tickets. What you should get out of Watchmen is a richly visual experience with some great performances and a wonderful addition to the advancement of graphic novels. On a rather personal taste, and others have agreed, the opening credits to the film is probably one of the best opening credit sequences I have ever seen. Introducing the characters and story to Bob Dylan's The Time's They Are A-Changin' is like dipping the formulaic layers of the film industry into hot lava and telling them to shove-it.

The plot is set in an alternate 1980's universe, where Nixon is in his fifth-term and America is at war with the Soviet Union. On the brink of World War III, The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), a member of the Watchmen, is murdered. This begins a conspiracy that could spark the beginning of the end of the superheroes and the entire world. "Maybe someone's picking off costume heroes, so they'll be no one in the way to stop it," says Rorschach (the perfectly cast Jackie Earl Haley) the most heartbreaking character of the group. His sad state of living and disturbing past makes him question everyone around him, including people on his side.

The only superhero that has "real" or "actual" powers is Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup), formerly Jon Osterman, who has the power to control or destroy the world in a matter of moments. He sees everything from an objective standpoint. This allows him to make decisions that will benefit those who can't see the big picture, but it blinds him from the importance of loyalty.

Even at a three hour runtime, Watchmen has a hard time exploring each character. That's why I believe Snyder chose to adapt the movie faithfully to the novel. And when I mean faithfully I mean FAITHFULLY. This is almost a frame-by-frame adaptation (minus the Tales of the Black Freighter and other minor details) of the graphic novel. Viewers will look at this two different ways: 1.) It is too faithful and none of the characters have the ability to breathe on their own and 2.) How is it possible to change a graphic novel that is unfilmable to begin with? Dark, complex, and visually unforgettable, Watchmen is a richly fulfilling web of layered substance that challenges its participants to ignore its narrative structure and enter a realm of unexplored chaos.

I can't say that I'm not a little disappointed. In the back of my mind, I was thinking the same as everyone else. I hoped for a Dark Knight like-experience (not the style, but the caliber) pumped on excessive amounts of steroids. In many ways it does deliver, but for those who have read the graphic novel, there are moments that feel like Zack Snyder's Watchmen is just the cliff-notes for those who aren't willing to dive into the book. While I understand this notion, I prefer, and will not choose to accept it.