Let's get the basics out of the way first: Watchmen is an extremely faithful adaptation of the acclaimed comic book mini series/graphic novel, and is sure to please the fans. Director Zack Snyder (300) has managed to for the most part successfully bring a story that many believed was unfilmable (even by the comic's original writer, Alan Moore, who disowned the film) to the big screen, and has also brought us a film that is wonderfully visual and a triumph of design. Aside from some changes to the plot (especially during the film's climactic moments), this is pretty much as close to the book on the screen as you can get.

Is that a good thing? That's where I'm torn. With a running time of nearly three hours, numerous characters (many of whom are developed only in the slightest way possible), and countless subplots vying for our attention, the movie can sometimes seem overwhelming. I can only imagine how this movie will come across to someone not familiar with the comic. I am recommending the film, because it is well made, has many spellbinding individual moments, and managed to hold my attention. But, I have reservations. In the filmmakers' quest to recreate the comic, they have also brought over some of its strongest flaws - Namely, we have a hard time caring about a lot of the characters. This didn't bother me too much, except for when the characters are supposed to be having quiet, intimate moments with each other. There's something cold and impersonal about their relationships. This may be intentional. After all, Watchmen is a story about superheroes who have been forced to hang up their cloaks and capes, and exist in the real world. They spend a lot of time thinking about the old days (one of them even makes money selling toys off of his old alter ego, his friends, and former enemies), and generally all seem to wish they could hide behind masks again so that no one could judge them.

There's one superhero who has not given up, and still prowls the streets for crime. He's Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley), a vigilante who hides his identity behind a mask comprised of a constantly shifting ink blot design. He's a wanted man, since he's refused to blend into normal society and continues to fight for his own idea of justice. The film is set in an alternate 1985, where Richard Nixon is still President and serving his fifth term, the threat of a nuclear war that could start at any time hangs over the heads of everyone, and the superheroes who once protected the city and the world have been forced to go into isolation when riots broke out over their vigilante actions. During his nightly patrol of the city, Rorschach learns that one of his former allies, the cigar-chomping hero known as The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) has been brutally murdered. We learn through flashbacks that despite his name and his status as a superhero, the Comedian was not liked by many people. He was crude, he was violent, and he was a rapist. His death sets the plot into motion, and makes Rorschach question if maybe someone is planning something big, and is picking off former costumed heroes so that they can't do anything to stop it.

Looking for answers and maybe some support, Rorschach turns to his former partners in fighting crime. Dan Dreiberg (Patrick Wilson) used to stand alongside Rorschach as the "Night Owl II", but these days spends most of his time in his basement where he keeps his old superhero gear, thinking about the past. Laurie Jupiter (Malin Akerman) was once known as "Silk Spectre II", the daughter of the original Spectre (Carla Gugino), who tried to create her own legacy away from her mother's name. Now she's romantically involved with and a personal assistant to Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup), a glowing blue superhuman who works for the U.S. government as its ultimate weapon against the U.S.S.R.'s threat of nuclear attack. Finally, there's Adrien Veidt (Matthew Goode), who has become a successful businessman by selling and merchandising his former legacy as the costumed hero Ozymandias. As the heroes are called back into action in one way or another, a series of tough questions arise. What are their motives? Is it truly to protect mankind, or to satisfy their own hidden desire for violence? Most of all, is humanity really worth saving?

Even if it is an imperfect movie, Watchmen still manages to be a fascinating one. It is constantly giving us things to consider in its ideas and the questions it asks, and fortunately does not give us any easy answers, or sometimes no answers at all. It's also fascinating in its alternate real-world setting. In the 1985 featured in this movie, we won the Vietnam War (thanks to Nixon sending some of the heroes over there to fight on our side). Paranoia and fear is also slowly starting to sweep society, as the "doomsday clock" counts down to armageddon, and Nixon prepares his followers and the American public for the worse. One of the film's big missteps is to portray Nixon in so many scenes. In the original comics, he's somewhat of a shadowy figure, but here, he's portrayed in the flesh by Robert Wisden. Not only is his performance distracting and makes us long for Frank Langella's take in the recent Frost/Nixon, but the make up work on him is largely distracting as well. I couldn't stop staring at that overly fake nose that looked like it was going to fall off any second. It's one of the few things that completely took me out of the movie.

Fortunately, there's much more to admire here besides the plot and the questions it asks. The tone is appropriately dark and gloomy, but not bombastically so. For a good part of the story, the tone is subtle, which is surprising giving some of Snyder's past films. I also admired that some of the scenes in the film seem to be lifted right out of the panels of the comic - Same angle, same stuff in the background and foreground. It shows that Snyder was at least serious about bringing the story to life. And yet, this whole "using the book as a constant guide" angle can also be distracting. Much like the first two Harry Potter films (under the direction of Chris Columbus), Snyder seems afraid to lose anything from the source material, so he tries to cram in as much as he can. The end result is sure to confuse those who are not familiar. With the script trying to fit in so many details and flashbacks, it can make the movie come across as long-winded at times. It barrels ahead, bombarding us with ideas and questions, and we have little time to contemplate them, unlike in the book, where we could read at our leisure and think about what was going on. Maybe this is what original creator Alan Moore meant when he said it was unfilmable. Watchmen is a complicated piece of fiction, and a film no matter how faithful is never going to have the same reaction.

If this review sounds negative, I apologize. I greatly enjoyed the film while I was watching it. It's only when I started to think back on it that the cracks in its surface began to show. The film is worth seeing. There are some wonderful images, and a couple strong performances, especially James Earle Haley as the mysterious Rorschach. We not only spend the most time with him during the story, but his performance is completely captivating and makes for one of the more interesting superhero portrayals to come along in a while. The rest of the cast fill in their characters, but aren't given nearly as much to do. Some of them (like Matthew Goode and Patrick Wilson) simply seem to just be there, while others like Billy Crudup are fascinating as they are, but aren't developed nearly enough as we want them to be. Perhaps the worst case is Malin Akerman, who fits the character well and is beautiful to look at, but never comes across as strong as she should. I kept on feeling like I should be connecting with her more, and that her relationships with Dr. Manhattan, Night Owl II, and her mother should have been explored further than they were.

I guess I'm recommending Watchmen as an experience, which it definitely is. The movie is also playing on IMAX, and I'm sure it's an even better experience there. For all of its faults, the movie does work. There are even some moments of brilliance, such as the opening credit sequence set to "The Times They are a-changing" by Bob Dylan as we get to see the history of superheroes over the years, and their relationship with humanity. This is one of those movies that wrap you in while you're watching it, but loses its spell on reflection. Given the story's long and bumpy road to the big screen (the movie's been in development at various studios for the past 20 years or so), it's probably the best we could have hoped for. Just expect some frustration and maybe some disappointment to go with the joy.

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