Who Watches the Watchmen?

We recently had the streaming release of Watchmen Chapter 1, the animated adaptation of the Alan Moore, Dave Gibbon’s graphic novel series. We had the live action version in 2009 (which I enjoyed) but when I saw they were going to be making a two-part, animated feature I will admit I was extremely pleased!

The Graphic novel spins a deep, dark and somewhat intricate storyline. I felt the 2009 version did a fairly competent job in getting that story across despite the changes, but to really get into it we needed more time, and this two-part animated allows us that.

The first thing I appreciated was the animation style. So often I go into films like this and feel like, while the story is good, there is something lacking in the way it looks. That wasn’t the case with this one. The visuals are stunning, the color pallet fits well and for a fan of the comic this was a great way to see one of my favorites come to life.

We also had a great cast of voice actors who I felt nailed the parts. Filling Jackie Earl Haleys shoes as Rorschach was going to be a difficult task, but the subtle nuances in Titus Welliver’s delivery managed to capture it seamlessly. I’m a fan of Katee Sackhoff already and she was great casting for Silver Spectre and having an iconic voice like Adrienne Barbeau playing the original Silk Spectre was pure brilliance. We also have the talents of Matthew Rhys as Nite Owl, Rick D. Wasserman as The Comedian, Troy Baker as Ozymandias and Michael Cerveris as Dr. Manhattan.

Written by J. Michael Straczynski and directed by Brandon Vietti, this really worked for me. It left me feeling uncomfortable in the way Watchmen should leave us uncomfortable. This is not a happy story of how the superhero’s save the world, it’s a murder mystery but also tragic tale of a society so lost in itself that is spiraling towards destruction, and the drastic steps taken to try and stop it, right or wrong. It is a violent story that doesn’t pull punches, and at least the first chapter is a faithful adaptation in both narrative and tone.

I am giving Watchmen Chapter 1 a solid A-. It could never be the Graphic novel, but this is pretty damn close.

The film is rated R for violence and adult themes and is available for paid streaming through Prime, Apple and Fandango, with the DVD being released at Target and on Amazon August 27.