Who Watches The Watchmen?

Last night I went to see the movie adaption of Watchmen, the graphic novel about flawed superheroes by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. This film isn't without controversy as the creator, and many of the novel's fans, don't believe that it should have been made at all...

Well, whether the fact that it is only loosely based on the novel bothers you or not, what director Zack Snyder has brought to the screen is a pretty remarkable film. It features a group of superheroes in an alternative reality where some of the key events in our history have not taken place, and their world is a little grittier than ours as a consequence. While only one character genuinely exhibits superpowers, the rest of the team are a very conflicted and flawed bunch. My favourite, Rorschach, who has patterns constantly flowing over his mask, is a psycopath, but one who ultimately believes in truth and justice - imagine if Hannibal Lecter was one of the good guys :| The plot is convoluted with many twists and turns, and for people who haven't read the novel theres a genuine surprise towards the end.

The film also contains lots of homages to other sci-fi films (most of which I think I missed this time around) so, amongst others, you'll see the bunker set from Dr Strangelove and a rainy, neon-lit chase scene where strains of a remixed Bladerunner theme play in the background.

It's worth noting that there is a lot of graphic sex and extreme violence, so its not something you should take the kids to see - even as an adult I was grimacing at times. Where's the sofa to hide behind when you need it! Overall I think I enjoyed Watchmen but its one of those films that needs repeated viewings to get the best out of - another one for the DVD collection :)