Watchmen: Chapter 1 Review-Faithful Storytelling Makes For An Only Adequate DC Adaptation

Summary

The world of Alan Moore’s iconic graphic novel is coming back to the screen withWatchmen: Chapter 1, the third major adaptation of the source material. Zack Snyder first adapted the superhero satire with the 2009 movie of the same name, which saw a generally polarized response from critics but, much like other Snyder movies, has amassed a cult following since.Lostalum Damon Lindelof came back a decade later withthe HBOWatchmenminiseries, which served as a sequel to the graphic novel and explored the same universe 34 years later, which garnered widespread acclaim, including 11 Emmy wins.

Cast

WithWatchmen: Chapter 1, director Brandon Vietti goes back to Moore’s source material for a more direct adaptation of the graphic novel, following infamous vigilante Rorschach as he investigates the death of Edward Blake, a former fellow vigilante who went by the name of The Comedian. Rorschach believes the murder is tied to a conspiracy to kill all former masked vigilantes, something his former teammates Dan Dreiberg/Nite Owl lI, Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias, Doctor Manhattan and Laurie Juspeczyk/Silk Spectre II shake off. But when more things occur pointing towards this being true, they all race against time to discover the truth.

The Story Stays True To The WatchmenNovels (For Better Or Worse)

Adapting source material to the screen is never an easy feat, particularly one as expansive as Moore’sWatchmen, whose complete collections of all 12 issues have been comprised of 400-plus pages. Where Snyder elected to tackle as much as he could in one 163-minute movie, and Lindelof took to a nine-episode miniseries approach,Babylon 5creator J. Michael Straczynski has instead split the novel up into a two-part movie, following in the footsteps of other Warner Bros.movies likeDune.

…this faithful approach to the adaptation leaves little actual surprise for any longtimeWatchmenfans.

Watchmen_ Chapter 1 (2024) - Poster

Watchmen: Chapter 1breaking its source materialinto two parts allows for some deeper development of some of its storylines. Doctor Manhattan’s challenge of being a man out of time feels far more captivating than in Snyder’s movie, while Laurie grappling with her familial past connection to The Comedian also allows us to be more emotionally invested. Straczynski even finds a way to incorporate theTales of the Black Freightersubstory into the film, something that had to be spun out into a separate animated feature for Snyder’s adaptation.

The biggest problem, though, is that this faithful approach to the adaptation leaves little actual surprise for any longtimeWatchmenfans. Certain shots look pulled right from the panels of the graphic novels, but even with some stories getting greater focus, the ultimate flow of the plot is far too similar to past adaptations to differentiate, making it far too predictable for anyone other than those who are new to the franchise.

Watchmen: Chapter 1’s Cel-Shaded Art Style Is A Nice Twist (But Looks Cheap In Parts)

Over the past decade, Warner Bros. has taken an animated approach to adapting their iconic DC storylines to the screen, though the majority have gone with a hand-drawn 2D style. Rather than keep this trend, however,Watchmen: Chapter 1goes for a cel-shaded 3D animation style, feeling reminiscent of 2018’sBatman Ninja, or Vietti’s previous 3D animated effort,Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League vs. Bizarro League.Despite this change,Watchmen: Chapter 1largely stays trueto Dave Gibbons' designs and atmosphere for the graphic novels.

This visual approach leads to some uniquely compelling sequences in the film, the most notable being that of Doctor Manhattan’s exile on Mars and venture back through time to reflect on various events in his life, including the accident that turned him into the superpowered being he is now. The montage of The Comedian’s rampage in Vietnam and on American soil with anti-vigilante protesters also proves to be stunning to watch, with many elemental details around him contrasting nicely with him at the center of the frame.

That being said, this animation style is often out of place inWatchmen: Chapter 1, and even seems a bit cheap in parts. Many of the characters' movements feel about as fluid as that of a Lego figure, particularly during some of the movie’s action sequences, while others' emotions aren’t effectively conveyed through their facial animations. The cel-shading may do its best to retain the dark and brooding atmosphere of its source material, but it can’t help the 3D animation from feeling too cartoonish for much of the film.

Watchmen: Chapter 1’s Cast Is Great (But Can’t Surpass Their Predecessors)

Watchmen: Chapter 1has assembled an absolutely stacked roster of actors for its cast, includingPerry Mason’s Matthew Rhysas Nite Owl II,Battlestar Galactica’s Katee Sackhoff as Silk Spectre II andBosch’s Titus Welliver as Rorschach, among many others. Vietti certainly did a great job finding the right people to bring the iconicWatchmencharacters to life, with Rhys, in particular, nicely capturing the innocent naïveté of Dan, while Rorschach’s gravelly cynicism is translated perfectly by Welliver.

Despite their best efforts, though, none are quite able to surpass the iconic performances of their predecessors. Welliver, in particular, may prove to be a solid successor to Jackie Earle Haley’s Rorschach inSnyder’sWatchmen, and yet there are times I couldn’t help but feel like he was imitating Haley’s performance rather than crafting his own. Rhys and Sackhoff similarly bring a lot of great emotion to their roles, but still come across as dry in moments where Patrick Wilson and Malin Akerman found ways to make their scenes pop.

Ultimately,Watchmen: Chapter 1is a relatively promising start to this two-part adaptation of Moore’s graphic novels, though it’s brought down by familiarity, failure to surpass its prior adaptations, and a somewhat rushed pace. Though it may not have required a long runtime to tell the full story of its source material, the fact thatChapter 1is only 83 minutes long is a missed opportunity to flesh out Moore’s world and keep even longtime fans guessing.