Almost 40 years after it saw the light of day, the work of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, Watchmen, is without a doubt one of the most influential graphic novels in comic book history. This dark detective comic about a superhero went beyond expectations of the medium, and since then, Hollywood has failed to capture its essence. There was Zack Snyder’s captivating but imperfect live-action film adaptation, Damon Lindelof’s praised HBO limited series, and a graphic novel turned into animation that should be buried in the dustbins of history. Now comes the latest attempt at bringing Moore’s all-encompassing and universal narrative to the screen, but this time with the help of Warner Bros. Animation and their recent straight to video adaptations of classic DC titles. And it works, make no mistake about it.
However, while this new Watchmen two-part series may have succeeded in avoiding some of the flaws of previous versions, it also manages to expose a few of its own. This may quite possibly be the most satisfying attempt to date in terms of adapting the graphic novel format. The first episode in the series, however, does not quite make an argument for itself as to why the story should be viewed in other formats than the print one. What was a stunning accomplishment within the comic book pages is nothing short of a hodgepodge of styles when adapted into another medium.
Of course, what was so revolutionary in the mid-eighties–the flawed hero and the integration of a superhero into the political framework–does not seem so revolutionary with The Boys and Invincible enjoying great popularity today. However, Watchmen has lived through the ages for one reason, the focus of the plot–the murder of the retired superhero–is interesting, and the world-building of Moore and Gibbons is engrossing. That’s what makes it worth watching again. Watchmen Chapter 1 remains true to the script whilst also making it necessary to perfect a movie adaptation, with a distinctive CGI animated style that intermingles with the line art of artist Gibbons. However, given that the overall impact is not always perfect, ‘it’s quite intriguing to look at anyway, especially during the extended episode revolving around the origins of the superhuman Doctor Manhattan.’
Certainly, director Brandon Vietti does have a stylistic interpretation that goes well with the rhythm of the comics, thanks in part to the script penned by Babylon 5’s J. Michael Straczynski (another animation veteran, having worked on He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and The Real Ghostbusters in the 1980’s). Similar to the previous adaptations of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and Batman: The Long Halloween, WB has made the apt decision of fracturing Moore’s vast dastardly efforts into two approximately 90 minutes long installments. This helps the tale to expand with this first addition giving time to and placing in context the various threads of a whodunit story that will end when the second part is released in 2025. So far as most important things are concerned, Straczynski’s script mostly respects Moore’s comic book and does not go into ugly distractions and reinventions from the Snyder movie. (For instance, no distracting needle drops of cruel perspective).
In the following segments, we will present a more detailed criticism of the film and its merits. Though the overall picture is rather terrible, these words don’t refer to the so-called actors on-screen. What should be blamed here is the actor’s artwork as it seems to be in a different dimension than the picture. Regardless of the amount of criticism surrounding Snyder’s vision, it has to be admitted that he got much of the casting right. The team put together for this version by Vietti and co. is also impressive, but what is well known is that many fans have been watching Rorschach-Titus Welliver, Nite-Owl–Matthew Rhys, and Silk Spectre II–Katee Sackhoff among others. However, while the former actors are told to put a good show (and some like Welliver sure go out of their way) the entire final product is simple but in an unsettling way. Considering the amount of details accompanied with the source, perhaps that is how it was meant to be. And yet, it remains rather uncomfortable.
Conclusion
From the faithful J. Michael Straczynski script which respects the graphic novel to a novel visual style which is reminiscent of its outlines, it was clear that Watchmen Chapter 1 was made with passion by its authors. But although the film is one of the most impressive animated in recent years and manages to sidestep some of the failures of earlier movies, it nevertheless exposes some of its limitations too. The computer graphics incorporated within the animation reveal such technology’s imperfections, while the cast, no matter how skilled, sometimes finds it exasperating to convey the complex nature of Alan Moore’s and Dave Gibbons’ comic book.
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