Watchmen: Chapter 1, 2024.
Directed by Brandon Vietti.
Featuring the voice talents of Kelly Hu, Katee Sackhoff, Adrienne Barbeau, Grey Griffin, Titus Welliver, Matthew Rhys, Troy Baker, Jeffrey Combs, Yuri Lowenthal, Kari Wahlgren, Phil LaMarr, Dwight Schultz, Geoff Pierson, Michael Cerveris, Corey Burton, Jason Spisak, John Marshall Jones, Rick D. Wasserman, and Max Koch.
SYNOPSIS
Chapter 1: In an alternate world history set in 1985, the murder of a government sponsored superhero draws his outlawed colleagues out of retirement and into a mystery that threatens to upend their personal lives and the world itself.
It is 2009. I am watching an adaptation of the classic Watchmen graphic novel. It is 2019. I am watching an adaptation of the classic Watchmen graphic novel. It is 2024. I am watching an adaptation of the classic Watchmen graphic novel.
Watchmen is without a doubt one of if not the most ground breaking graphic novels ever written, one that defined the genre and helped recognize comics are not just for young readers. DC and Warner Bros. Animation’s latest adaptation of the book hews much closer to the source material than the live-action film without it feeling like we’re just watching a big budget motion comic. The voice cast is stellar, putting their own spins on Rorschach, Nite Owl and Silk Spectre with animation highlighting the emotion the cast puts into their performances.
Much like DC’s Batman: The Long Halloween, Watchmen is split into two chapter films with Chapter 1 ending roughly halfway into the book. At 78 minutes the film paces the ambitious story well, even including the Tales of the Black Freighter segments at the proper times, showcasing them as a montage of comic panels. Some of the supplemental material, like Hollis Mason’s Under The Mask autobiography or the newspapers Nova Express and New Frontiersman, are mentioned or teased if not outright shown, but the film is still very much a complete retelling of the story without Zack Snyder’s added or changed scenes or his hallmark ultra-violence.
That said, sometimes the story does feel somewhat rushed, going from story points too quickly for new viewers to really mull over. For instance, the characters recollections of The Comedian are placed out of the book’s order so it bounces at various points throughout his life rather than in chronological order. It is somewhat jarring as it hinders the natural evolution of The Comedian’s despicable character and philosophy, but still gets the point across that this man was always a horrible person despite his murder being the catalyst for the central mystery.
One of the most notable aspects to Watchmen: Chapter 1 is the animation which bears some similarities in style to Marvel’s What If…?. I’ll admit I had some uncertainty before watching the film based on its visuals, especially given some of the more ‘traditional’ and dynamic animation we’ve seen lately with Batman: Caped Crusader and X-Men ’97, the latter of which was produced by Watchmen: Chapter 1‘s animation studio Studio Mir. I’m happy to say the animation is impressive and captures the book’s vibrant colours and imagery. The movements are fluid and the character’s are quite expressive, especially during emotionally charged scenes like Comedian’s breakdown to Moloch or Dr. Manhattan’s transformation.
The cast absolutely knocks their performances out of the park. The highlights are Titus Welliver as Rorschach who, while seemingly inspired by Jackie Earle Haley’s voice in Snyder’s Watchmen, manages to put his own spin on the character (especially in the brief flashback where Rorschach talks normally). Katee Sackhoff delivers a great performance as Laurie/Silk Spectre II, finding the layers in Laurie’s frustration and loneliness, while Matthew Rhys conveys Dan/Nite Owl’s depression and restlessness quite well. Michael Cerveris also does well showing Manhattan’s growing disconnect from humanity even in his intentionally stilted deliveries. Rick D. Wasserman, Troy Baker and Jeffrey Combs also deliver noteworthy performances as Comedian, Ozymandias and Moloch respectively, with Combs gaining a lot of sympathy through his delivery over Moloch’s fatal cancer diagnosis.
Watchmen: Chapter 1 is an entertaining adaptation of the comic classic, bringing it to life in a much closer way to the actual book than previous adaptations. Some points in the story feel a bit rushed, but it ultimately gets the main themes and mystery across while the cast deliver great performances that capture its seriousness and legacy. Fans of Watchmen should enjoy the latest adaptation and look forward to how it wraps up with its second chapter.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Watchmen: Chapter 1 is available on digital now. It will be released on 4K UHD and Blu-ray August 27th.
Ricky Church – Follow me on Twitter for more movie news and nerd talk.
Originally published August 16, 2024. Updated August 19, 2024.
