Malin Akerman, Patrick Wilson, Billy Crudup, Jackie Earle Haley, Matthew Goode ...( see more  see more... ) , Jeffrey Dean Morgan , Carla Gugino , Matt Frewer , Laura Mennell , Rob LaBelle , Stephen McHattie

When an ex-superhero is murdered, a vigilante named Rorshach begins an investigation into the murder, which begins to lead to a much more terrifying conclusion.

Flixster Users

68% liked it

993,669 ratings

Critics

64% liked it

272 critics

R, 2 hrs. 43 min.

Directed by: Zack Snyder

Release Date: March 6, 2009

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DVD Release Date: July 21, 2009

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Stats: 66,055 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (66,055)


  • April 11, 2009
    Truly a powerful superhero movie that's darker than "The Dark Knight" and more thrilling than any other superhero movie in recent memory.
  • January 1, 2010
    This is arguably my favorite film based on a comic or graphic novel to date. A masterpiece, and an early contender for best film of 2009.





    *extensive review coming soon.
  • December 28, 2009
    The long anticipated movie version of Alan Moore's classic graphic novel is nothing less than a new reference work about how close and true to the source a movie can be. I dunno how people who haven't read the graphic novel will digest all this, but having read it almost two year...( read more)s ago, I remembered it rather well and hardly missed anything from the comic. A lot of love went into the making of this film: The costumes, the set ups, the casting, it all felt as if I was browsing through the pages again. The actors were well picked and gave great performances, especially Haley is the perfect Rorschach.
    There is nudity, there is violence on the Sin City level (with the difference that this here feels like the real world and is accordingly more shocking), it feels as if the studio didn't interfere at all, and I can't remember when I ever thought that about a movie. I absolutely loved the choice of music, the title sequence was one of the greatest of movie history. Sure, there isn't much action in the first half, the movie takes its time introducing the characters, their situations and relationships, especially in the extended cut. But that's true to the book, too. That may make the movie a little slow at times, so everyone should realize this is for grown ups who like characters, not a random superhero action flick. But everyone who thought The Dark Knight was deep (well, I agree), check the depth of this and get lost in it. I can't think of one negative thing to say about the film. As far as adult comic adaptations go, this is a masterpiece of epic proportions.
  • December 27, 2009
    I was not half as impressed by this film as I felt I should have been. The first hour or so was too incoherent and anyway I think there was enough material to turn this into two separate films instead of this one huge chunk of a movie.
  • December 24, 2009
    Based on the Alan Moore graphic novel, Watchmen is set in an alternate reality where costumed "heroes" were created as state sanctioned vigilantes to fight the mob and who helped the US win the Vietnam war and get tricky Dicky elected for 5 successive terms as president. Another ...( read more)superhero movie with a difference, it sticks firmly to the moral grey areas, showing these "heroes" as human and fallible. The core of the film is provided by Rorschach's noir style investigation into the murder of fascistic black ops hero The Comedian, set to the backdrop of a skewedhistory and political situation. It all makes for very interesting viewing and tinges the usual stylized action and spectacle with a nicely grimy undercurrent. Snyder's overly stylized visuals which I found rather empty and irritating in 300 work perfectly here with some meaty characters and plot to back it all up and Rorschach makes for an interesting and charismatic anti-hero. Definitely up with the best of the modern style hero movies, Watchmen is intelligent, dark and although I wouldn't describe it as "exciting", it's perfectly paced over its 2 and a half hour length. Considered by most to be unfilmable, Snyder has managed to pull off a bit of a coup with this one and created a superhero film that ranks amongst the best.
  • January 2, 2010
    I'm not a fan of the graphic novel, but I was disappointed. I expected alot more for this film, but was left underwhelmed.
  • January 2, 2010
    not really on my taste,but it's nice
  • January 2, 2010
    i don't get the whole point. boring movie
  • January 1, 2010
    After reading the book I was very intrigued by how they would translate it to a movie. They did it -- and well! They had to cut out some plot lines and alter some others for time and ... clearness's... sake but it retained it's integrity. It's a deep story and the fact that the...( read more)y could tell basically the same story without all it's layers was amazing. It's also cast remarkably well. The actors all LOOK like the characters -- they don't just dress like them. It was a movie of the graphic novel, not one simply inspired by.
  • January 1, 2010
    This is just a geeky version of the Justice League. The characters spend too much time dwelling on past escipades, when they should really be trying to avenge their fallen commrade. The only character worth following in the whole story is Rorshach.

Critic Reviews


March 6, 2009
Pete Hammond, Hollywood.com

A stunning, mind-bending, breathtaking densely-packed motion picture experience. full review

March 6, 2009
A.O. Scott, The New York Times

Zack Snyder's film version of Watchmen is a grim and grisly excursion into comic-book mythology. full review

March 4, 2009
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Another bold exercise in the liberation of the superhero movie. full review

March 4, 2009
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle

It should have remained what it was from the start: a masterpiece of vicious Cold War paranoia, completely and gut-churningly rendered on the printed page. full review

March 4, 2009
Claudia Puig, USA Today

As the story proceeds, however, it grows plodding, convoluted and forgettable. full review

March 4, 2009
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

You have to go back to the comic to learn that the freaks in Watchmen are not only for geeks, maybe that's not so bad. Just sayin'. full review

March 4, 2009
Nigel Andrews, The Financial Times

So what is missing? A little of the original's madness and a lot of its aesthetic high-wire walking. full review

March 4, 2009
Armond White, The New York Press

Neither political satire nor camp, it fails the unique, fantasy mix of classicism and modernism that distinguished both 300 and Vin Diesel's The Chronicles of Riddick. full review

March 2, 2009
Anthony Lane, The New Yorker

Incoherent, overblown, and grimy with misogyny, Watchmen marks the final demolition of the comic strip, and it leaves you wondering: where did the comedy go? full review

March 2, 2009
David Edelstein, New York Magazine

They've made the most reverent adaptation of a graphic novel ever. But this kind of reverence kills what it seeks to preserve. The movie is embalmed. full review

View more Watchmen reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • starlimitz2
    December 30, 2009
    "Average" my ass!! This movie ROCKED HARD!!!!
  • bon21jovi
    December 29, 2009
    You say that "Watchmen" sucks,but it has 7.8/10 at imdb and 64% at rotten tomatoes,so you better shut your f***ing mouth!Zack Snyder did a really good job here,great action sequences,strong performances and plot twists...far different than other superhero films!Go watch the transformers,underworld or twilight craps and think again of critisizing "Watchmen" you idiots...
  • GHOSTRiderX
    April 23, 2009
    average..
  • storinlove
    April 20, 2009
    I haven't even seen the movie...but in my city...I have yet to find even 1 person that liked it!!! I have heard comments like, "Do not waste these three hours of your life that you can never get back!!" That is pretty rough. Also, the guy at the movies said, "If you are not a fan of the books...then you probably won't like the movie". So I will be skippin this one. One person might be wrong...maybe two or three....but my whole city seems to say, "SAVE YOURSELF!"
  • SJMJ91
    April 15, 2009
    Very crap film! Was over the top in pretty much everything.
  • og2hot
    April 4, 2009
    WASTE OF PRECIOUS TIME....... i mean seriously what was the point to this movie? watching a bollywood movie would have been far rewarding.
  • darabutler2011
    March 30, 2009
    I've heard from a few people that this movie sucked
  • XxXsesshysangelXxX
    March 25, 2009
    ...

    its crap..
    the first 10-20 mins were good, but then it dragged on and became worst..
  • moonrivers
    March 24, 2009
    with characters that are no more than takeoffs of the different Batmen over the years (the Bob Kane Batman = NiteOwl, the Frank Miller/Dark Knight Batman = Rorshach, played to Clint Eastwood/Dirty Harry perfection by Jackie Earle Haley i have to say), Superman (Dr.Manhattan), and a Catwoman/Batgirl clone (Silk) this film is more 70's/80's era social commentary than adventure epic: do we live in a bad world? what can we do about it? don't women only like a guy if he's man enough to take what he whats from her? i wonder what the adventure epic would've been like? while 100% watchable (a pun, huh?), nonetheless disturbing...
  • TheBlackKnight
    March 21, 2009
    I see a lot of people expecting a MARVEL movie giving this one bad ratings...

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Facts


Watchmen : Watch Free on TV


Watchmen Trivia


  • He was a night watchmen, a male model, and a cop with a sweet ride. Who was he?  Answer »
  • What comic book adaptation is 300 director Zack Snyder now filiming?  Answer »
  • Who acts as The Comidian/Edward Blake in the highly anticipated, graphic novel adaptation Watchmen (2009) ?? He's also had a main part in: - The accidental husband (2008) - P.S i love you (2007) - Grey's Anatomy  Answer »
  • Zack Snyder, director of the upcoming comic book adaptation of The Watchmen also directed which other comic book movie?  Answer »

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