Watchmen

Rating: 9.1/10

Genre: Superhero Action

Overall value for time and money: 9.4/10

A truly remarkably visionary movie about an alternate 1985 where superheroes did indeed roam the planet, paticularly in US, and where superheroes aren't exactly looked up upon. I stayed away from this movie for quite a while, and my only regret was that... Nowadays, 3-hour movies just don't appeal to me as much as they used to. They take too long to watch, and 2 such movies would enable us to catch 3-4 movies with shorter runtimes.

But generally, longer movies receive better critics because they allow more time for character and plot development... whoop in a visionary concept with great acting and CG and you'll get Watchmen. Watchmen isn't your average superhero movie, it's probably the most abstract one I've seen. There are elements of coolness in the directing and the slow-motion action scenes (trademark of the director who brought you 300), but the most impressive element of it was the plot.

It touches on what being a "superhero" really means, even though they are not well respected, despised and hated even, yet they strive towards a greater cause. You can't really put a finger on the "main" lead of the movie, for all the superheroes were unique in their own way. Rorschach, the assassin -like crankiest, scariest and most "delusional" superhero, you either love him, or hate him... Then there's the "comedian", not quite the funny man but unorthodox in his own disgruntled ways. Then there's the ultra-fast Ozymandias, who's the most accomplished of them all; rich, famous and tech savvy. Also introducing Silk Spectre, nothing fascinating about her, just that her mum belonged to an older team of superheroes which were disbanded. And Night Owl II, the most "human" superhero of all. Finally, the most important superhero in this movie, Dr Manhattan, the god-like superhero who is America's deterrence against attacks.

The best thing about the movie is that the superheroes are just a small part of best bits. Everything was professionally directed; cinematography, action scenes, scriptings, and the choice of the casts. The ending was truly revolutionary. Many a times superheroes movies will never be able to churn out such a "matured" plot, and this movie is a fantastic mix of art, science, politics, and idealogy. I won't divulge anymore of the story because it's gonna be well worth your viewing.

Though the movie isn't perfect (of course), it doesn't drag and it never fails to keep me at the edge of my seat the whole time, saving the best for last, for one of the most memorable and thought-provoking conclusions I've ever seen. A simple sentence of advice, Men, you've just gotta watch the Watchmen.