With the long history of development hell, I think Watchmen fans are fortunate to get a faithful adaptation of the source material. For better or worse, it’s nearly a direct translation.

It’s interesting to see the book brought to life. (Audience applauded after the prison scalding scene.) But I was always cognizant of watching the film, perhaps a consequence of me having the book fresh in my mind. The movie felt very segmented, its origin as a serialized comic becomes evident. It would be fantastic if someone green-lit a Watchmen miniseries. There are several parts of the movie that are very circumstantial (such as how Rorschach becomes trapped by the police) or questionable (So Rorschach never intended to warn Veidt?) due to the need to truncate things.

For the most part, all the characters were well represented. Laurie came out feeling the most under-served. She seemed more angry in the book and in the movie she just goes with the flow. I would’ve preferred they kept the same method Rorschach used to dispatch the child kidnapper. And it’s unfortunate they left out one of Veidt’s more humane moments, the one taking place after the assassination attempt.

The selected music that punctuated certain scenes were loud and felt out of place. I did appreciate the Vangelis-tribute, as part of the film’s score, which played as Rorschach walked down porno street.

As far as the new ending goes, I understand the need for change but after sitting through 2+ hours of movie, it felt like the threat needed to be more external. That’s not to say that I endorse putting the squid back in, it just needs something… larger. It’s odd that with all the heightening violence and gore, the one place the book lingered on ensuing carnage and devastation, the movie just moves on by. Ultimately, the biggest disservice to the ending is in not keeping the final scene between Doc Manhattan and Veidt, which speaks volume on Veidt and the future.

Having said all this, I’m still interested in seeing how the director’s cut came out. It’s an okay film, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it to the uninitiated.