Watchmen

Try to imagine your favorite book. If it hasn’t already been transferred to film, imagine being devastated by a poorly told story or second-rate portrayal of its characters. On the other hand, you might be able to envision a grandiose depiction of a stunning visuals or satisfying thrills. Both of these scenarios can be easily applied to the film adaptation of the graphic novel titled “Watchmen.”

The horizon of superhero films is charging towards us with a clan of darker, more complex, and ultimately tragic characters. “Watchmen” seems to be the first film to truly embrace these qualities.

The story takes place in an alternate 1985 universe where the USA’s tension with the Soviet Union has the world on the brink of global meltdown. Within this world, there are masked vigilante superheroes who have been outlawed and forced into hiding. When a mystery attacker slowly begins killing off these retired heroes and exposing their identities, the remaining members reunite to uncover a hideous plot that runs as dark as the doomsday clock counting down to a global destruction.

In his previous graphic novel adaptation, “300,” director Zack Snyder became known as a visionary fanboy. His intense use of groundbreaking visual effects and action sequences won over many, but failed to expose the true depths of his characters. As a filmmaker that merely exhibits style over substance, Snyder has retained his careless bad-boy image with yet another exhibition of uneven character development and overpowering moments of visual brilliance in “Watchmen.”

Snyder may have captured a fantastic look and feel that emulates the beautiful original artwork of Alan Moore’s landmark novel, but the die-hard fans will either love it for the visual grandeur, or hate it for the poor retelling of brilliant source material.

Watchmen

Rated R for strong graphic violence, sexuality, nudity and language

Runtime: 162 min.

Starring: Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Jackie Earle Haley, Patrick Wilson, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan

Directed by Zack Snyder