Watchmen, Chapter One
Studio: Warner Bros. Animation
Runtime: 83 minutes
Rating: R
Release Date: Digital – August 13, 2024; 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray – August 27, 2024
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Synopsis: Watchmen, Chapter 1 delves into the gritty and complex world of masked vigilantes in an alternate version of America during the Cold War era. 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.
The “Watchmen” saga remains a cornerstone of comic book literature, having garnered numerous awards and accolades over the decades. The adaptation captures the spirit and style of Moore and Gibbons’ original, groundbreaking vision with stunning animation that pays homage to the comic book’s iconic visual style. Watchmen: Chapter II will be released later in 2024.
Watchmen, Chapter 1 features all all-star voice cast including Matthew Rhys, Katee Sackhoff and Titus Welliver, along with Troy Baker, Adrienne Barbeau, Corey Burton, Michael Cerveris, Jeffrey Combs, Grey DeLisle, Kelly Hu, John Marshall Jones, Max Koch, Phil LaMarr, Yuri Lowenthal, Geoff Pierson , Dwight Schultz, Jason Spisak, Kari Wahlgren , and Rick D. Wasserman. The film is produced and directed by Brandon Vietti from an adaptation by J. Michael Straczynski. Jim Krieg and Cindy Rago serve as producers and Dave Gibbons serves as consulting producer. Sam Register, Larry Gordon and Lloyd Levin are executive producers.
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By James Harvey
An admirable and ultimately successful adaptation (so far) of the acclaimed comics series, Watchmen, Chapter 1 is arguably the best DC Comics-based animated film of the year (so far). Faithfully recreating panel after panel from the comics, as well as lifting narration and dialogue straight from the page, Watchmen, Chapter 1 is a clear love letter to the beloved, nearly 40-year old comic series. While the film does struggle with the odd pacing issue and visual stumbles, it remains a riveting and intriguing take nevertheless.
In an alternate world history shaped by superheroes, Watchmen, Chapter 1 finds the once-celebrated “costumed adventurers” of the world banned by a society disenchanted with vigilantism. In 1985, the murder of The Comedian, a hero-turned-government operative, draws the attention of Rorschach, the last of the outlawed vigilantes. Rorschach’s investigation soon draws in his retired colleagues – Nite Owl, Silk Spectre, Dr. Manhattan and Ozymandias – and brings them into conflict with their pasts and each other as this murder mystery threatens their lives and a world on the brink of war.
Covering the first five issues of the celebrated twelve-issue Watchmen comic series, Watchmen, Chapter 1 uses some fairly impressive (though occasionally inconsistent) CG animation to faithfully recreate the look of the original comic. These visuals are paired with a thankfully smart script that actually understands the material it’s adapting, making for an absorbing watch despite a couple disappointing slips. Even so, there’s a solid chance this could end up being part of the best adaptation of the famed source material to date (plus, Chapter 1 ends on just the right beat).
It’s no surprise that Warner Bros. would want an animated take on one of the most ground-breaking comics ever written, especially given the recent spate of adaptations (and multi-part) titles recently released under the DC Universe Movie and DC Animated Movie banners. Splitting Watchmen over two movies is a smart call, on a creative level, as it gives Chapter 1 just enough breathing room to push through the hefty story without feeling too rushed. The pace can feel a little aggressive at times, and some events dash by without giving the viewer enough time to let them sink in, but the movie does know when to slow down to let key moments breathe. Dr. Manhattan’s flashback/origin sequence is one such example, moving at more of a contemplative stride as the truly gorgeous and stunning sequence plays out.
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Adapted by the immensely talented J. Michael Straczynski, Watchmen, Chapter 1 is an effective retelling though it’s not a word-for-word, beat-for-beat reiteration of the original comic. Most of the original supplemental material from the comic is mentioned or referenced, including Hollis Mason’s Under The Mask autobiography and the Nova Express and New Frontiersman newsmagazines, while the Takes of the Black Freighter comic is woven into the film’s narrative via glimpses of the artwork (by Francesco Francavilla) and superbly performed narration (by Phil LaMarr). To call Watchmen, Chapter 1 a streamlined, simplified version of the original comic feels disingenuous but it’s also not entirely wrong.
The only substantial change this movie makes from the comic is shifting the order of the flashbacks for The Comedian. Rather than showing those key flashbacks during his funeral (ah … spoilers?), they instead pop up roughly whenever one of the characters learns of his death. The chronology of his life events also gets a little messed up as a result, but it’s still clear as day that The Comedian is a horrible person to the core and the story isn’t really impacted by this in a negative way.
All the film’s creative choices feel as though they’re made in service of presenting the most accurate take on the story possible, and in total respect to that material. By embracing the brighter colors and visual flourishes of the classic comic – and doing so down to every last character design, angle choices, framing, lighting choice, and so on – Watchmen, Chapter 1 arguably looks and feels more attuned to the source material than any of its other direct adaptations. When it comes to recapturing the mood and overall vibe of the original comic, producer and director Brandon Vietti pulls it off pretty dang well.
Another positive for Watchmen, Chapter 1 is its animation, which is surprisingly strong despite the clear budget limitations that occasionally pop up. The CG-animation style works better than expected when it comes to bringing the iconic comic to life, and faithfully recreates some of its biggest moments from the first five issues with some eye-popping visuals. The aforementioned Dr. Manhattan sequence, which covers the character’s origin, is quite possibly Vietti’s career-best work. How he’s able to give viewers an actual taste of how Dr. Manhattan experience time is absolutely brilliant and hypnotic in its execution.
While the quality occasionally wavers, Watchmen, Chapter 1‘s animation looks much better than expected. Character movements are nice and smooth, mostly, and the models themselves are pretty expressive. There are weird little blips here and there – like the distracting and choppy animation when Dr. Manhattan is putting on his suit and tie for an interview, or the weird-looking foam effect on the killer’s mouth during the attempted assassination of Ozymandias – but that’s really nit-picky stuff.
There are also times when backgrounds look a little too sparse or clean, or characters can be a little too stiff, but the film impresses more than it disappoints by a wide, wide margin. When it comes to Watchmen, Chapter 1‘s key moments – such as Dr. Manhattan’s accident or The Comedian’s murder, among others – the film absolutely delivers. Using CG animation to recreate Dave Gibbons’ original artwork was risky to say the least, but it looks like it was the right call in the end, especially given the regrettable quality of some of Warner Bros. Animation’s recent 2D-animated efforts of late.
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Watchmen, Chapter 1‘s impressive quality carries over to the film’s voice cast, who all seem to just throw themselves so convincingly into their respective roles here. Titus Welliver is fantastic as Rorschach who, despite clearly being inspired by Jackie Earle Haley’s incredible rendition in the 2009 live-action Watchmen, makes the role his own by having his take sound, well, a little pathetic. Rorschach’s iconic “I’ll look down and whisper, ‘No.'” monologue here comes across as more of the sad incel power fantasy it is than the heroic notion the character believes it to be. Welliver also peppers his performance with quick beats of sadness, right around the edges and just enough to get audiences on board with this undeniably disturbed individual.
Katee Sackhoff puts in equally great work as Laurie Juspeczyk/Silk Spectre II, bringing out the character’s frustration and vulnerability as she struggles through her disappointing life and difficult relationship with Dr. Manhattan. Matthew Rhys brings the right amount of compassion and sorrow to Daniel Dreiberg/Nite Owl II, who grows closer to Laurie while she’s being pushed further and further away by Dr. Jonathan Osterman/Dr. Manhattan, played by Michael Cerveris. Dr. Manhattan is a deceptively tricky role to pull off, especially having to lace the character’s apathetic deliveries with faint hints of emotion, but Cerveris makes it sound easy.
Also deserving of a nod for their memorable work here is Troy Baker and Adrienne Barbeau as Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias and Sally Jupiter/Silk Spectre I, respectively, same with Jeffrey Combs’s surprisingly affective turn as Edgar William Jacobi/Moloch and Rick D. Wasserman’s equally stirring go as Edward Blake/The Comedian. The cast put together and directed by Jamie Thomason is stacked with impressively talented actors, and every last one spares no effort.
While not a perfect adaptation, Watchmen, Chapter 1 is likely the closest fans and comic readers will ever get to seeing the original comic series faithfully and authentically recreated. This movie has a lot of ground to cover, and while the pace can sometimes be a shade too swift, it does take the time when it counts to ensure the story’s biggest moments and beats land properly. The animation is pretty fantastic, save for the occasional blip, with a talented voice cast and a truly terrific score by Tim Kelly to carry it all home.
Doing what many thought would be impossible, the creative team behind Watchmen, Chapter 1 surpasses all expectations and delivers an accessible retelling that’s truly worthy of the original ground-breaking comics. Vietti and Straczynski stick close to the source material, making only the smallest of tweaks to trim and mold five issues of complex story-telling into an 83-minute movie, somehow making the near-impossible look easy in the process. Watchmen, Chapter 1 is a fantastic start to what looks to be a top-shelf two-part animated adaptation of one of the greatest stories ever told in comics. Highly Recommended!
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Hold up, the review isn’t done just yet! Click the link below to take a look at Watchmen, Chapter 1‘s 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release!
Please note a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray copy of Watchmen, Chapter 1 was provided by Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment for the purpose of this review. The author also purchased an iTunes edition of the film for comparison and completion purposes.
[ Continue on to the Watchmen, Chapter 1 Home Media review ]