Watchmen

I've been a fan of Watchmen since before I read it, since I first looked through a book on comics and saw Nite Owl's costume and Rorschach's mask. The first time that I read it I loved it, and then each time since I've taken something else away from it. The film version could never be as good for me as the version that played out in my head as I read it.

That said, the film version of Watchmen is much better than fans of the graphic novel might have been expecting. Yes, there have been some changes; yes, there will be many parts that you think should have been kept in; yes, while some parts are very true to the graphic novel others have changed quite dramatically.

I thought that it was a really enjoyable film: despite being over two and a half hours long I never felt like it dragged once. Patrick Wilson was excellent as Nite Owl, absolutely spot on in terms of look and character, and Rorschach was spot on too; the special effects work for Dr. Manhattan is superb, and there was a real attention to detail throughout the film, getting as many stylistic parts from the graphic novel in, while still making new interpretations as well.

Is it the perfect Watchmen adaptation? Perhaps not, but perhaps every fan of the source material would disagree with me on the things that they really wanted to see. Is it a good film? Yes, it's enjoyable, action-packed and still deals with some of the big themes of the graphic novel. One to watch on the big screen.