WATCHMEN (2009) | FIRST TIME WATCHING | MOVIE REACTION

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Watchmen is a 2009 American superhero film based on the 1986-1987 DC Comics limited series of the same name by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. Directed by Zack Snyder, the film features an ensemble cast including Malin Åkerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Carla Gugino, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Patrick Wilson. A dark and dystopian deconstruction of the superhero genre, the film is set in an alternate history in the year 1985 at the height of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, as a group of mostly retired American superheroes investigates the murder of one of their own before uncovering an elaborate and deadly conspiracy, while their moral limitations are challenged by the complex nature of the circumstances.
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#react #reaction #watchmen

[@GertzikCzC]

"Today I will be watching Watchmen" Finally, someone watches the Watchmen!

[@STNeish]

I see what you did there...

[@Spade976]

What happened to the rest of firefly/Serenity?

[@Yggdrasil42]

@@Spade976 Why are you asking this on some random comment?...

[@darkzer0670]

I understood that reference!

[@So1PV]

Who watch The Watchmen?

[@sleeper-cassie]

"…until the next thing happens." Exactly! The movie kind of glossed over this point, but it was rather explicit in the comic. After Dr. Manhattan agrees to go along with the coverup, Ozymandias (knowing he can see the future) basically asks him, "It all works out in the end, right?" And Dr. Manhattan tells him "Nothing ever ends." It completely saps away any sense of victory Ozymandias may have felt.

[@AGD_27]

I do think in the movie they kinda change the end to make Veidt's plan more long lasting as it cuts that conversation and shows at the end everyone using Veidt energy, which implies he ended all resource based war as Veidt says earlier in an interview and seeing that in the modern day pretty much all wars are thinly veiled wars for oil it theoretically would have worked, although he could have used the MAD principle, as risky as that is, and seen that nuclear war was arguably never going to happen and his energy solution was all that was necessary, but that easy to say now post cold war.

[@user-xx6vy9ri8p]

Exactly, after his death people will start war for the monopoly of his energy sourse. That's why Rorshach was right.

[@maximillianosaben]

This was an event of a movie. Adapting that novel was no small feat. And despite the change to the ending (I actually prefer it, generally speaking), this movie is epic.

[@philliplozano7587]

Zack Snyder's ending may have been more logical from a storytelling standpoint, but it doesn't make it better. Alan Moore wrote the book the way he did for a reason; the medium of comics was commenting on comic book tropes itself, and the society and politics and pop culture they emerged from, which includes the idea of a terrifying alien squid uniting humanity. It sure is a hell of a lot more interesting too, as the HBO TV series follow up to the novel underscored.

[@Rocket1377]

The new ending doesn't make any sense. The entire point of Ozzies plan was to unite the US and Russia against a common threat (an alien invasion), and since Dr Manhattan was a former superhero who helped win the Vietnam war, there is no way the Russians would believe the US was not involved somehow. They would look upon Dr. M as a threat the US created, which would only escalate tensions further.

[@maximillianosaben]

Have fun with that opinion.

[@jamespark3134]

@@Rocket1377 well Doctor Manhattan also destroyed US cities not just Russian cities

[@Trazynn]

The movie's ending is way smarter than what the comic did. I'm really glad Zach did this.

[@urborg74]

This movie is a near never ending collection of mindf***s. The thing that gets me most with this story, is that it's probably right. Human beings suck at working together unless it's against a larger threat.

[@neil2444]

The way I like to think of it, is that they were all superheroes with very different definitions of what "good" is. In their own twisted way, they genuinely believed they were doing good (except perhaps the Comedian who felt there was no absolute good). That makes it all the more interesting that the villain himself actually meant to do good. It makes for such an interesting dynamic between the characters, and for what concerns thought-provoking films, this is way up there on my list.

[@fjparasite1172]

Technically he DID 100% save the world. For how long it's debatable.

[@hater2764]

Most villains wants to do good, Most villains thinks they do good, from their perspective anyway....

[@CassandrashadowcassMorrison]

Technically there is only ONE superhero who is a member of the Watchmen. That is Dr. Manhattan. He is the only one who actually has super powers.

[@macedindu829]

The Comedian's "it's all a joke" most closely approximates the actual truth. Look at the other characters' outlooks and how they fit reality.

[@jiayojames]

Watchmen is not just a comic book story, it's peak fiction from the mind of a genius.

[@mbpoblet]

The original graphic novel (by the great master and absolute nutjob Alan Moore) the film is based on was extremely influential on the superhero genre and comics in general, and is the only graphic novel to appear on Time Magazine's list of the 100 best novels in the English language between 1923 and 2005 (and also on their list of the 10 top graphic novels, obviously). It's definitely a must read, even if the adaptation is pretty good. Also, fun fact, Galle crater, the smiley face crater on Mars, is completely real.

[@rogercline5377]

I certainly agree with the sentiment, but it was originally a a mini-series of 12 comic books, not a graphic novel. The individual issues were later collected into a graphic novel.

[@CalciumChief]

@@rogercline5377 Which is the reason Alan Moore grew to hate the comic book industry - cause DC screwed him out of the rights to the characters. They were gonna hold the rights so long as they publish the title and then the it would go to Moore, but then the idea of stories collected into one volume started to bloom and so they still publish the title.

[@mbpoblet]

@@CalciumChief To be fair Moore wanted to use characters from Charlton Comics (which had recently been acquired by DC), most of whom had been created by Steve Ditko and / or Joe Gill, and only turned them into original characters (by slightly tweaking their designs and changing their names) at the insistence of then DC editor Dick Giordano, so it's debatable to what extent he and Gibbons could claim rights to them (or wanted to)... The _story,_ though, is another matter altogether; DC _did_ royally screw them by keeping it indefinitely in publication just to avoid the rights reversal clause in the contract.

[@JulioLeonFandinho]

Saying that Watchmen is extremely influential is kind of an understatement... I'd say it changed comics forever. Alan Moore was fed up with superheroes and their intrinsic moral ambiguity and all the issues superheroes had. Specially regarding politics... Watchmen is to comics what "El Quijote" is to literature. Snyder did an interesting effort trying to adapt such work, but It's impossible to make it in just one movie

[@grogu9698]

@@JulioLeonFandinho I think he did a pretty good job, maybe the only problem is all the thing of removing the giant alien calamari. He thought it was too cheesy but the show proved it can work perfectly fine.

[@lethaldose2000]

Rorschach, Dr. Manhattan, The Comedian, Silk SPectre, Night Owl, Ozymandias. What a collection of characters. Glad to see this reaction. Especially to the altered events in American history. Watchmen was an especially daring movie to make since the storyline is so complex and multi-layered. Plus The characters are all unknown so half of the movie is devoted to telling their back story. A truly difficult feat to pull off but Zach Synder goes for broke.

[@onemoreminute0543]

People: "Watchmen is unadaptable" Snyder: "Hold my beer" ;)

[@Tonyblack261]

I love the Philip Glass soundtrack during Jon's transformation.

[@jessecortez9449]

It's absolutely beautiful and perfect for that character arc. Jon's transformation is better than most character stories done in mainstream movies.

[@tsogobauggi8721]

Philip Glass has created so much wonderful music. :)

[@somthingbrutal]

and like the rest of the soundtrack its era appropriate

[@alfredoneves3976]

"I feel fear for the last time"

[@grife3000]

36:15 Indeed, one of the more powerful lines they cut from the movie was when Adrian asks Manhattan if it all works out in the end, and Doc replies "Nothing ever ends."

[@mikefoster6018]

I love this story. The finale makes the audience appreciate the value of covering up truth, which is way outside of movie/comic convention.

[@slchance8839]

100% agree. the layers to this movie are legion

[@dettlaffvandereretein4251]

Comedian snapping at Dr. Manhattan really showed how early the detachment from humanity started. He literally perceives every moment in time, could have turned the bullet to bubbles; he had the power and the reaction time to do it but didn’t, just watched. A hero with such godly power that made him so detached he doesn’t even act, just voices whatever shred of humanity left.

[@iconocast]

the impact this comic had on well comcis cant be understated. its so ingrained in the culture that u take it for granted now what it pioneered in a way

[@44.caliberbrainsurgery63]

The "I'm not locked in here with you, you're locked in here with me" line is still one of the best

[@justinhephner2117]

my favorite line: "you dont seem to understand, im not locked in here with you...youre locked in here with me!!!"

[@freagle123]

Rorschach is the best character. "i ' m not locked in here with you, you're locked in here with me..." Absolute Badass

[@PsychoMuffinSDM]

Speaking of "good guys" and "bad guys", The Expanse is a great series which blurs the lines between. I hope you consider it sometime!

[@ricruss1869]

This movie has one of the best plot/ending in movie history.

[@jimperry6463]

The smiley face is a real geographic feature on Mars.

[@slytheringingerwitch]

I love this movie for the opening credits.

[@portland-182]

The 'bad guy' saves the world. Our 'heroes' fail to stop him saving the world... If you look very carefully at the 40's hero montage, one of the 'Minute Men' saves the Wayne family, and so Batman never happens.

[@williampressley1162]

Yeah I'm glad that you checked out the movie because I really enjoyed the movie Yeah watchmen you should definitely read the original graphic novel that this movie was based on cuz it was written by a very legendary Alan Moore ( now Alan Moore is considered where the best writers within the industry of comics I mean he wrote so many great stories in his entire career. I mean when he first originally was writing watchman he actually was going to use other characters that DC comics actually acquired but DC told him no. So he technically created this series from characters as of the characters that he was not allowed to basically use. And this became one of the greatest comic stories ever told because he was actually out to really make a point about superheroes because he always felt that to some extent like you really shouldn't trust people with your safety that are in these type of roles like you see in the movie and in the graphic novel that really should we really trust these guys with be protecting us. And beg the question within the graphic novel you really shouldn't trust these type of people. I think in some interviews that I read that he was out the kind of make a really big statement on his feelings about some things within the superhero genre. Which to some extent me personally I don't really care for the original graphic novel but I do like the movie but I do get the points he's trying to make.) I mean he really took the genre with watchmen and flipped on its head and because of that you see stuff like for instance the boys and a few other pieces of work that really deconstruct the superhero genre in some certain elements to really captivate the story now if it wasn't for watchmen doing what it did there's a lot of stuff that came after that did the same thing that would have been able to have that success if watchmen didn't pull it off. Now moore he's a very particular writer he's very well known for a lot of other stuff within the industry I mean he was the one who did kind of write some of the most very fundamental stories ever told within the industry even though he kind of had a falling out with the big two like marvel and DC ( yeah his main problems with DC comics to some extent even though Marvel's kind of guilty as well because there was a deal struck when he originally wrote watchmen that at some point he was supposed to get the rights back to the characters and to the series with his co-creator Dave. But at the same time no one thought watchman was going to be the highest selling graphic novel of all time I mean it was given awards out the butt it's even been considered one of the greatest written novels of all time like in the best sellers list for 100. And it was the first graphic novel to win the Hugo award. And the Hugo award is for like novels like Oscars for movies it won but at the same time they kind of changed the rules to have a category for graphic novels years later. But it was the first ever do that like to break that mold and saying hey that people need to check out you know comics because you can actually tell a story in a different format but it doesn't mean it can't be as equally captivating as a novel if you really put your mind into it and really give a lot of impact and a lot of messages if it's done in a certain way to really make the audience feel a certain way. But back to the topic with a DC he still hasn't gotten the rights back to watchmen I mean there's a lot of his works that he feels that he should have the rights back to his characters but he still doesn't have the rights back I mean to some extent I can understand from his perspective on it. But you know you know the industry is very funny it's extremely rare rare when you work for the big two then you're allowed to have your characters back.) Definitely check out Alan Moore's work because it's very captivating and really most the time gets a particular renowned recommendation. Because Alan Moore is considered like the Stanley for mature audiences even though alimore has his feelings towards Stan Lee and he's talked about it in videos how he really feels about staying late cuz he didn't really care for Stan Lee. I would say Batman killing joke ,League of extraordinary gentlemen (even though that one has a movie but the movies like really bad like it was a slap to the face to the source material) top 10 ,his run on swamp thing for DC comics ,promethea just to name a few that you should check out because they're really really good

[@LiveFromThePorcelainPalace]

Don't forget V for Vendetta.. another one Alan Moore wrote

[@filmfreak7682]

And League of extraordinary gentlemen.. all dave gibbons artwork

[@johnnyjohnny2650]

From Hell is really interesting, but it's good to get a copy with all the notes in the back because it can be pretty dense and hard to follow.

[@williampressley1162]

@@LiveFromThePorcelainPalace true I forget mention that one

[@bigbark4627]

I knew nothing about this film & it absolutely left me speechless when I first watched it! I'd never seen something so different, it was so bizarrely different!

[@chuckmanion1128]

This is my favorite Superhero movie, because it isn't the traditional black/white good/evil story. Even the best are a little bad. I mean you have a jaded demigod, a rapist, a homicidal psychopath, and a genocidal mastermind as the superheroes! I like this take on things. Can't count the times I've debated who is the most heroic/villainous and people have had different and even opposite answers. It's a fun (though exhausting) conversation.

[@Zodthe1st]

Love it or hate it ( I love it), if you know comic books, you know this is the most accurate comic book adaptation ever put on screen.

[@ronadish1]

I love it too but I think sin city was a more accurate comic book adaptation.

[@Rocket1377]

No, Sin City is. That film is a virtual shot for shot recreation of the comic book panels. Watchmen completely changed the ending, which ruins the intent of the original author. The theatrical cut also left out a ton of important material and information.

[@boboboy8189]

@@Rocket1377 but I I feels alien attacking earth is cliche for movies

[@masansr]

@@Rocket1377 If you think the change in the ending is the biggest misstep from the original, I'm guessing you've never read the comics.

[@Staccet]

26:05 Possibly the most underrated/appreciated scene in the movie. On youtube there is like 4 sh*t quality clips of it and all other people doing reactions to this movie have pretty much skipped it with no comment.

[@jackthenarrator4735]

Agreed. That and the "without condoning or condemning" line are very underappreciated.

[@sirjohnmara]

This was originally based on a comic outside DC or Marvel universes - but DC bought the rights and published it during the 80's. The new series is really good, and it's good that you've seen this before doing the Watchmen series - if you want to do them - they are really good!

[@nocrot1]

The thing with most Marvel and DC movies is that the heroes are morally positive. They almost have no real flaws. Captain America and Super Man are perfect examples. Then a movie like Watchmen comes along and show how human heroes would really be.

[@teresaluz975]

I saw Watchmen in the movie theatre when it came out in 2009. It was an amazing movie going experience. I read the comics and I love it so much. This movie is my favorite Zack Snyder movie. Loved your reaction.

[@McPh1741]

Did you watch the director’s cut? If not, you should. They left a lot out of the theatrical version. There were some extended flashback scenes during the funeral and the old Night Owl’s death. That was one of the best scenes of the movie and it was cut out in the theaters.

[@davidanderson1639]

It’s all about the 215 min long ultimate cut. It integrates The Curse of The Black Freighter animation into the film, as it is in the graphic novel, along with all the scenes cut from the theatrical release; plus a few other bits.

[@jean-paulaudette9246]

Pretty sure this was inspired by the classic Latin question, "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?" (Who watches the watchmen), meaning, if they have the power/authority, who's to stop them doing exactly as they please?

[@blueroninstudios]

I'd never known how messed up a lot of Alan Moore's writing was until I saw this film. The graphic novel had been out since the 80's and basically changed the landscape of what was permissable in a mainstream comic book from a major publisher like DC. There was a short period where a lot of comics in the late 80's and early 90's had become dark and gritty, but a lot of comics writers got tired of writing the same redone tropes over and over again trying to recreate what Alan Moore had done, plus a lot of kids were actually getting scared of their fave characters changing or getting way too extreme or serious.....it was a confusing time. Moore's writing was bold, a lot of the ideas he introduced were brilliant at the time, and Watchmen was kind of his take on how if superheroes were real, a TON of them would be the worst kind of people you could possibly imagine, but maybe a few would do the right thing, however the rest of them would probably go mad with power while th government would try to regulate or control people who cant be controlled, basically gods on Earth. I read most of it when I was in college, thought most of it introduced some interesting ideas, especially a good twist on who the mystery villain was, and the fact that he already won.....well, sort of.

[@davidcave5426]

Originally, this was a 12-part mini series comic. Only after the movie did they come out with individual comics of each of the characters done by different writers/artists as background. The comic series is MUCH deeper than the movie but the movie does capture the essence.

[@jangoliocloney3441]

Suddenly, the "WW3 could start tomorrow" line became extra chilling.

[@webdrude]

an important thing to know about superhero movies (especially DC and Marvel) is that almost all stories are pulled from or inspired by comic books. comic books were main stream stories that were part of the "pulp fiction" age, where many people read daily on their commutes. these stories were pumped out like crazy, often needing to be written, inked, and colored on quick schedules so that they could publish a new chapter weekly. they were often ongoing stories, serials, to keep people coming back for the next one. the golden and silver ages of comics served as a kind of proving grounds for stories, where popular ones might be preserved or even reprinted, but the lesser stories were often lost to time, as many of the pulp comics were printed on cheap paper that weren't ever intended to survive as long as traditional books. this means there is still a lot of good stories to mine from, though often these stories are adapted to be more exciting for screen, modernized, or simply to try to make them a more compelling stand-alone story. interestingly, The Watchmen, or at least the famous graffiti, is inspired by a latin phrase "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?" which means "who will guard the guards themselves?" or similar, and still has importance today in the age of qualified immunity.

[@tsogobauggi8721]

"Man goes to doctor. Says he's depressed. Life seems harsh and cruel. Says he feels all alone in threatening world. Doctor says: 'Treatment is simple. The great clown, Pagliacci, is in town. Go see him. That should pick you up.' Man bursts into tears. 'But doctor...' he says 'I am Pagliacci.'"

[@jackthenarrator4735]

Good joke. Everybody laughs. Roll on snare drum. Curtians.

[@davidbourhenne8540]

This is the best comic book adaptation. The characters were originally going to be Charlton Comics heroes but DC bought the characters and decided to use them in their universe. So Alan Moore revised the characters into the ones here and the film. Nite-Owl (Blue Beetle), Silk Spectre (Nightshade), Rorschach (The Question), Ozymandias (Thunderbolt), The Comedian (Peacemaker), Dr. Manhattan (Captain Atom). There are scenes that are the exact same as panels in the comics. Go read the graphic novel, the ending is different but still an amazing book and film.

[@davewhitmore1958]

It's a crime that Jackie Earle Haley didn't get a Best Supporting Oscar nomination for playing Rorschach . . .

[@PaulWinkle]

Dr. Manhattan: Dude, I really don't know what women want?! Me: I also don't know, but for sure they want oxygen!

[@ariochiv]

Alan Moore's stuff is always _SUPER_ dark. This was DC's "alternative" stuff way back in the day (along with Frank Miller's Dark Knight), before deconstruction became the new vogue. I never really got into it, despite thinking that Death was a really cool character (being portrayed as a punky girl). I was much more interested in the independent comics, but that renaissance was short-lived. Comics went back to banal superhero regurgitations, until shortly after manga came along and essentially destroyed American comics as a popular medium.

[@boomieboo]

Thanks for watching one of my all time favorites Mari. Now you know where my avatar came from. Your life's mission is finally complete.

[@STNeish]

Dr. Manhattan is a very complicated character because of his perception of time (which this film doesn't quite get right). He already knows everything he's going to do, before he does it, so he can't do anything differently... because he's already done/is doing it. It's hard to wrap your brain around. This was a film I enjoyed, but I was very disappointed with the performances. I thought Haley was amazing as Rorschach, but none of the other performances were very good. I thought the gore was a bit too over the top, but I understand why they did it. The comic was very graphic for its time, with realistic violence and nudity, and that made it controversial. To be equally controversial, the film had to be even MORE graphic... but that meant becoming unrealistic. This changed the nature of some of the characters. For example, in the comic, the ONLY one who was killing his enemies was Rorschach. The other characters wouldn't cross that line. In the movie, EVERYONE was killing their enemies, which diminished Rorschach and tainted all of them.

[@Rocket1377]

Agreed, the actress who played Silk Spectre II was very disappointing to me, she gave a very wooden performance. I also dislike the changes they made to some of the costumes, especially hers.

[@STNeish]

@@Rocket1377 She was definitely one of the worst offenders. For example, the scene where Jon has divided into several bodies to fool around with her, she's supposed to be so angry she breaks up with him and walks out. Malin barely seemed slightly peeved. It was the same on the moon. She wasn't the only one, though. Only Rorschach was well done. The Comedian wasn't BAD, but was kind of inconsistent. The ironic one was Adrian, who claims in the comic "I'm not a Republic Serial villain," and in the film goes around sneering and hissing his lines like he's just that. All he needed was a moustache to twirl. Viedt is supposed to be a kind of tragic figure, tormented by what he feels he has to do to save the world. Here, he just isn't.

[@MrFarnanonical]

One thing you have to keep in mind is that the graphic novel was published in the mid 80s. So the cold war and nuclear weapons were still very relevant. I wouldn't say you're wrong about DC being a little darker than Marvel but in this particular case it's because this was a graphic novel, so they were allowed to put more mature content in it and because it was made in what's known as the dark age of comics. They focused on making comics for an older audience with darker themes, more sex and violence. Marvel did it as well, there was a storyline about Tony stark's alcoholism called demon in a bottle, the wasp left antman because he beat her, captain marvel died of cancer, the punisher is a super "hero" who kills everyone. The MCU might give a bit of a false impression that they're more light hearted than DC. especially when you compare it to this film.

[@fjparasite1172]

I think one amazing one is BORN where punisher was already a psycho during the war. Everything about taking out bad guys was an excuse.

[@LynnLeFey1]

Don't bother with the HBO series. Don't bother with the more recent DC comics prologue comics. But I HIGHLY recommend the graphic novel. The layers of storytelling in the novel are incredibly deep.

[@matthewkirkhart2401]

“…. You’re locked in here with me!” is such a great line in this movie.

[@Michael-id9bw]

Love this movie. I always felt that it was underrated.

[@lindarne77]

Currently scientists have the doomsdag clock set at a minute an forty seconds... so don't feel so scared about their situation in the movie. as so often; reality beats out fantacy.

[@TheChessMasterBattleofWits]

Hannibal Lecter (especially Mads Mikkelsen's one), Johan Liebert (Monster), Adrian Veidt (Watchman), Professor James Moriarty (Sherlock Holmes) are no ordinary villains and people as well, these are extraordinary personalities.

[@thomast8539]

As Alfred (Michael Caine's portrayal) told Bruce Wayne, "there are some people that just want to see it all burn." Like Rorschach tells the psychiatrist, we (humanity) make the world what it is (paraphrasing him). God is real, but some human beings think that they are above and beyond due to their intellect or wealth or whatever. We've seen them come and go over the centuries (Caesar, Genghis Khan, Napoleon, etc.) and they still keep right on coming, but they all lose in the end, because all of us are mortal. Always have been, always will be. And even the worst of us for all that they try, can't change that simple fact. Makes it easier to see how it all makes sense to have a faith in the Almighty and life on the blue marble is only part of the story.

[@marine6680]

The Comedian… the punchline… human nature/humanity. The Comedian wasn’t a good person, nor was he completely bad. He represents humanity on its whole. The actor that played him almost turned down the role because he only read the first part of the script until the character died. His agent had to tell him to read the whole thing, because the character was so important to the story. His lines after shooting the pregnant woman, point directly at the heart of questions of morality… We stand in judgment of the evils people do in the world… But if we stand by and watch them happen, without trying to stop it… Can we be said to be any better in the long run? As the saying goes… All that is needed to let evil continue in this world, is for good people to sit and do nothing. As a character he is depicted as highly intelligent and thoughtful, but very morally grey. This movie is very good with a second watch, to help catch little details you may miss the first time, not knowing their importance.

[@shanepye7078]

Dr. Manhattan is the answer to any superhero “who vs who” question.

[@Thane36425]

It's surprising that they think Dr. Manhattan would stay the same. Not only does he have immense powers, but he no longer has bodily functions, hormones, etc. He's essentially thought that can make a body to interact with the world. On top of that is not merely seeing his own future but existing in every moment of his timeline at the same time. Focusing on just few minutes to interact with people would be a challenge, moreso if you onew what they would be doing far in advance.

[@dr.burtgummerfan439]

"I'm not locked in here with you, you're locked in here with ME!" Ultimate trash talk!

[@GreenArrowHunter]

As a pallet cleanser i recomend that you watch the original 1978 Superman movie next, its a classic.

[@CaptainFrost32]

A movie that relied on practical effects to make "you will believe a man can fly".

[@kageakuma3009]

Watchmen, The Dark Knight Returns and the like helped create the Vertigo line of comics, comics aimed to an adult audience that are dark and deal with much more mature themes. Vertigo was the birth place of amazing series like Hellblazer, The Sandman, and Preacher are great series. Swamp Thing while not created in Vertigo had it's best runs in it.

[@kageakuma3009]

Zach Snyder did the best he could with what is basically a comic that can't be filmed as a movie. He made many changes to fit it into a movie format time wise. Watchmen is long already. The ultimate cut includes between an hour and a half to two hours to cover some of the sub plots . So at that point we're talking a 5+ hour movie. I'm no Zach Snyder fanboy but this is one of his best films.

[@hoon_sol]

Fun fact: there is actually a smiley crater on Mars, the so-called "happy face crater" (official name: "Galle").

[@Matthew_ASD]

i think this is the most underrated "superhero" movie of all time.

[@CalciumChief]

20:00 Which is some of the reason why the Watchmen comic is considered as one of points where Modern/Dark Age of comics started. 22:26 Oh, you don't even know how much stuff was cut, especially the giant squid at the end. 30:39 "Every villain is the hero of their own story".

[@zillatattoo]

"youre locked in here with me" love that line.

[@3DJapan]

The happy face with blood on it is the cover of the graphic novel.

[@vwlssnvwls3262]

It's refreshing when filmmakers are willing to take a chance on a movie like this that is not normal, because audiences are often looking for something not normal.

[@jackcrater9725]

Watchmen was too ahead of the time when it came out. Christopher Nolan said if Zack Snyder came out with Watchmen 10+ years later it would have been a much bigger hit that it was.

[@mikemeggison5084]

Oh, you like it dark? Batman is black coffee, Watchmen is roofing tar! 😈

[@OrdinaryInspiration]

"I'm not locked in here with you. You're locked in here with ME!" - Rorschach

[@andysutcliffe3915]

I know its a comic books thing, but initially rourshack speaks in short, clipped expressions, but his journal is very expressive and speaks his mind. Over time, he switches, he becomes more expressive, personally, and his journal entries devolve into short, clipped, expressions..

[@stewart1555]

There are many stories and characters, but every character was well developed. DC excels in character development, because of how well they focus psychological aspects and motivations of each character.

[@laffingist218]

marvel is usually timely, dc is usually timeless. marvel is often "what would you do with godlike powers?" dc is often "what do gods think of our modern society?"

[@somthingbrutal]

Jon is like he is because of how he perceives time he sees the past present and future at the same time, and can't change what he has seen

[@glennwelsh9784]

DC Comics as a whole isn't necessarly dark tonally. I think people see their most popular character - Batman - as this dark vigilante and just assume the rest of DC's heroes are the similarly dark, or they see Zack Snyder's rather grim DC films and mistakenly assume that they accurately reflect the vibe and tone of the comics. But that isn't the case. DC has some of the brightest and most optimistic heroes in Superman, Wonder Woman and The Flash. I think that has been lost in the need for the characters and stories to be taken seriously and avoid falling into the trap of disposable silliness and frivolity that a lot of the earlier Superman and Batman movies devolved into, as well as avoiding comparisons with the often bright and jokey tone of the MCU. Watchmen also isn't an accurate representation of DC Comics. It exists very much as its own property, and was intended to be a serious examination and deconstruction of superhero fiction and its tropes, which was a fairly new approach when Watchmen was printed back in 1985.

[@fjparasite1172]

Superman was more how does a powerful positive guy like that lives in this cynical world?

[@johnnyskinwalker4095]

Yea in general DC heroes have always been lighter.

[@boboboy8189]

@@johnnyskinwalker4095 there's plenty of DC heroes that are dark too. It just their popular heroes is the light one. But people always confuse between light and humour which every recent superhero fall on. If we go back to Superman 1 and Superman 2 Donner's cut, Superman never cracking a jokes but putting a one liner as fun fact.

[@johnnyskinwalker4095]

@@boboboy8189 No but I'm saying in the comics DC heroes were always the noble and more one dimensional characters except maybe Batman. They were less complicated and targeted for younger children. When Marvel came in, they made their characters more complex and less noble and more human. For example Justice League acted like the Knights of the Round Table, rarely disagreed with one another. Whereas the Fantastic Four were like a family and constantly fighting and arguing against each other. Stan Lee precisely targeted an older readership. Then Marvel got real when it started killing characters. The Death of Gwen Stacy in 1973. And darker characters became the rage like Punisher and Wolverine. It stayed the same until DC decided to change and mimicked some of their characters after the Marvel ones. So now Aquaman started to have more of a tamper like Namor. Green Arrow started to have more of an attitude like Hawkeye. Members of the Justice League started to fight against one another like the FF were doing. But at the base, DC characters have had a longer tenure at being lighter. Then Zack Snyder came in and made them super-dark. lol Completely going against their origins, even darker or more bleak than the MCU! I think with the exception of Batman, DC characters work better when they focus on imagination. This is something they can do better than Marvel. Grant Morrison really got that when he wrote JLA in the 90s. He had Superman wrestling angels, etc...Big over-the-top ideas. They should be the Star Trek to Marvel's Star Wars. Focus on ideas.

[@oldgreggsmadmemes4431]

"Never compromise even in the face of Armageddon"

[@thomast8539]

"Never give up! Never surrender!' - Galaxy Quest

[@oozaruyo9843]

"it's like oh you have the good guys, but the good guy's also a bad guy, but he was still loved, and then you have another good guy and he's the actually the bad guy in this story. And then one of the really good guys is going along with his story of the good guy that's actually the bad guy because it has already happened. Wow." Great summary!

[@chriswerth918]

This film is based on the graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. Many ppl consider it to be the very best comic book ever written. Watchmen was the only graphic novel to appear on Time's "All-Time 100 Greatest Novels" list.

[@parappasan]

The more time since I first watched this in the theatre, the more I appreciate this film. So far as Snyder comic adaptations go, this is probably how DC wanted his Justice League series. I hope WB continues to blaze a different path in comic films and streaming from Disney, whatever the ups and downs.

[@crankfastle8138]

I agree DC should definitely continue to differentiate itself from marvel. But I do think they need to distance themselves from Snyder. Snyder is great until you realize it's him repeating the same tropes and style making all of his movies feel just the same. They should start working more with people like Gunn, Waititi, and Wright to give it more depth and individuality

[@nathansossai]

The problem is: Snyder can't write for shit. This was only good because he adapted Moore's work word for word, panel by panel. Everytime he tries to do his own thing it fails spectacularly.

[@minski76]

"I'm not a comic book villain!" Fun Fact - In the Comic Book he says "I'm not a Republic Serial (aka movie) villain."

[@Elerad]

I have a difficult relationship with Watchmen. I admire a lot about it. The graphic novel was remarkable in its originality and brutality, and Alan Moore can write fantastic characters. Rorschach is absolutely fascinating for his absolutist view on the world, but the scene where he apologizes to Dan gives the character some wonderful depth. My issue is that this started the deconstruction of superheroes craze that has continued to this day. Since Watchmen, heroes who are truly heroic and who desire nothing more than to do good have become rather passe, and everyone has sought to mimic Moore's worldview in one way or another. To me, that sort of ruined comics, and started them on the downward spiral we're really seeing in full effect at this point. As for the movie, it's a remarkably faithful adaptation in a time where filmmakers tend to have very little respect for the source material they are adapting, so I have always appreciated that, even if the source material makes me a bit... sad, I suppose.

[@jackthenarrator4735]

It's like turning air into gold.

[@MovieswithMary]

Thank you, Jack! A lot of great movie experiences thanks to you ^^

[@cbikle]

Dr. Manhattan experiences time differently; with him, it's not linear, he's experiencing EVERYTHING all at once. His actions (and inactions) are just him following the script - doing or not doing what he knows will happen.

[@irishmedic]

I am not locked in here with you!!! YOU'RE LOCKED IN HERE WITH ME!!!!!!!!! What a line!!!

[@gahrie]

This movie is based on a 12 issue comic mini-series. It was considered ground-breaking at the time precisely because it was aimed at a mature audience. It changed the industry.

[@doctaflo]

29:19 - “oh no, it’s a f*kin’ smiley” - that’s a real geological formation on mars

[@timlanteigne298]

How the snow just stops mid air before Rorschach 's death...

[@RagingRaygun]

I like how you hesitated to say Rorschach was on the side of "good" xD

[@wackyvorlon]

I highly recommend checking out the Ultimate cut, it’s the best version.

[@Kainlarsen]

That scene where the Comedian shoots the woman in Vietnam, he was right. Dr manhattan could*easily have stopped him from doing it, but the fact that he didn't speaks volumes about how little he seems to care about humanity after he bacame a god. Comedian knows he's a bad person, but doesn't think there's any point in trying to change, doesn't believe in the future.

[@Rocket1377]

DC is not inherently dark by nature. Many of their heroes are very inspiring and hopeful. You really should watch the classic Christopher Reeve Superman movie from 1978 to see the opposite side of the spectrum from Batman and Watchmen.

[@boboboy8189]

In comic, marvel supposed to be dark but MCU makes it childish PG 13. The closest we got from marvel movie is, Logan, blade trilogy, punisher, ghost rider, daredevil and hulk (2009). While DC is actually at the middle between light and dark if we talking about comic. For movies, Christopher reeves did set up superhero tropes for what pg13 superhero movie supposed to be which captain America (2011), wonder woman (2017) and Shazam used as template. For me, this movie is my most favourite comic book movie so far, it didn't follow superhero movies cliche stories at all. Another movie I love is alita which is adapt from japanese comic.

[@Daveyboy100880]

This is one of those movies that could never live up to the source material, so it's really good to see someone watching it with no preconceptions or knowledge of what came before! It's not a bad movie; indeed, it is better than it really has any right to be - especially when the source material was long considered to be unfilmable, defeating the efforts of many top-notch writers and directors over the years. I feel that the ending of the comic book is what caused the most trouble in trying to adapt it, as it is quite bizarre in the comic. What they finally came up with for this film is actually clever, delivering what feels like a relatively satisfactory climax to the story, and involving Dr Manhattan in a more intimate way... and yet it misses the point of comic's ending. Still, different things work in different media, and it just goes to show the you can't do a perfect 1:1 adaptation.

[@MrFarnanonical]

29:53 Hitler was a vegetarian as well.

[@CamCygi]

31:30 From now on, I'm gonna recognize Mari from this specific reaction. :D

[@john0constantine]

Don't try to understand it in terms of "good guy" and "bad guy". Judgement is a barrier to empathy.

[@IH8YH]

Before comparing "THIS DC" with Marvel, or THis with DC even, you should better read up on how a unique thing WATCHMEN was, who wrote it, what it meant back when it came out etc.... you CANNOT compare this with MARVEL OR DC and should also not call it a DC Comic really. Though it WAS written for and published by DC. all characters were created new for Watchmen and hadnt been used afterwards until a few ago, something that writer/creator Alan Moore did NOT approve really. It was a standalone thing and should be viewed as a standalone property as well. QUEUE THE SUPERNERDS fixing their tape-fixed glasses getting ready to unleash their fury....

[@notmee2388]

As an actual supernerd with broken glasses, I approve of this comment entirely.

[@randomcookieboy]

So, the original comic series did expand on the background of the watchmen a bit. They try to show it off in the film a bit too, like with the photograph in the beginning, but you just can't fit all the info into a film. Essentially, the first masked vigilante was hooded justice, the guy who punches comedian. His exploits start kind of a chain reaction of people picking up the idea, leading to the formation of The Minutemen in 1940 who were kind of a precursor to The Watchmen who would be form in the 60's. There's a whole second series of comics that are prequels called "Before Watchmen" and they're all pretty good, honestly. I'd say they're worth a read, if you're interested. Also read the original comic and then maybe read "Rorschach" (but don't read the sequel, "Watchmen: Doomsday Clock" unless you want to see the characters lose all of their original personality).

[@JoePlett]

There is SO much to unpack in this film. (And the original graphic novel). What separates a superhero from a vigilante? How do you define good & evil? I suspect many villains believe they are heroes. Who makes that final judgement? (The side that wins, I suppose). Are terrible things done "for the greater good" still not terrible things? I read that Alan Moore - who wrote the original - allegedly hated what Hollywood did to his creation and refused to see the movie. Still, I can't imagine anyone but Zack Snyder doing justice to the source material and giving us the dark, complicated, ambivalent story that is the Watchmen movie. I know it's crazy long, but the more times you watch it, the more little breadcrumbs you'll find.

[@Matej_Sojka]

Funny thing is that this was made by people who do NOT like superheroes. Both the book and the movie. But it is also proof that as long as you stay with source material as close as possible it works well. You do not HAVE to change stuff that does not need to be changed, hollywood.

[@LiveFromThePorcelainPalace]

Are you saying Zack Snyder doesn't like superheroes?

[@MravacKid]

@@LiveFromThePorcelainPalace Considering what he's done to Superman, I'd say it's fairly obvious. :)

[@Matej_Sojka]

@@LiveFromThePorcelainPalace He wants Batman to be raped in prison and Superman to kill people... He doesn't understand what makes those characters special and doesn't care.

[@LiveFromThePorcelainPalace]

@@Matej_Sojka where does he say he wants Batman to be raped? Or Superman to murder people?

[@Matej_Sojka]

@@LiveFromThePorcelainPalace Just look up his interviews, KZbin is full of them. Every time he opens his mouth about DC heroes he says how he wants to change them to become dark, and edgy. He is metaphorically the guy who claims he wants to make a movie about Sonic the hedgehog and instead he makes a movie about Shadow, just calls it Sonic and doesn't understand the difference.

[@ldkinbote]

The movie is a good representation of the comic, since it's a VERY difficult story to adapt to a singular movie, but to get all the nuance, it would do you good to read the graphic novel and rewatch the movie (Director's Cut) because the subtlety of certain things can easily be missed in one viewing anyway. It gets the broad concepts of the comic correct, but it does take more thought than other superhero movies and Snyder took some liberties, but they still work in the overall story sense. Some things said by characters aren't always only one way. They may be said to a character, but they're also statements about themselves. The Comedian, is not a good guy, but he also knows that. He also sees the world itself as morally ambiguous and thinks people trying to exert their morality is a joke, a sad joke. Like when he shot the pregnant woman, he wasn't blaming John for not stopping him exactly, he was pointing out to John that he can't chastise him since he knew what was going to happen and did have the power to stop him, but didn't. Why is that? At that time, I'm not sure John knew and it made him think about it all in a bigger picture sense. If you have god-like powers and you don't stop bad things from happening, are you then responsible? According to traditional superhero concepts, kinda. (See Spider-Man's motivation) Also, John showed Laurie how he sees things, all in his own timeline. He didn't know her timeline and didn't know what she'd see. So he didn't specifically show that vision of her mother and the Comedian. He didn't know about that. That was where her mind went. Plus, she asked to be shown how he sees things because she wanted to understand him, he didn't offer it nor make her see anything specific. He does have god-like powers, but he only sees his own timeline, from an outside perspective (all at once), which is why he is so detached from it all. The more he lived that way and the further he got from his humanity, the more detached he became yet he still tried to see things from a human perspective because of Laurie and he wouldn't have even tried, if he didn't care for her at all.

[@chand911]

It's sad that the doomsday clock is closer to midnight now than it was in this fictional movie.

[@jumpman83]

Getting closer every day.

[@andrewsmith8715]

@@jumpman83 Damn ruskies

[@txmoney]

Watchmen is only a DC property because they published a single graphic novel story by the genius, Alan Moore. The characters are just part of this single story and not part of the regular DC lineup of characters. DC characters had mostly been light hearted, silly characters (with the exception of The Batman). The “darker” tone for DC pretty much started with Frank Miller’s, The Dark Knight Returns story published in the ‘80’s (around the same time as The Watchmen). Frank Miller and Alan Moore pretty much changed the entire tone of the usual DC characters. On a side note, the best “comic book” series ever written is “Miracleman” also written by Alan Moore.

[@commiebastard3633]

Alan Moore knows the score, he was the first to ask what would costumed 'heroes' really be like? Probably psychopaths and people with issues, or if they had Superman like powers, wouldn't that give them detachment issues. No Watchmen = no The Boys, Invincible etc. For the 80's this was like a revolution in graphic novel story telling, and pathed the way for Neil Gaiman, Grant Morrison etc.

[@extantsanity]

38:10 "It goes in _hard._ But I like that, in a way, as well." That's what she said...

[@AlexSeverinski]

One of my friends is in this movie. She shows up @ 18:09.

[@ph8429]

The show that takes place after the events of this movie is REALLY good!

[@FuckYoutubeAndGoogle]

Yes, yet another show about how evil White people are, how wonderful, so good.