Watchmen

I saw Watchmen today and thoroughly enjoyed it. I must admit that I was apprehensive before seeing the film. Watchmen is one of the most highly regarded comic books ever produced and Hollywood's ability to mess up comic adaptations should never be under estimated. The Watchmen film is a faithful, almost panel by panel, adaption of the comic, which is the same technique director Zack Snyder used for 300.

However, cramming that much detail into a film is difficult. The Watchmen film is longer than usual at 162 minutes but it is still extremely dense with plot and character development, and could easily be made longer. I can't remember another action movie that has so much dialog. There is so much detail crammed into almost every frame that, when the film comes out on DVD, people will be examining it frame by frame, looking for easter eggs.

There are no major stars in the film although there are several familiar Canadian faces. The acting was average but believable. For a change the effects supported the story, rather than showcasing how clever the digital effects wizards have become. That is as it should be. The film will not be an Oscar contender, but it will almost certainly be a cult classic in few years.