The film is based on the DC Comicslimited seriesof the same name co-created and illustrated by Dave Gibbons with co-creator and author Alan Moore choosing to remain uncredited.[3] Set in an alternate 1985, the film follows a group of outlawed and retired superheroes who investigate a conspiracy following the murder of one of their own. Gibbons served as a consulting producer on the film. Animation for the film was provided by Studio Mir.
The first part (titled Watchmen Chapter I) was released on August 13, 2024, while the second part (titled Watchmen Chapter II) was released on November 26, 2024.
Plot
Chapter I
Eddie Blake, an aging semi-retired government operative, is thrown to his death. A police investigation reveals that he was once the Comedian, a crass, gun-toting superhero who served in Vietnam. Blake's former colleague Rorschach, having taken up vigilantism, starts his own investigation into the Comedian's murder and concludes that someone is targeting former superheroes. He warns all of his surviving former allies, but they largely ignore or dismiss him.
Rorschach eventually targets Edward Jacobi, a retired supervillain known as "Moloch the Mystic", believing that he might be responsible; Jacobi pleads innocence and is spared the vigilante's wrath. As Rorschach continues to investigate, the viewer sees flashbacks from the other former heroes' pasts: how each of them became a superhero, what they experienced after costumed heroes were outlawed in 1977, and what their lives have become since.
Meanwhile, Laurie Juspeczyk (the second Silk Spectre after her mother Sally "Jupiter" Juspeczyk) and Dan Dreiberg (formerly known as the second Nite Owl) renew their once clost friendship, after Laurie feels that her relationship with Dr. Jonathan "Jon" Osterman (the omnipotent superhero Doctor Manhattan) lacks any real passion because Manhattan is distracted by his scientific research and increasingly disinterested in living a normal life.
At a press conference to answer public concerns that he is dangerous, Manhattan is ambushed and castigated by a former colleague who claims that the hero gave him terminal cancer. When the reporters begin to surround and aggressively question him, the doctor suffers a nervous breakdown and exiles himself to Mars. His absence triggers new geopolitical tensions between America and its global rivals. Abandoned, Laurie turns to Dan, and they start sleeping together.
Rorschach uncovers the existence of "Pyramid Holdings", a shell company that lists Jacobi on its payroll. He then finds the former villain gunned down in his apartment, just as the police arrive. The vigilante initially manages to fight them off using his resourcefulness and combat skills but is ultimately overpowered and unmasked as Walter Kovacs.
During the end credits, the viewer hears radio recordings of old superheroes from the 1940s.
In prison, Kovacs is treated by psychiatrist Malcolm Long, to whom he reveals his dark, disturbing past and how it shaped him into Rorschach; his abusive childhood, the shattering of his formerly ironclad religious faith, and his witnessing of a young woman's murder, for which no one intervened or even seemed to care. Kovacs is also threatened by other inmates, including Big Figure, a crime boss he and Nite Owl apprehended in the past. Meanwhile, Dreiberg begins believing Rorschach's theory after being haunted by nightmares of what is yet to come, for which he decides to don the mantle of Nite Owl again, with Juspeczyk joining him as Silk Spectre, eventually drawing public attention after risking their lives to save people trapped in a burning building.
After one last visit from Hollis Mason (the original Nite Owl) and evading the police, Dreiberg and Juspeczyk storm the prison to free Kovacs, just as Big Figure orchestrates a riot in an attempt to kill him. Kovacs escapes, reassumes his identity as Rorschach, and murders Big Figure before joining them. Juspeczyk is then abducted by Doctor Manhattan and teleported to his palace Mars, where he debates human nature with her. Manhattan also reveals that he knows of Juspeczyk's relationship with Dreiberg and asks her why he thinks her world is worth saving. Juspeczyk, devasted by his unfazed reaction to Earth's potential devastation, elaborates on the reasons why Dan is a more receptive lover to Manhattan's shock. She gets him to admit that without her to validate his fading humanity, he no longer cares about the fate of the world and instead wishes to create his own paradise on Mars.
Juspeczyk tries to convince him that Earth is far too important for him to hinge it on a relationship, but Manhattan instead questions why she is so afraid. Juspeczyk recollects her childhood memory of her father always yelling at her, because she was the daughter of her mother's ex-boyfriend, who she always believed to be Blake, the Comedian. As she gives up trying to persuade Manhattan, she realizes, through her memories, that Blake was indeed her father. Devastated and shattered by this revelation, she breaks down and destroys Manhattan's palace. However, the doctor suddenly experiences a change of heart, commenting how despite the odds, every human that is born was born for a reason. He tells Juspeczyk that he will help her.
Rorschach and the Nite Owl continue to research more about Pyramid Holdings, and head to Veidt Enterprises to warn Adrian Veidt, where they discover that he owns and controls Pyramid Holdings. Realizing Adrian is behind everything - including the death of the Comedian - Rorschach and the Nite Owl track Veidt to Karnak, his private base in the Antarctic. Manhattan teleports himself and Juspeczyk to New York City, only to discover to their horror than an otherworldly species has attacked the city, killing millions in the process. Manhattan senses the presence of tachyon particles around the creature after killing it and finally realizes that Veidt was the man behind everything. At the Karnak, Rorschach and Nite Owl reunite with Manhattan and Juspeczyk to confront Veidt, now dressed as his former superhero persona, Ozymandias.
Veidt is remorseless about his role in the attack, explaining that Veidt Enterprises used genetic engineering to create the "aliens" and stage a fake invasion, thereby uniting the world against them and thus laying foundations for a new age of global peace and cooperation. He declares that by doing this, he has created a world that no longer needs superheroes, and one where he will be uniquely positioned to shape human society in his own image.
Manhattan confronts Veidt after surviving an advanced weapon designed to kill him, only for the latter to show him a news broadcast of world leaders putting aside their differences and declaring a mutual plan to fight the "aliens". Veidt is elated that his plan worked, but his former colleagues swear that they will see him face justice for all the harm he's done. Veidt argues that by arresting and prosecuting him, they risk exposing his plans and undoing all the work thus far, stating that millions of people would have died for nothing. The heroes reluctantly agree to keep this a secret except for Rorschach, who is disgusted by their agreement and vows to expose Veidt. Unable to see any other way, Manhattan vaporizes Rorschach at his request, devasting Nite Owl. Manhattan then departs to explore the universe.
In an epilogue, Dreiberg and Laurie, now posing as a married couple using the surname "Hollis", visit a dying Sally Juspeczyk, where Laurie tells her she knows who her true father was and forgives her.
It was reported in April 2017 that Warner Bros. would develop an R-rated animated film based on the comic book series.[5] It was officially confirmed in 2023 that an animated film adaptation was in development and would be released in 2024.[6] A teaser trailer was released on June 13, 2024, with it being revealed to be a two-film adaptation.[7][8] Director Brandon Vietti praised the animation work done by Studio Mir, stating in an interview that "It was a kind of material and filmmaking that I don't think the studio had approached before, but we had a lot of great discussions about it and they really rose to the challenge."[9]
Release and reception
Watchmen Chapter I received a digital release on August 13, 2024.[10] The film was released on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD on August 27, 2024.[11]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 92% based on 12 reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10.[12] On Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating reviews from mainstream critics, the film has a score of 71 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[13] William Bibbiani of TheWrap felt that the film respectfully adapted the story, but struggled to properly convey its complexity and described the visual aesthetic as "serviceable but not entirely effective".[14] Brad Cook of Flickering Myth agreed, calling the film a "very faithful adaptation" with a visual style that "hews closely to artist Dave Gibbons' well-regarded depictions of the characters and the alternate 1985 timeline they inhabit".[15]
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