Watchmen Chapter I: Is It a Must-See for Die-Hard Fans & When Will Chapter II Drop?

For about 40 years, the conventional wisdom was that Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' Watchmen was impossible to adapt. Today, this is definitely not the case. While Moore was criticizing every initiative of Hollywood, the Watchmen universe was successfully expanding.

First came Zack Snyder's stylish, high-budget adaptation – its status as a revelation in the world of superheroes can hardly be disputed. Then came the HBO series, produced by Damon Lindelof, which was well-received.

Now the attempt is in the hands of the animation department of Warner Bros., it seems they decided to put an end to it and bring the cult story to the screen for the last time. Still as complex and vast – so much so that the project had to be split into two parts. The first was released this year, the second will be shown next year – there's no exact release date yet.

What is Watchmen Chapter I About?

In October 1985, the world is on the brink of nuclear war. Even superheroes like Doctor Manhattan and the Comedian are unable to save the day. Suddenly, the Comedian is killed, and Rorschach, a mysterious masked vigilante who prefers to work alone, takes up the case. He suspects that someone is out to get his colleagues.

Now Rorschach must reunite with other superheroes to warn of the threat. The ornithologist nicknamed Nite Owl has long since hung up his costume, Ozymandias has moved on to run a giant corporation, and a woman nicknamed Silk Spectre is having trouble in her relationship with Doctor Manhattan, who has had enough of humanity.

Watchmen Offers Nothing New, But It's Not a Drawback

For a connoisseur and devoted fan of Watchmen, the value of a new adaptation will be questionable. Brandon Vietti's project is essentially a revival of the 1986 comic, faithfully following both the plot and the artist's style. For better or worse, the animation looks exactly as you'd expect.

On the other hand, Watchmen feels at home in the world of animation. If the directors and producers couldn't find a worthy equivalent for Moore's brainchild, the animated format rises to the challenge with dignity.

The new Watchmen really captures both the pacing of the graphic novel and its mood: the leisurely pace of noir, the walks through the gritty streets of the metropolis as the threat of nuclear war looms.

If Snyder allowed himself a lot of pathos, Vietti's animation is free of this grotesque. A comic book comes to life is the best way to characterize a new project that took a deliberately risky gamble. And the risk was justified – now the project has a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.