The Watchmen opens with a wonderfully imaginative take off on concepts brought up in and from the graphic novel overlaid with a song by Bob Dylan that gave me a stirring of hope. A hope that this new film by Zack Snyder wouldn't so much as replay the graphic novel in live action but add to an already audacious piece of art.In the remaining almost 3 hours my hopes were dashed, renewed, dashed and renewed again.

The movie itself had its high points visually, well acted, great score and a change in the ending that holds a level of plausibility high above the graphic novels original ending. With the high comes the low and unlike my compatriots who were enamored with the film i found myself wanting. In writing this review its hard for me to be honest so much love and hope are attached to this film from the filmmakers themselves to the fans who have lined up to watch it that a critical review almost seems cruel like making fun of someones mom. I have never said i am nice guy so before i wax on about my likes let me lay out my dislikes.

I am tired in general with this new trend of graphic novel replication, just because you can does not mean you should. Take for example Sin City great to look at but I've read the books been there done that the only thing new in the Sin City movie was the noise and movement. Then there's 300 directed by Zack Snyder Mr. Watchmen himself a man who took the best from the page and gave it something more adding to the concepts laid out by Frank Miller not just recording the graphic novel with movement and noise. As is what makes any novel/graphic novel adaptation great carrying over the essence and adding the weight of new eyes to old material take for instance Hellboy1&2, Road to Perdition, Dark Night, and History of Violence.Throughout Watchmen it seemed that every time Zack Snyder went to take a step outside of just re-shooting the graphic novel he would pull himself back as not to offend anyone.

Having read the Graphic Novel and countlessly gone over the plot their was nothing in the movie to carry me through the supense and drama of the proposed story line instead i was left with nothing but snap shots of a story i already knew devoid of the heart inherit in the original graphic novel. Now that everyone in comicbookland hates me let me say this. Watchmen the graphic novel is so dense and so loved that even to attempt what Zack Snyder has set out to do and almost accomplished deserves the utmost respect. The simple facts are this if you have never read Watchmen there is no doubt in my mind the movie will sweep you up in its new take on an old idea. The actors themselves put there all into the film most especially Dr. Manhattan and Rosarch who gives every scene hes in weight and reality as we follow this crazed everyman through a re imagined 1985 in which the story takes place. And lets not forget this 1985 a grimy, dark, fear based cesspool almost a fun house mirror to the terrorist fear based society of the last 8 years my how some things stay the same.... Zack Snyder i commend you i understand the need to hold so slavishly to the source material especially with such a drastic re imaging of the ending (brilliant by the way). And the steps you did take off the map i enjoyed.

I feel as a movie fan and comic book professional that a little less Moore and a little more Snyder would have brought a deeper, more involving resonance to the film. Let us not forget graphic novels and film are two separate mediums each with untranslatable strengths. All in all Watchmen needs to be seen. For the uninitiated enjoy the movie read the graphic novel and make up your own mind, for those who know Watchmen and have seen the film let me know what you think.