Today: WATCHMEN! Zack Snyder’s incredibly faithful adaptation of the greatest graphic novel of all time  was a critically acclaimed masterpiece of genre cinema, which many fans thought would never reach the big  screen. It finally did just that in 2009, and proved to be just as brilliant on-screen as it was on the printed  page. The DVD and Blu Ray editions of the WATCHMEN movie are the perfect gift for that special geek in your life.

There are single disc and double disc versions of the DVD, along with an awesome 2 disc Blu Ray set. Any of  these is ideal for reliving the lengthy Watchmen movie in the comfort of the home. Now fans can pick it apart  frame by frame and enjoy it to its fullest, along with taking in the numerous and comprehensive extra features  that delve into the making of the film and the story behind its long journey to being made.

UK fans: Click here to order WATCHMEN

US fans: Click here to order WATCHMEN

I went to see WATCHMEN again yesterday, with a friend who hadn’t seen it until then. He was a huge fan of the Watchmen graphic novel (and indeed comics in general), so I was interested in seeing his reaction as well as gauging my own on a second viewing. How did it go? The film holds up remarkably well on a second viewing, really. After my initial amazement at kit, I thought that a repeated viewing would diminish my enjoyment, but no, if anything it heightened the experience.

I loved it even more. My mate was thrilled with the film, and pointed out repeatedly that the changes that had been made all made sense, and in some cases worked better than the comics themselves. sacrilege, I hear you cry, but justified.

It is with a second viewing of the film that you can appreciate the construction of it more without figuring out where they changed elements of the story. I found my second shot at seeing the film incredibly enjoyable, and found myself appreciating the visual richness of its construction to a much greater extent. Much like the graphic novel itself, there is so much going on in every frame that it will take repeated sittings to take it all in.

The level of detail is simply amazing, and there are some lovely little touches that I’d missed before. One of my personal favourites was noticing the inclusion of the classic 1984 Apple Macintosh advert on one of Ozymandias’ TV screens.

Mac love aside, the Watchmen movie holds up extremely well on a second viewing, and we agreed that the extended cut is going to be even better. This is a brilliant moment in the evolution of the comic book film, and a brilliant time to get into the genre. Zack Snyder and his merry gang have raised the bar to an unprecedented level with this film.

The depth of his work is astounding, as is the quality of the characters brought to life on the page. So look past just the Watchmen book on your shelf and discover the other great titles from this master of graphic storytelling.

Sitting in a cinema packed with long-time Watchmen fans and new converts was a strange thing. The sense of palpable anticipation was noticeable. After two decades, all the hype about the book and now all the hype about the film itself, would it live up to all the praise? Lights dimmed, half an hour of trailers passed without many people noticing, and then the screen went yellow. As the brilliant opening title sequence played, it became something rather surreal. Seeing the WATCHMEN logo rise up during that sequence cemented it. At long last, here we all were, watching the Watchmen movie.

Few films have been scrutinized and talked about so much. The benchmark by which pretty much all graphic novels are measured was finally on the big screen in live action, and I must admit that I was hoping Zack Snyder would have pulled off at least a half decent adaptation. I never suspected he would surpass all of my expectations by such a wide margin. Ladies and gentlemen, Watchmen isn’t just a good film, it is a great film. An incredible film. The most incredible comic book film of all time. Easily. Over Superman 2. Over The Dark Knight. Over X-Men, Spider-man and Iron Man. Everything honestly pales in comparison to this twisted, complicated, multi-layered masterpiece.

In almost every sense the Watchmen movie is a literal interpretation of the graphic novel, with a few things missing, a few things changed, but those changes are justified and make narrative sense. The extended cut with put some of these elements back, but this theatrical cut is as perfect as I could have possibly hoped it would be. It captures the characters, the story, the feel of the graphic novel to an extent that I found rather incredible. The script is sublime, poetic, and in scenes such as those involving Dr Manhattan’s origins, so poignant that it becomes something more than a film. Am I going too far here? No. Watch it and understand. This is a work of art.

The film is extremely violent, brutal, harrowing, just as expected, but it is within its context. It has its place. This is not a throwaway comic book film, or a bloated piece of pseudo-intellectual melodrama like The Dark Knight (IMHO). This is a pretty damn close interpretation of the book geeks like me have been hyping up to people for so many years.

Visually, the Watchmen movie is one hell of an achievement. While a couple of effects sequences aren’t 100 percent perfect, these are very small instances. The cinematography is beautiful- very much in keeping with the style of the graphic novel, and also very in keeping with the visual style that Zack Snyder is known for, but melded together it becomes something else entirely. I bet Dave Gibbons (Watchmen’s original artist) must have a grin the size of Dr Manhattan’s, erm, you get the idea.

Is it perfect? No. The thing is, no watchmen movie could be completely perfect, but this is about as close as we will see to the graphic novel in its purest form. As a feature film it works beautifully. I barely noticed the huge running time. Packed with so much story, the whole audience seemed to be hooked from start to finish. The cast are incredible – Big shoutout to Jackie Earle Hayley and Billy Crudup, hell, everyone involved. Watchmen is the best comic book movie I have seen in my entire life, and believe me, I don’t say that lightly. This is an event film, and the impact it brings with it will be felt for a long time to come. Utterly, utterly wonderful.

Andrew Hawnt

Finally, at long last the public at large will share in something comic book fans have been enjoying for decades. With the release of the Watchmen movie, the greatest graphic novel of all time has hit our screens, and those unfamiliar with the characters and their story won’t know what has hit them. Zack Snyder appears to have helmed the most faithful comic book movie in history, and while the ending is different, the elements that made Watchmen so special in the first place are all present and correct.

Many reviewers are making out that this film is a landmark in genre cinema, an event that will be felt in filmmaking for decades to come, like with Blade Runner, Alien, Star Wars and suchlike. While I don’t think it will have quite so much impact as those films, I think it will be getting pretty damn close, and if the rumours of it being rereleased in the summer as a director’s cut (running 30 minutes longer), then it may well achieve the greatness that it deserves.

We look forward to bringing you our reviews! Until then, check out:

Watchmen Action Figures

Watchmen Posters

Unlike many hacks on these here world wide interwebs, I have not been lucky enough to see a preview screening of the WATCHMEN movie, and I would really rather like to see it soon. Please. I am tiring of writing about how great it is going to be and I’d like to have some proof to back it up!

Thankfully most of the reviews thus far are positive, with many of them hugely, insanely ecstatic about it. Some things that are being talked about in various reviews are making me even more excited about the film. The fact that none of the violence, non of the issues, none of the character complexities appear to have been glossed over or ignored, is quite amazing.

The Watchmen feature film has an 18 rating, which is something I am extremely grateful for. After the woefully inappropriate certificate that The Dark Knight was released with, it is most heartening to see that a film featuring extremely harrowing material (albeit stylized) is being given the adult treatment that it deserves.

I am confident that, as mentioned elsewhere online, that this is a Blade Runner moment. The sort of event in cinema that will define the years that will follow. Visually and conceptually, Watchmen is unlike anything else that has been seen (or indeed attempted) ever before.

It would seem that the mould has been broken again.

The first wave of WATCHMEN movie action figures is here! From the highly anticipated comic book movie adaptation come these incredibly detailed figures from DC Direct!

This initial set of figures from the forthcoming film includes Rorschach, Ozymandias, Nite Owl (Modern) and Silk Spectre (Modern). Series 2 will include Silk Spectre (Classic), Nite Owl (Classic), Dr Manhattan and The Comedian.

Each WATCHMEN action figure is presented in an attractive movie themed window-display box along with a display base and character accessories.

Well, we can all breathe a sigh of relief. The WATCHMEN movie will indeed get its March 6th release in the US, followed by other territories soon after. Warner Brothers and Fox have indeed come to an agreement over the rights to release the eagerly-anticipated comic book adaptation after weeks of speculation. This is great news for fans hoping for a faithful adaptation, as it means the film won’t be re-edited to conform to a more commercial, Fox-style project.

That was the worry of many fans the world over- if Fox got their hands on Watchmen, would it indeed be chopped into a less dramatic, more PG-friendly movie than the one Zack Snyder and his crew have created? Thankfully it seems not, and the Watchmen film we see at the cinemas will be the pure article (with, of course, the extended DVD/Blu ray version to look forward to later in the year).

In related news, Fox have put the forthcoming WOLVERINE film into some major reshoots this week, in order to try and salvage what many have dubbed a very trioubled film. The original shoot for the Wolverine movie was reportedly rife with problems, and now Fox have a big pot of cash from WB, it looks like they’re trying to amp up their own big comic movie for this year. Here’s hoping it is a good one. The trailers certainly look awesome.