A faithful adaptation of a masterful comic
Back in September 1986, Alan Moore released one of the best comic book series of all time, Watchmen. The “anti-superhero” book was deeply thematic, gritty, full of noir-detective narrative threads and brought together a memorable group of characters. Eventually released as a 12-part book series, Watchmen won a Hugo Award among other acolytes, and has seen a couple of adaptations on the big and small screen too.
The Zack Snyder movie is pretty decent, while the Watchmen TV series is a wholly different, and far more artistic, abstract vision of Moore’s book. That one is a love/hate affair for sure.
Fast forward to 2024 and Watchmen is back, this time coming in the form of an animated film with DC Animations. Split into two parts and using CG Animation, Watchmen is a tale of two sides of the same coin. Or, well, a smiley faced badge, if you will. The film adheres very strictly to the source material, with Chapter 1 playing out almost beat for beat the same as the graphic novel.
There are a couple of tangents in this first part, including the comic strip segments and Dr Manhattan’s origin, all thrown in together around this investigative crime thriller and character exploration for what it means to be human – and live in a society like this.
For those unaware, Watchmen is set in an alternate 1985 America. Heroes are a part of everyday life but when one of his former comrades in the Minutemen group is murdered, Rorschach sets out to discover who killed The Comedian. In doing so, he uncovers a deadly plot to kill all past and present superheroes.
Desperate to enlist the help of his retired associates, Rorschach eventually tumbles further down the rabbit hole, biting off way more than he can chew as the truth is revealed in all its ugly glory.
The story itself is a great read and the film does do an effective job of emulating the same style and tone seen in the comics. However, the film also brings with it some of the baggage too. This is an adaptation that could have done with some sharper editing to really make this one zing and why they’ve reordered some of the flashbacks – like that aforementioned Dr Manhattan one – is beyond me.
It also doesn’t help that the animation itself is very hit or miss. While I understand why so many studios are using CG animation nowadays, Watchmen is crying out for the same noir, hand-drawn art-style from the comics to make its way onto screen. There’s a distinct lack of shadow work, and it all feels a bit too sterile and manufactured.
There’s one scene, for example, where Rorschach drops a badge on the side, but the surface is smooth, and there’s no shadow under the badge.
This same issue extends to character models, the backgrounds and even some of the character animations too. It’s certainly frustrating because so much of this adaptation manages to capture the mood of the comics that it almost feels like a betrayal not to get the artwork right from the off.
Furthermore, this also compounds the other problem with this adaptation – the voice acting. The acting all round is an absolute mixed bag and while some voices nail their distinct characters, others do sound a bit off. I’m personally not convinced that Rorschach needed that gravelly of a voice. The way it’s described in the graphic novel is monotone and creepy but the “Where’s Rachel?!” shouty Batman/Wolverine-esque style doesn’t quite work. It’s not a dealbreaker but it’s definitely something worth bearing in mind.
However, those little gripes aside, Watchmen: Chapter 1 is a solid enough adaptation. It does successfully capture the essence of what made the comics so good, bringing together the first 5 chapters of that strip in all their glory. The end point is the perfect place to leave things too, with the second half likely to really pick things up in a big way.
Whether you’re a fan of Watchmen or not, DC Animation have finally delivered a worthy adaptation to prop up next to the comic series. It’s not perfect – especially with the animation style and the voice acting – but if you can look past that, you’re sure to have a good time with this.
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Verdict - 7/10
7/10