‘Watchmen: Chapter 1’ Review

The big picture

• Watchmen: Chapter 1
  It’s a faithful animated adaptation of the graphic novel, but fails to capture its dark tone.
• The animation style seems to have the wrong tone, reminiscent of the style of Telltale Games, which compromises the effectiveness of the story.
• The film has a solid voice cast and some interesting visual moments, but the fragmented narrative and lack of cohesion make this adaptation feel unnecessary.

For a comic book series that was once deemed unadaptable, that certainly hasn’t stopped DC from trying to adapt and continue Guardians in a myriad of ways. After Zack Snyder‘S Guardians in 2009, it seems like the doors of this series have opened to all kinds of possibilities. Over the past 15 years, Guardians received a video game with Watchmen: The End is Nigha comic book prequel miniseries in Before Watchmena sequel series of comics featuring Doomsday Clockanother series named after Rorschach, a Guardians animated comic, and the most successful of these, the one from HBO Guardians series, which continued the story of the original graphic novel rather than adapting it Alan Moore AND Dave Gibbons‘ I tell you directly.

The latest attempt to keep the Watchmen brand alive in some form is Watchmen: Chapter 1the first episode of an animated adaptation of the original graphic novel. Directed by Brandon Viettiwho previously directed DC Animation projects such as Batman: Under the Red Hood and co-directed Superman: Judgment Day, Watchmen: Chapter 1 brings all of this to the screen fairly faithfully. But with an animation style that seems out of place for this narrative and an adaptation that doesn’t take any chances, Watchmen: Chapter 1 It’s not so much who watches Watchmen, but rather why should you choose to watch this instead of just reading the original graphic novel?

What is “Watchmen” about?

Set in an alternate version of the 1980s, Guardians tells the story of a world where superheroes and supervillains exist and were once very prominent, but now most of them are retired or work for the government. When one of these heroes, the Comedian (by Rick D. Wasserman), is found murdered, it seems that someone wants to get rid of this old guard of heroes. A vigilante who has never stopped, Rorschach (Titus Welliver) takes to the streets to try to find answers, while trying to enlist the help of other former heroes, like his old comrade Nite Owl (Matthew Ricci), the smartest man in the world, Ozymandias (Troy the Baker), and a real-world Superman who transcends space and time, Dr. Manhattan (Michael Cerveris). As humanity appears to be headed toward war, Rorshach tries to solve a mystery that could help save the world.

Written by J. Michael Straczynskithe creator of Babylon 5 and co-creator of Sense8, Watchmen: Chapter 1 sticks extremely close to the source materialalso making the in-world graphic novel, Tales of the Black Merchantpart of the narrative. At least in this first part, Straczynski is not taking any big risks in this adaptation, and considering how strong Moore’s story is, that’s a logical choice. Snyder’s adaptation also eliminated the Black cargo elements to streamline the superhero story. For those who know the story of Guardiansthis retelling will make perfect sense, but again, it also seems almost superfluous to those who have already read this story. However, this currently fragmented narrative, which is currently only half-told, may be a bit too fragmented for those who are not familiar. Of course, Chapter 1 they are fragments of a story that unfolds without a satisfying conclusion that it is moving towards. At just 80 minutes long, it seems strange not to simply release it as one cohesive piece.

The animation style of Watchmen: Chapter 1 is a strange choice

Another unusual choice for Watchmen: Chapter 1 is his animation style. While the still images in this chapter look fairly faithful to Gibbons’ original art, in motion, this one looks more akin to Telltale Games’ cel-shaded animation as The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among UsOR Tales from the Borderlands. This makeover is probably the biggest alteration in this story, and yet, it doesn’t feel right in this world. The decision to follow this style gives it a more cartoonish look that often undermines the darkness. Guardians must be effective.

However, this approach has its strengths, even if it is mostly a weakness. For example, this style works for Dr. Manhattan’s look, and in particular makes this character’s trip to Mars quite a compelling scene, as he travels back in time, investigating his history. Vietti’s direction also allows us to immerse ourselves in this alternative ’80s aesthetic more than most other versions. There are many scenes where we watch our characters calmly walk the streets at night, and we can get a lot out of this “show, don’t tell” approach. The city is still rife with crime and questionable characters, while electric vehicles drive by night, an example of Dr. Manhattan’s contributions to technology over the years. Chapter 1 every now and then he takes the time to help us get a clear idea of ​​this world and the feelings that shine through in those who inhabit it.

But “Watchmen: Chapter 1” brings together an exceptional voice cast

Watchmen: Chapter 1 It also boasts an impressive voice cast for its adaptation. Welliver’s vocal chords deserve a moment of silence, considering the actor’s raspy performance seems to have been a strain, but it works here. Especially in the final Rorschach scene, Welliver’s vocal performance shows the man’s desperation and dedication to fighting crime by any means necessary. Rhys is also an inspired choice for Nite Owl/Dan Dreiberg, as he excels at balancing Dan’s dull banality with his heroic side. Baker and Wasserman voice Ozymandias and Dr. Manhattan, respectively, with a similar slant, as if they’re both tired of being the smartest person in the room. My life is beautiful It’s also a smart choice for Laurie, as it shows her confusion and frustration in her relationship with Dr. Manhattan, as she tries to find her own identity away from this bond.

Yet despite its brilliant voice cast and quieter moments that allow us to breathe in this unique version of New York City, Watchmen: Chapter 1 struggles to justify its existence. Its clunky choice of animation doesn’t mesh with this concept as well as it should, and it loses some of the spirit that Moore and Gibbons gave with their original graphic novel. It’s a style that will seem strange to those who already love this world, and for the uninitiated, the sparse structure won’t leave much of an impact without Chapter 2 to show where this story is going. Moore has always been optimistic about adaptations of his work, and while that has sometimes felt closed-minded, particularly with the HBO series, this version makes sense. Watchmen: Chapter 1 It’s a compelling curiosity, but it never quite matches the power of the source material, and if nothing else, it should make people turn to the graphic novel instead of checking out yet another adaptation.

Watchmen: Chapter 1 will be available for VOD streaming in the United States starting August 13.

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