IMDb > Watchmen (2009)
Watchmen
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Photos (see all 211 | slideshow) Videos (see all 42 NEW)
Watchmen (2009) -- When an ex-superhero is murdered, a vigilante named Rorshach begins an investigation into the murder, which begins to lead to a much more terrifying conclusion.
Watchmen (2009) -- Clip: Rescue
Watchmen (2009) -- Here's the 12th video journal for Zack Snyder's Watchmen.
Watchmen (2009) -- Director Zack Snyder offers his thanks as production on Watchmen begins.
Watchmen (2009) -- This is a Watchmen trailer that was shown during the 2008 Scream Awards.

Overview

User Rating:
7.8/10   108,381 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 7% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Zack Snyder
Writers (WGA):
David Hayter (screenplay) and
Alex Tse (screenplay) ...
more
Contact:
View company contact information for Watchmen on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
6 March 2009 (USA) more
Tagline:
This city is afraid of me. I've seen its true face. more
Plot:
In an alternate 1985 where former superheroes exist, the murder of a colleague sends active vigilante Rorschach into his own sprawling investigation, uncovering something that could completely change the course of history as we know it. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
1 win & 1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(2141 articles)
New On DVD This Week
 (From The Flickcast. 10 November 2009, 4:15 PM, PST)

Alan Moore To Write Rock Opera For 'Gorillaz' Duo
 (From MTV Splash Page. 10 November 2009, 12:31 PM, PST)

User Comments:
We All Watch the Watchmen more (1015 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Watchmen: The IMAX Experience (USA) (IMAX version)
Los vigilantes (Peru) (Venezuela) [es]
Хранители (Russia) [ru]
Cei ce vegheaza (Romania) [ro]
Cuvari (Croatia) [hr]
Les gardiens (Canada: French title) [fr]
Strázci - Watchmen (Czech Republic) [cs]
Strazcovia (Slovakia) [sk]
Valvurid (Estonia) [et]
Varuhi (Slovenia) [sl]
Watchmen (Greece) [el]
Watchmen (Japan: English title) [en]
Watchmen (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Watchmen (Norway) [no]
Watchmen - Die Wächter (Germany) [de]
Watchmen - Les gardiens (France) [fr]
Watchmen - Los Vigilantes (Peru) (poster title) [es]
Watchmen - Los vigilantes (Argentina) [es]
Watchmen - O Filme (Brazil) [pt]
Watchmen - Os Guardiões (Portugal) [pt]
Watchmen - Straznicy (Poland) [pl]
Watchmen: Az örzök (Hungary) [hu]
more
MPAA:
Rated R for strong graphic violence, sexuality, nudity and language. (also director's cut and ultimate edition)
Runtime:
162 min | 186 min (director's cut) | 215 min (ultimate cut)
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
SDDS | DTS | Dolby Digital
Certification:
USA:R (certificate #44894) | Czech Republic:15 | Australia:MA | South Korea:18 | UK:18 | Netherlands:16 | Ireland:18 (original rating) | Finland:K-15 | Singapore:R21 | Singapore:M18 (edited for re-rating) | New Zealand:R16 | Ireland:16 (re-rating on appeal) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Germany:16 | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Portugal:M/16 (Qualidade) | Japan:R-15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | Brazil:18 | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Norway:15 | Spain:18 | Portugal:M/16 | France:-12 | Iceland:16 | Hong Kong:IIB (cut version) | Hong Kong:III (IMAX DMR version) | Italy:VM14 | Sweden:15 | Argentina:16 | Peru:18 | Mexico:C | USA:R (director's cut) (certificate #45165) | USA:R (Ultimate edition) (certificate #45166) | Denmark:15 | Austria:16 | South Africa:16LV | Chile:18 (original rating) | Chile:Y7 (re-rating)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Zack Snyder cast Matt Frewer after working with him on Dawn of the Dead (2004) and Stephen McHattie after working with him on 300 (2006). more
Goofs:
Crew or equipment visible: In the scene where Rorschach drops his journal through the letterbox of The New Frontiersman, a crew members shadow is clearly visible to the right of the screen as the Owlship arrives and clearly moves to drop Rorschach's Journal into the letterbox. more
Quotes:
Dan Dreiberg: Maybe this was a political killing?
Rorschach: Maybe. Or maybe someone's picking off costumed heroes.
Dan Dreiberg: Um. Don't you think that's maybe a little paranoid?
Rorschach: That's what they're saying about me now? That I'm paranoid?
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in 81st Annual Academy Awards (2009) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
Protest more

FAQ

Is the line "The world will look up and shout 'save us.' And I'll whisper 'no,'" in the comic book?
Where does this song appear in the film?
What are the new 24 minutes added to the Director's Cut?
more
563 out of 837 people found the following comment useful.
We All Watch the Watchmen, 26 February 2009
7/10
Author: ftyl from Ireland

Let's get this out of the way - Watchmen the movie is not as good as the graphic novel.

Zack Snyder's Watchmen is not your average graphic novel adaptation. Unlike with 300, which was short and sharp and shallow and easy to adapt, the original Watchmen is incredibly dense and, as written, unfilmable. So Snyder did something very smart - he didn't even try. What he did instead was to take the world of Watchmen and rebuild it in a way which made a virtue of this new medium (film) rather than try to cram the graphic novel into a cinematic form.

Nowhere is this approach more obvious than in the film's title sequence. A wonderfully composed collage of images depicts scenes from the universe of Watchmen in a way which is only possible in the movies. In this way, we are subconsciously introduced to a world where costumed heroes are a part of everyday culture and brought, in a stylish and fluid way, from the original days of the Minutemen to those of the Watchmen. This introduction is cinematically perfect and is indicative of the heights which the Watchmen movie is perfectly capable of achieving but not quite capable of sustaining.

Watchen is a brave film for a major studio to make and without a doubt it would not exist in its present form without the success of 300. It is incredibly dark (both in tone as well as shooting style) with events that would be anathema to any other superhero story. The less you know about the story, the better so there will be no spoilers here but suffice to say Watchmen's version of a happy ending is a far cry from the Hollywood norm.

Snyders brings his unique approach to action to bear on Watchmen, expanding on the action scenes in the comic without making it feel too redundant. His efforts are ably supported by the incredibly game cast, excellent cinematography and near perfect visual effects - this film is incredible to look at but also manages to create an entire world in a way which most superhero stories never do. The attention to detail in even the smallest scenes is commendable and the dense flashback structure means the same attention is paid to the presentation of full and complex characters.

Snyder has made a film which is gorgeous to look at, agreeably violent, well written, wonderfully designed and features some of the best small scale action sequences ever committed to celluloid. But, naturally, not everything is perfect. Most of the performances are excellent, with a cast of relative unknowns who manage to distinguish themselves despite constantly competing with overbearing effects and design. Patrick Wilson, in particular, does great work with a difficult role as Nite Owl, while Jackie Earle Hayley is blistering as Rorschach. Unfortunately in a film which could have done with a strong female presence, neither Carla Gugino nor Malin Ackerman make much of an impression, despite having quite a lot of screen time. Synder's musical cues are another bone of contention - often pushing the tone of the film into the realm of parody. And the ending... well let's just say it cheapens the experience in search of the lowest common denominator and the whole package suffers. On a related note, neither of the stories major revelations are handled that well. These moments were genuinely shocking in the graphic novel but are almost glossed over in the film.

Don't get the wrong impression, Watchmen is a good film, sometimes a great film. Snyder has managed to make a movie which is a terrifically well balanced compromise between accessibility and fidelity. That anyone can sit down in the cinema and experience a distillation of the Watchmen universe in just 163 minutes is a marvel. It does not deliver the depth of feeling and connection of the novel but that is more a matter of the differences in the media than a failure on the part of the film.

On its own merits, Zack Synder's Watchmen is a dark and twisted tale peopled with complex characters whose motivations are not obvious even to themselves. It is a solid film, sometimes rising into the extraordinary, and deserves to be successful. This is not Alan Moore's Watchmen but it is a competent extension of the universe into another medium and a worthy cinema-going experience.

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