Watchmen

Objective Rating (How much merit I think it deserves):
7.5/10
Subjective Rating (How much I personally like it):
9/10

Year released: 2009
Runtime: 162 minutes
IMDB page: here

Stylish, dark, fast, desolate, violent, sophisticated, philosophical. Too many adjectives, some seemingly contradictory? I agree! But the movie is just that good!

Plot: In an alternative universe, Nixon is elected 3 times, the US is victorious on the Vietnamese front, and the world is on the brink of nuclear holocaust due to the escalating arms race between the US and Russia. All this? Due to some costume-wearing heroes. Not superheroes; none of them have superpowers, except for Dr. Manhattan, who can control all matter and manipulate time due to his accident as a physicist stuck in the testing room for a nuclear experiment. All the other masked vigilantes are just good fighters who bring down the criminals, though some are criminals themselves. The public develops a problem with this, and now most of them are forced into retirement. A few are killed. All of them have personal flaws, some of them are quite emotionally damaged and are borderline sociopaths... rather like the Greek gods and goddesses.

The Comedian, one such mask who caused equal damage and good (if not more damage) in his days but is now aged and retired, is murdered. This causes ripples in the heroes community, as Rorschach, a particularly stubborn vigilante, tries to uncover the conspiracy behind the death.

Cast: There is not really any big star in the movie, since the attention never focuses on one character for too long... all of them are so colourful and different. But the acting overall is very convincing, or as convincing as possible, given the strange yet plausible setting. I especially liked Rorschach, and not just for his ever-changing face.

Script: Based on the (in)famous comic of the same name. Which I have never read, so I can't comment on the authenticity. But I thought the adaptation was pretty successful if it can drag a non-fanboy like me into it. A mystery wedged in-between all these allegories about humanity and the nature of society, revealed bits by pieces through flashbacks. And the un-PC-ness can be shocking at times (the things the Comedian did to women... and it's not even sex, which is done offscreen) The ending is a bit lame, but there's nothing that the rest of the movie doesn't make up for.

Filmmaking: Directed by Zack Snyder, who directed "300." Stylish editing, rhythmic. Some sci-fi elements that are futuristic, but it's set in the 70's so it has that old glamour to it, in the costumes and in the buildings, even in the sordid flashbacks; there's something close to nostalgia in it all. The bone crunching, the squirting of blood all hit home nice and proper. My favourite scene's gotta be the bathroom swinging door one (watch it; you'll know it when you see it).

I just love this movie, love every aspect of it. It's a (not-super)hero action flick, it's a social commentary, it's a sci-fi thriller, it's a detective story, it's a cautionary tale. All of the above? Absolutely.