Film: Watchmen

Yet another comic book adaptation, but this time one which is less about Good versus Evil and more about civil liberties, vigilantism and whether noble ends are actually worth the means. Whether or not this depth makes Watchmen a better film is up in the air; I know quite a few people who left the film disappointed for not getting what they wanted. For me, it brought something both fresh and enjoyable to a well trodden genre.

I found it a bit like V for Vendetta actually; superheroes and their superpowers (indeed most were just pumped up and slightly crazy nutjobs) were an aside to attitudes and politics, and the storyline lent itself in such a way that we ended up with a brilliant detective thriller. In fact the costumes almost became incidental as a result.

The big budget didn't spoil the film either, with the unknown (to me, anyway) cast doing a brilliant job and the film itself being shot beautifully. It all just worked so well, just supported the bigger picture just right, that you couldn't help but be drawn into it all.

In the end though, it all depends on whether you have the patience or not to give something different a chance. At 160 or so minutes or so it's pretty long, but I didn't really feel the length. There was little fat to trim, but that's irrelevant if you're going in to see a regular popcorn superhero movie. You'll be disappointed if so. For me it was brilliant and I can't recommend it enough.