Zack Snyder first became a blip on the Hollywood radar screen with Dawn of the Dead in 2004 and subsequently rose to fame with 300, an almost literal adaptation of Frank Millers graphic novel which (together with Sin City) broke ground for a whole new kind of moviemaking. Now Snyder brings us Watchmen, another graphic novel adaptation, this time of the book that is essentially the graphic novel community’s bible. Which is why dear reader, when you go and see this film (and in this review I will try to explain why I believe you must) your should not, I repeat, NOT expect to be checking your brain at the cinema door.

Set on an alternative earth in 1985, the world of Watchmen is one where Nixon is the continuously reelected ruler of the USA, the nuclear doomsday clock is set one minute to twelve, the poor are unprotected from both gangs and the rich, and masked crime-fighting (or doing good for that matter) is against the law. When Rorschach, a former vigilante living in hiding because he is wanted for murder, discovers that the only masked crime fighter still in active duty (courtesy of the Nixon government) is murdered, he suspects a conspiracy to kill (former) masked vigilantes, and he proceeds to investigate, enlisting some of his former colleagues to help.

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes (who watches the watchmen)? The question has been around since ancient Rome and is, indeed, applicable still, not only in the real world of today with it’s Abu Graibs, Amadou Diallo- and Rodney King-incidents, but certainly within the realm of the Watchmen universe. It resides at the centre of both the film and the graphic novel. For the Watchmen may be masked superheroes, but most of all and first of all they are flawed human beings. Their imperfections range from a fairly benign costume fetish to being a sociopath, murderer or rapist. Snyder’s feat is that he manages to make the characters likable without subtracting from their unpleasantness. Rorschach for instance is a nasty piece of work and in any other film he would be the bad guy that the likes of Bruce Wayne couldn’t wait to take a crack at. But in both the book and the film he is also an uncompromising hero, fighting evil and injustice with the same kind of grimness displayed by a rat scratching up at the walls, trying to avoid the oncoming flood that will drown it. Rorschach’s actions can never be excused but thanks to Snyder they can be understood and the same goes for the other characters in the film. In their own way they are all scratching up at the walls, trying to survive.

It must be fairly clear by now that Snyder’s film follows the iconic graphic novel quite closely, both in text and image. But although he may have been on familiar territory with another graphic novel adaptation, with Watchmen he does cut a new path. Watchmen is nothing like 300 in terms of style and vision. And though Snyder uses the Watchmen graphic novel as a kind of storyboard, he makes some essential changes to both the story and the visuals. Some of these work out: for my money the way he altered the conclusion of the story works much better on film that the original would have. But more often the smaller changes diminish the impact of the film. For instance most of the cynical humor that inhabits the graphic novel has been toned down or omitted. No doubt this was done to take some of the dark out of the film, making it accessible to a wider audience. But by doing so, Snyder has actually made the film less light, taking from it those necessary, if disparaging, moments of comic relief. And inevitably a lot of elements of the graphic novel were left out entirely, because adding them is a technical impossibility or would have made this film into a ten hour mini series instead. It must be said that all the pivotal elements are there. The downside of that is that it makes the villain quite easy to spot.

If I have any complaints about Watchmen it would be that the texture of the film is so rich, that there is too much to see and experience in just one sitting. Reading the graphic novel you can take your time and study each panel untill you are ready to move on, but in a film the viewer is not the one who gets to decide the pace.This is a film that should be experienced on the big screen, and more than once at that. The imagery is so abundant, the semiotics so lush and the (back)stories so detailed, it is too much to take in in one go. This makes Watchmen’s strength its weakness. Those viewers expecting a popcorn action flick will lose patience with the story’s arc and will either leave or complain afterwards. Watchmen is more Dark Knight than Wanted, despite what the marketing campaign would like you to believe.

However, for those who come prepared, Watchmen is a feast at many levels. Sure, Silk Spectre’s footwear is a continuity error in constant progress, Nixon’s makeup makes him look like he is wearing a Halloween mask, and some of the cgi is a little distracting. But looking beyond that is a film with a complex story, great visuals, spot-on (period) music, and an excellent cast giving inspired performances. Particularly Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach and Patrick Wilson as the Nite Owl. The only actor whose talent is slightly wasted is Billy Crudup. His doctor Manhattan looks bland and unreal, just as the story requires, reducing Crudup’s considerable abilities to an empty shell.

Luckily the rest of the cast is made up of real people. Nicole Kidman should watch this movie for no other reason than being reminded of how beautiful faces are that actually have an expression. Don’t misunderstand, these are bloody beautiful people who logged at least 500 gym hours each (this is still a Hollywood production), but I spotted no obviously fake boobs, everybody (including the women) looked their age and the faces had lines and the occasional wrinkle, making them more, not less, attractive. And it is a pleasure to see both actor and director not compromising the quality of their performance for a misguided sense of (fake) good looks and/or the currently imposed bland faced beauty ideal.

For my money Snyder has given us a popcorn action flick with a brain, worth revisiting over and over again. This review in no way does justice to all there is to see, hear, feel and enjoy. You will just have to go and experience it for yourself.