Watchmen takes place in an alternate 1985 where costumed heroes (once part of everyday life) are now banned by the government, and America and Russia are closer to nuclear war. In the beginning of the story, the Comedian is killed by an unknown assailant, and the vigilante Rorscach does some investigating of the costumed-hero conspiracy. Through flashbacks, we learn a number of things including the relationship between Sally Jupiter (Silk Specter) and the Comedian, location of the superheroes, and the horrible history of Rorschach.

The casting was pretty good, especially Patrick Wilson as Dan Dreiberg (Nite Owl). Jackie Earle Haley was very good at playing Rorschach, although his
gravely voice did sound a little similar to Christian Bale’s Batman. Malin Ackerman as Laurie Jupiter (Silk Specter) gave a wonderful
performance. There was great chemistry between Nite Owl and her mother, Sally Jupiter, although you can't tell she's a smoker in this movie like in the graphic novel. Billy Crudrup’s Jon Osterman (Dr. Manhattan) sounded way too sad in the first half but did lighten up later on. Jeffrey Dean Morgan plays a dead-on Eddie Blake (The comedian) -- a superhero who uses what some might call "excessive force." It left me speechless. Matthew Goode’s Adrian Veidt (Ozymandias), a retired hero/multi-millionaire, was way better than his comic-book counterpart. Goode made this sort of a tragic hero at the end which was his defining moment.

The look and design of the movie was a gritty decrepit world. The music could have been a little better in some areas. I wonder why the director did not take even ten seconds to explain Rorschach’s mask. Another thing I wonder about is the weird cat thing with Ozymandias at the end. If you read the comic, you'd know it was a breakthrough in genetic engineering that served as a sort of
prototype.

The ending was changed, and I liked it just as well as the novels. A lot of violence and gore but still awesome and overall worth seeing again and again.

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