Digital and 4K Review
Watchmen Chapter I
In "Watchmen Chapter I," alternate world history set in 1985 unfolds starting with the murder of a government sponsored superhero named The Comedian and its effect on his fellow outlawed colleagues, some defying retirement to solve a mystery that threatens to upend their personal lives and the world itself on the brink of war and mutually assured destruction. "Watchmen Chapter I" is a faithful 3D animated adaptation of the first five issues of the legendary comic book maxi-series "Watchmen" written by Alan Moore, penciled by Dave Gibbons, and colored by John Higgins. As of the publishing of this review, it has not yet been revealed when the movie will stream on Max but it is now out on digital and will release on 4K and Blu-ray on August 27, 2024. "Watchmen Chapter I" is produced and directed by Brandon Vietti, adapted by J. Michael Straczynski, and produced by Jim Krieg and Cindy Rago.
"Watchmen Chapter I," the first of two movies, is undoubtedly the most faithful and 1:1 adaptation from its source material in Warner Bros. Animations animated DC direct-to-video movies since "Batman: Year One" back in October 2011 while subsequent adaptations tended to deviate to work on-screen, provide a unique twist, or work within an ongoing animated continuity. While it is true some material is omitted like Fine and Bourquin's scenes at the police station or the meeting of the Crimebusters comes long before Manhattan's origin story. It's still pretty close to the comic. On one hand, you could argue a 1:1 adaptation is pointless when you can just read the comic. On the other, it's refreshing to have a clean, unaltered adaptation for once. Then there's the notion, why adapt this now. In 1986, a story about broken super-heroes trying to solve a murder amid an extended Cold War was groundbreaking but in 2024, it's commonplace.
What "Watchmen Chapter I" uniquely boasts is the use of contemporary 3D animation techniques that feel like Dave Gibbons' art is walking out of the panels that 2D animation could never match. The textures, tones, colors, and interplay of light and shadow are a feast for the eyes. While I am a staunch supporter of traditional 2D animation and I tend to sneer at 3D, more and more I find myself surprised and impressed with the strides the latter makes as the years pass. Watching the shadows on the back of Rorschach's pants and he walks down a sidewalk. The patterns on Rorscach's face. The lights of the city. It is alluring and just draws you in. But somethings stick out like a sore thumb like a 3D character holding a 3D mug of beer. In 4K, the movie is simply stunning. The interplay of secondary colors used in the comic to give its unique color palette translates to screen. Rorschach and Dr. Manhattan really shine in 4K. 4K is definitely my preferred and recommended format to watch this movie in.
Another strong point (and difference) with this adaptation is that it is a two part movie about 80 to 83 minutes each, rather than one crammed movie, and The Tales of the Black Freighter is kept in. Kept in! It was no surprise the stand-outs in the cast were Matthew Rhys (Dan Dreiberg, Nite Owl), Katee Sackhoff (Laurie Juspeczyk, Silk Spectre) and Titus Welliver (Rorschach, Walter Kovacs). Welliver goes all-out, giving Jackie Earle Haley a run for his money. I, myself, had to keep checking if that really was Titus Welliver. He becomes the role, the gruff and grizzled violent vigilante that grabs and infatuates you with his twisted methods, yet good intentions.
The first of the special features, "The Art of Adaptation" comments on the creative process of adapting the original comic book series. You don't see these kinds of special features for animation nowadays but it was welcome to see it feature producer/director Brandon Vietti, art director Jonathan Hoekstra, producers Jim Krieg and Cindy Rago, consulting producer Dave Gibbons, and one of the board artists Danica Dickinson. It was a rare treat to listen to the crew talk about the technical aspects of how they used the 3D animation tools to adapt "Watchmen" such as capturing the line work of Gibbons, applying paper and skin textures, applying film grain to simulate the pulpy paper used for the comics, pulling off the opening crane shot or deciding on how to "fill" in space for the horizontal screen vs. the original vertical 9 grid format of the comic. They also address the use of voice work, sound, and music and also changing the order of some scenes for pacing. Coming just under 10 minutes, "The Art of Adaptation" was a great making-of featurette but feels like it was just the tip of the iceberg and there's more to the creation of this movie. Unfortunately, there is no commentary track to expand on the elements addressed here. The other featurette is "Dave Gibbons and Watchmen: Chapters I-VI". It clocks in at 9 minutes, 2 seconds and is the usual taking heads segments this movie line typically has for each release. Dave Gibbons, Jim Lee, and members of the movie's crew talk about the legacy and making-of the comic.
"Watchmen Chapter I" is a recommended purchase. The movie is a very faithful adaptation so there are few surprises other than a handful of omissions and rearrangements if you've read the story already but the real draw is watching the translation of Gibbons' artwork from panel to screen in 3D and an amazing cast and score. The question remains if eye candy is enough to differentiate Chapter I from the 2008 motion comic, 2009 live action movie or 2019 HBO series that have come before it or that its existence is justified in 2024 when a tale of super-heroes and real-world politics is ubiquitous rather than a rarely trodden path. The special features are more in-depth compared to other recent animated DC movies but the absence of a commentary track to expand on these 10 minutes pieces is hard to ignore. The second part and conclusion, "Watchmen Chapter II" releases later this year.
Rating
Main Feature: 3 out of 5
Special Features: 3 out of 5
Overall Rating: 3 out of 5