The story of costumed superheroes into the real world offers a visual spectacle to be sure, but it emphasizes the “novel” in graphic novel: narrative complexity, character dynamism, the density of fiction and history and commentary swirling together.

| Oct 28, 2023

Ambitious films like this are generally either glorious artistic successes or utter failures; Watchmen uniquely falls somewhere in the middle.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Sep 5, 2023

Technically sublime, with a distinct style, brilliant production design, and gorgeous cinematography. As it stands, as one and only film, it’s really impressive even with its flaws.

| Original Score: B | Jul 24, 2023

While Snyder has brought this “unfilmable” story to the screen in the best way imaginable, he still can’t entirely keep it from feeling a bit cramped even at 160 minutes.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Aug 17, 2022

Snyder's tongue in cheek graphic novel adaptation gets the most of it right faithfully, from two dimensional feel of the imagery with new age-y primary color-palette to Alan Moore's cynical exploration of the ugly side of Humanity.

| Mar 24, 2021

The story is difficult to follow, the dialogue is both juvenile and pretentious, the acting is thoroughly uneven, the look and feel of the film are essentially without character or personality, and its social outlook is disoriented at best.

| Feb 13, 2021

There's no shortage of nudity and graphic bloodshed as the fate of the world rests on the shoulders of psychopaths.

| Original Score: 8/10 | Nov 29, 2020

Better than expected but too often falling short.

| Original Score: 2.5/4.0 | Sep 26, 2020

If Watchmen doesn't earn comic-book movies the utmost respect, nothing ever will.

| May 26, 2020

The essence of what made [Alan] Moore's tale a work of genius is up on the screen for all to see, and it looks phenomenal.

| Original Score: 5/5 | Nov 4, 2019

The world is ready for Watchmen, and I'll certainly be lining up to watch the Watchmen again.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 29, 2019

When given a great story and told that his job is to simply adapt it, Snyder more than rises to the occasion.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Jul 23, 2019

[An] obnoxious, bloated, ghastly piece of brightly colored pop trash.

| Original Score: 1.5/4 | Jun 6, 2019

For the most part, Watchmen is an engrossing and very adult entry into the comic book genre.

| Original Score: B | May 16, 2019

Even with [its] failings, Watchmen is still atmospheric and entertaining.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Nov 4, 2018

The failure of this very faithful adaptation highlights the fact that to capture the spirit of a comic book, a film must do more than bring a collection of still frames to life.

| Nov 1, 2018

You pay for the inventive frontloading, however. Most of the rest of the movie stretches out like the Gobi Desert, one hell of a plod between oases.

| Oct 26, 2018

The only way to truly adhere to Alan Moore's vision of Watchmen would be to not make the movie in the first place.

| Sep 18, 2017

Watchmen isn't your typical caper flick filled with kickass effects and gunfire and no premise.

| Original Score: B+ | Sep 12, 2017

[Zack] Snyder's Watchmen is mechanical, heartless and, tragically, hollow.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Sep 8, 2017