Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		0.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Watchmen: Chapter I 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Another solid adaptation that Alan Moore won't watch.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III August 29, 2024

Based on the celebrated comic series by writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons, Watchmen has been adapted in various formats several times during the last decade or two; for starters, there's the 2019 HBO limited series, Zack Snyder's well-known 2009 theatrical film, and even an ambitious 2008 "motion comic". (Before that, several films were pitched but eventually abandoned, with names attached ranging from Terry Gilliam to Darren Aronofsky.) Fast-forward to 2024, and we've got yet another adaptation: a fully CG-animated two-part film scripted by J. Michael Straczynski, directed by Brandon Vietti, and supported by the close consultation of Dave Gibbons himself. Hurm.

For its time, Moore and Gibbons' original 12-part Watchmen limited series was a revelatory effort that influenced an entire generation of writers, artists, and fans in the same way that other landmark comics from that era did, including Moore's own V for Vendetta and Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns. Deliberate choices were made to help it stand out in the American-dominated market, such as regular use of nine-panel layouts, a unique color scheme courtesy of John Higgins, and even fake meta-advertisements created to give additional layers to Watchmen's unique but familiar characters and their world. What's more is that everything was built from the ground up, giving elements of Golden and Silver Age material a modern twist unburdened by decades of gnarled continuity. Simply put, Watchmen is widely considered to be part of the medium's Mount Rushmore, both for its ambitious vision and singular execution.

These are big shoes to fill, and some of its various adaptations have come close to doing Watchmen justice but all have inevitably fallen a bit short in one way or another. (The notoriously grumpy Alan Moore has basically removed his name from all of them, relinquished primary credit to artist Dave Gibbons.) Staunch purists generally favor the motion comic, while others lean towards Snyder's cinematic take on the material which exists in three separate cuts. Whatever your feelings were on previous adaptations, though, Warner Animation's new two-part movie arrives at a very peculiar point in time for the studio: their multi-year Tomorrowverse saga, hit-or-mostly-miss as it was, just ended with a three-part Crisis on Infinite Earths film that, for the most part, fell flat. Needless to say, I approached Watchmen's first chapter with extreme caution, dreading the thought of sitting through another lukewarm take on classic material.

Luckily, the studio seems to have brought their "A" game here... or at least a solid B+. The elephant in the room is Warner Animation's visual approach, a smooth (too smooth, sometimes?) rotoscoped style that uses all-CG elements to mimic both hand-drawn 2-D animation and consulting producer Dave Gibbons' distinct style and linework. John Higgins' secondary-heavy color scheme is respected but not copied outright, while additional textures and effects are used to evoke an aesthetic somewhere between paper stock and film grain. It's a pretty unique take on the material and, while not perfect 100% of the time, creates something new and different in the same way the original books did.

As for the story, it's too early to judge in its entirely but gets off to a good start. This slowly unfolding mystery of a serial "mask killer" -- which mostly takes place in 1985, but flashes back to different points during the previous four decades -- keeps its dramatic weight for the most part, borrowing some sequences wholesale from the original series while dropping occasional subplots and even changing the order of certain events for cinematic purposes. All told, it covers the bulk of events from Watchmen's first five issues and ends with Rorschach's unmasking, a logical dramatic endpoint, while offering a short -- but in all honesty, probably best avoided -- two-minute post-credits preview of the second and final chapter. Bits and pieces of the "Black Freighter" comic-within-a-comic are here (and even look to be reproduced from the original comic rather than redrawn), as is the memorable time spent with Dr. Manhattan on Mars. Speaking of which, it's also worth noting that this R-rated production doesn't pull many punches either, but probably earned it more for the fleeting shots of Manhattan's blue dingus than the sporadically brutal violence.

I wasn't prepared to like Watchmen: Chapter 1 as much as I did... but that's probably because, like the original series, it's generally unburdened with endless continuity and is thus more accessible than most. It really only has itself -- and by that I mean the original comics, and to a lesser extent earlier adaptations -- to compete with, and for the most part stands as a pretty damn successful effort. Needless to say, I'm more excited for Part 2 than most DCAU productions so, from that perspective, I'd call Watchmen a win. Warner Bros. offers this native 4K production as separate UHD and Blu-ray packages, each with proportionately solid A/V presentations and a few short but enjoyable extras.

Watchmen: Chapter I 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

NOTE: These screenshots are sourced from the Blu-ray edition, available separately and reviewed here.

The native 4K source material of Watchmen, whose unique visual aesthetic is detailed above, makes this UHD the preferred way to watch it for obvious reasons, as this 2160p/HDR10 transfer seems to accurately support the creative team's choices. The ultra-smooth rotoscoped animation style and generally faithful color palette give this film a striking level of appeal, while the studio's mostly solid encoding on this dual-layered (66GB) disc doesn't seem to suffer from any prevailing compression artifacts. Linework is smooth and supple, black levels and contrast are right on par, and the film's often purposefully hazy appearance is maintained while other added affects, such as print damage and film grain (not to mention a light paper texture), add to the overall atmosphere in their own ways. Color values are appropriately bright and vivid when needed, punishingly muted other times, and flows nicely while making almost every scene feel like part of a whole. All told, it's a solid-looking disc that outperforms the Blu-ray in all the usual areas, even if every single difference isn't necessarily transformative, and should look quite good on medium to large displays.

Watchmen: Chapter I 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

I'd have love Watchmen to push the WB animated envelope further with a full-blooded Dolby Atmos mix... but as-is, this DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track still delivers the goods. Unlike its visuals, the sonic atmosphere of Watchmen isn't tied to any established roots, but this surround track generally plays it straight with a mostly front-loaded sound stage that widens when needed. It's lived up by more than a few well-placed discrete touches and other surround support for dialogue, sound effects, and of course the original score by Tim Kelly, whose music cues don't always call attention to themselves but nonetheless offer some much needed background support during several key moments. Overall, it's a fine effort that, within the confines of its format, doesn't show much room for improvement.

Optional subtitles, including English (SDH), are included during the main feature... but not the extras, sadly.

Watchmen: Chapter I 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with attractive cover art; a matching enhanced slipcover and Digital Copy redemption slip are also included. The included bonus features follow the lead of recent DCAU releases with only a pair of short but enjoyable behind-the-scenes featurettes.

• Dave Gibbons and Watchmen: Worldbuilding (9:02) - This brief but nicely-put together piece concerns the legacy of the original series and its place in comic book history, from the deliberate layout and coloring choices to Alan Moore's storytelling style and Dave Gibbon's singular artwork. Plenty of participants offer insight including DC big boss Jim Lee, comic editor Barbara Kesel, consulting producer and Watchmen co-creator / artist Dave Gibbons, producer Jim Krieg, storyboard artist Danica Dickison, character designer Dusty Abell, and others. We also get a nice look at the original series' creation including concept art, uncolored panels in progress, the fake advertisements created to flesh out Watchmen's mystique, and other neat historical goodies. Good stuff.

• The Art of Adaptation: Introducing the Story (9:50) - This like-minded piece takes its format cues from the first featurette but extends its subject matter to the animated adaptation via a good amount of panel (as well as storyboard) to screen comparisons spliced with more interview footage. Several key returning participants offer more insight but new ones are here including producer Cindy Rago and art director Jonathan Hoekstra.

Watchmen: Chapter I 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

WB Animation's new two-part adaptation of Watchman has big shoes to fill but gets off to a good start, thanks to the general faithfulness of its story as well as an ambitious visual approach to Dave Gibbon's iconic visuals. It's supported well on either Blu-ray or the preferred 4K package, with both versions offering proportionately solid A/V presentations and two short but very enjoyable bonus features. My only slight reservation here is that it'll probably be released again as a seamless deluxe edition or at least a space-saving two-part package... but based on the surprising strength of its main feature, I wouldn't blame interested fans for jumping on board right now. Recommended.