Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Watchmen: Chapter II Blu-ray Movie Review

The end is nigh.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III November 30, 2024

Based on the acclaimed comic series by artist Dave Gibbons and writer Alan Moore, Watchmen has been adapted in various formats several times during the last couple of decades; for starters, there's the 2008 "motion comic", Zack Snyder's well-known 2009 theatrical film, a video game, HBO's 2019 limited series. (Before all of those, a few films were pitched but abandoned, with names attached ranging from Darren Aronofsky to Terry Gilliam.) 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.

Part I was a surprisingly well-crafted film from almost every perspective: its high-quality visuals stood out from WB Animation's usual output, valiantly attempting to push boundaries in the same way that Moore and Gibbons' original comic did. The voice cast was well-rounded with no weak spots, the music and sound design were terrific and, most importantly, the condensed story didn't diverge much from its original form and flow. (Small changes and shifts were made to fit this slimmer format, of course, but nothing that might be seen as a red flag.) Ending on a cliffhanger and followed by an extended preview of this second part, it was a great effort overall and, to be honest, probably my favorite animated WB film in at least a year or two. The really good news is that Part II meets if not exceeds expectations, deftly following the original series' seismic second half withing skipping a beat.

For a synopsis of Part II, please see my recent review of the 4K edition. As before, WB. also offers this separate Blu-ray that features a proportionately solid A/V presentation as well as two short but enjoyable extras.

Watchmen: Chapter II Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

As usual, please see my recent review of Warner Bros.' separate 4K edition for a general overview of Watchmen visual aesthetic, which I discussed in both the film synopsis and video section of that coverage. Bottom line: it's an ambitious-looking effort with production values that punch above WB Animation's usual weight class for DCAU material, offering a very atmospheric and technically faithful update to consulting producer Dave Gibbons' invaluable visual contributions to the original comic book series. Not surprisingly, Warner Bros.' Blu-ray can't help but come in second to its linked UHD counterpart due to the fact that Watchmen is a native 4K production, but this 1080p/SDR transfer doesn't trail all that far behind in some respects. Format limitations all but dictate that a few speed bumps can be seen on the road -- less refined black levels and shadow detail, broader color reproduction, and of course a few almost unavoidable compression artifacts here and there -- but as-is on this decently-encoded dual-layer (50GB) disc, Watchmen holds its own on Blu-ray and should look quite respectable on small to mid-sized displays. I'll still recommend the 4K edition by a decent margin if you're set up for it, but 1080p is hardly a major sacrifice in the grand scheme of things.

Watchmen: Chapter II Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For details about the DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix, please see my recent review of the separate 4K edition. Also note that, like that disc, this one features optional subtitles for the main feature only, not the extras listed below.

Watchmen: Chapter II Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with cover artwork that's thematically similar to the 4K edition but entirely different; a Digital Copy is included, but no slipcover. The included extras are identical to that linked UHD edition and are listed below in name only; for more details, click away.

• Dave Gibbons and Watchmen: Endgame (7:16)

• The Art of Adaptation: Building to the Final Act (10:05)

• Designing Watchmen (22:01)

Watchmen: Chapter II Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

WB's two-part animated adaptation of Watchmen had extremely big shoes to fill and, in my opinion, fills them nicely even after the release of several other takes on its celebrated source material. The original story and characters are condensed but otherwise unchanged and its striking visual aesthetic pays tribute to the boundary-pushing work of Watchmen artist / co-creator (and consulting producer) Dave Gibbons. Much like the first chapter, this second half is supported well on this Blu-ray as well as the preferred 4K package, with both formats offering proportionately solid A/V presentations and a trio of mostly short but very enjoyable extras. My only slight reservation here is that both parts will likely be re-released as a seamless deluxe edition or at least a space-saving two-pack... but again based on the strength of the main feature, I wouldn't blame anyone for buying it right now. Recommended.