My Review of Watchmen Chapter I (2024)

 

Written by J. Michael Straczynski

Directed by Brandon Vietti

Rorschach: "Who killed Edward Blake?"

I was planning on rewatching/reviewing the other movie and shows of the same title first but yesterday afternoon, I had the urge to watch the first part of this two part animated movie. This was something of a mixed bag.

The 2009 movie has earned its place as a cult favourite in spite of it's handling of the source material while the 2019 miniseries has garnered a lot of critical and award acclaim. I don't see the latter happening to this animated two parter.

Bouncing between different time periods before honing in on October 1985, the Comedian (Rick D. Wasserman) has been killed and Rorschach (Titus Welliver) found himself trying to figure out what was going on and who was out to get the Watchmen. Needless to say, his methods werent totally approved of by others.

In flashbacks and the 1985 time setting, you had Doctor Manhattan (Michael Cerveris) musing on his childhood, his fascination with fixing watches as well as his relationships with Janey Slater (Kari Wahlgren) and the second Silk Spectre (Katee Sackhoff). During the movie he also exited to Mars, having grown weary of the human race.

There's the second Nite-Owl (Matthew Rhys). He's the closest to a more heroic character in this movie, visiting his predecessor (Geoff Pierson) as well as doing his own investigations. There's also an underlying relationship with Silk Spectre II in the mix that will undoubtedly boil over in the second part.

Last but not least, we got some nice focus on the reformed Ozymandias (Troy Baker), tending to his own business while flashbacks delved into the early days of the Watchmen along with the imminent death of the first Silk Spectre (Adrienne Barbeau) and her own feelings on the Comedian before the movie ended on a cliffhanger.

- Yes that scene with Silk Spectre I and the Comedian appeared with the latter being rightfully beaten up as a result. He also shot a pregnant woman. 

- A trailer for the second part, due for release in 2025 was shown at the end of the movie. 

- The first six issues of the maxiseries are covered here.

- Chronology: October 13th 1985 in New York City.

Watchmen Chapter I does kick off this two part event to a good start. So far, it seems to be a strong enough but not spectacular adaptation of the source with Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski adapting the material well enough. I like the animation as well.

Rating: 7 out of 10