My Review of Watchmen: Chapter II (2024)

 

Written by Dave Gibbons And J. Michael Straczynski

Directed by Brandon Vietti

Dr. Manhattan (to Silk Spectre II): "This is where we debate Earth's destiny."

With so many things I've been trying to catch up with this month, I had forgotten about this one. I watched and reviewed the first part of this adaptation a few months ago. This second part more or less concluded the original maxiseries arc.

You have got Nite Owl (Matthew Rhys) and Silk Spectre II (Katee Sackhoff) really driving the narrative of this one. The first part hinted at a mutual attraction between the pair of them. This one went further by having them together as a couple and a crime fighting duo. It's actually rather sweet tbh.

In between having sex in Nite Owl's transport, there was also some very important flashbacks where Silk Spectre I (Adrienne Barbeau) confessed to her daughter about being sexually assaulted by the Comedian (Rick D. Wasserman). They were naturally gutting for Janey to hear about her mother but there was the world to save from a maniac and a team to build in order to do that.

The prison scenes with Rorschach (Titus Welliver) were definitely entertaining. Rorschach made it clear to his fellow inmates that being stuck in a prison with him would be much worse for them and delivered on that promise. Even when Nite Owl and Silk Spectre II were breaking him out, he was busy adding to his body count.

As for Dr. Manhattan, even Silk Spectre II got exhausted with the out of sync way he'd convey information to everyone but he was brutal in how he assessed every situation. The final confrontation with Ozymandias (Troy Baker), I'll admit that it lacked a certain punch but the movie itself did end on a slightly hopeful note for a certain couple.

- We got flashbacks to Janey's stepdad being horrible to her and to Rorschach's own messy origins.

- Veidt genuinely believed his actions were for the good, including the Comedian's death.

- Standout music: That Meltdown song during the closing credits was a little catchy.

- Chronology: New York 1985, which was practically going through hell.

Watchmen: Chapter II brings this arc to a good conclusion, not shying away from the ultraviolence of the source material. I didn't know if I liked it at first but having thought about it, I think I enjoyed this more than expected. 

Rating: 7 out of 10 

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 

SCDD 2019 - DC TV Spoilers

Unlike the MCU, the DCEU sadly sat out SDCC this year (but I have no doubt they'll come back swinging next year though). However in terms of the television medium, most of the big players came out and we got some great spoilers.

Delving into the Arrowverse first though ....

Trailers for Arrow (October 15th), The Flash (October 8th), Supergirl (October 6th) and Black Lightning (October 21st) were all unveiled over the weekend and there are some interesting spoilers to behold. Batwoman (October 6th) and Legends Of Tomorrow (January 31st 2020) didn't get trailers but still had a presence at San Diego during the weekend. Things we can expect from the shows are ....

- Charlie Barnett will be a regular as the older version of JJ for the final season of Arrow as well as Ben Lewis (William), Katherine McNamara (Mia) and Joseph David-Jones (Connor).
- Both Oliver and Laurel will have new suits.
- Katie Cassidy-Rogers, David Ramsay, Caity Lotz, Danielle Panabaker, Melissa Benoist, Chyler Leigh and David Harewood will be directing episodes of their respective shows.
- Brandon Routh will be playing the Kingdom Come version of Superman for the Crisis On Infinite Earths crossover event while Tyler Hoechlin will be back as Superman, Bitsie Tulloch as Lois Lane and Jon Cryer as Lex Luthor.
- There's also rumours that both Tom Welling and Lynda Carter will play roles in the upcoming crossover as well.
- The Flash's main antagonist for the first half of it's sixth season will be Bloodwork, played by Sendhil Ramamurthy. The character will have a connection to both Barry and Caitlin.
- Keiynan Lonsdale will be returning as Wally West, Sue Dibney will debut this season, Killer Frost will have more to do, Tom Cavanagh will play another Wells as well as Pariah, Iris will delve more into her journalism and Cisco will be staying put.
- The Monitor will be popping up on various shows leading to the crossover event.

- Also appearing in the upcoming Crisis On Infinite Earths crossover event will be Batman 66 actor, Burt Ward in an undisclosed role.
- Supergirl will be saying goodbye to Mehcad Brook's Jimmy Olsen but it seems that Jeremy Jordon will be reappearing as Winn for a few episodes while Andrea Brooks will be a regular as Eve.
- Other additions to the fifth season will be Meaghan Rath as a female Brainiac 5, Staz Nair as journalist William Dey and Julie Gonzolo as Andrea Rojas/Acrata.
- Expect more relationship plots with Brainiac 5/Nia and Alex/Kelly as well as a battle for Lena's soul.
- Legends Of Tomorrow will see Sara getting a superpower, origin episodes for Constantine and Charlie, Astra as the main baddie, Ava on the Waverider and some of the worst people in history causing hassle for our motley crew.
- Batwoman will feature some of the Dark Knight's own rogue gallery members, including Hush for an upcoming episode while the first season itself is largely based on the Elegy arc.

And moving onto the DC Universe side of things ....

Titans second season is coming pretty soon. In fact, you can mark September 6th as the date the show returns for it's second season and it's cast is going to be pretty large this season. Not only are Brenton Thwaites (Robin 1), Anna Diop (Starfire), Teagan Croft (Raven) and Ryan Potter (Beast Boy) are back but regular wise, they'll be joined by Curran Walters (Robin 2), Alan Ritchson (Hawk), Minka Kelly (Dove), Conor Leslie (Donna Troy), Joshua Orpin (Superboy) as well. In recurring and guest roles will be Esai Morales (Deathstroke), Iain Glen (Bruce Wayne), Chella Man (Jericho), Chelsea Zhang (Ravager), Natalie Gumede (Mercy Graves) and Drew Van Acker (Aqualad), so this upcoming season is definitely going to be more eventful than the first one.

Keeping with the good news - Doom Patrol has also been confirmed for a second season and will air on both DCUniverse and HBO Max respectively. On the other hand though, Swamp Thing still seems to be cancelled and we got nothing new on Stargirl as of yet.

As for some animated content, you'll be delighted to know that Young Justice has been renewed for a fourth season while we finally got a trailer for the new Harley Quinn series, starring Kaley Cuoco in the title role and it's definitely going for the Deadpool approach. It looks gloriously daft as Harley schemes to become a member of the Legion of Doom after rejecting the Joker (Alan Tudyk), teaming up with Poison Ivy (Lake Bell) and occasionally being a pain in Batman's (Diedrich Bader) behind. Expect appearances from various DC characters across the board and plenty of swearing and violence in the series, slated to air on DC Universe from October 2019.

Harley Quinn Series Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhSj3PvDTfo

Meanwhile members who attended San Diego over the weekend were treated to pilot episode screenings of both Batwoman and Pennyworth (July 28th) and while the former show generated some rather mixed to dicey reviews, it seems that the latter series, focusing on Jack Bannon's younger Alfred Pennyworth was seen in a more favourable light. The pilot episode for Pennyworth is free to watch online now and I'll probably give it a go later in the week. It's unlikely that I'll be reviewing the show episodically, though it'll be covered on this blog in some capacity over the next few months though. HBO also made an impression with their recent trailer for Watchmen (October 2019), which aired during the weekend.

Watchmen Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yKq1PRvPJQ

While no DCEU movie news to go, these are the highlights in the DC Universe. Which shows are catching your eye the most?