‘Watchmen – Chapter 1’ Review

For a comic book series that was once considered unadaptable, that certainly hasn’t stopped DC from trying to adapt and continue Watchmen in a myriad of ways. After Zack Snyder’s Watchmen in 2009, it seems the floodgates for this series have opened to all sorts of possibilities. In the last 15 years, Watchmen has received a video game with Watchmen: The End Is Nigh, a prequel miniseries of comics in Before Watchmen, a sequel series of comics with Doomsday Clock, another series named after Rorschach, a Watchmen motion comic, and the most successful of these, HBO’s Watchmen series, which continued the story of the original graphic novel rather than adapt Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ tale directly.

The latest attempt to keep the Watchmen brand alive in some form is Watchmen: Chapter 1, the first installment of an animated adaptation of the original graphic novel. Directed by Brandon Vietti, who previously directed such DC Animation projects as Batman: Under the Red Hood and co-directed Superman: Doomsday, Watchmen: Chapter 1 brings this to the screen in a fairly faithful fashion. But with an animation style that feels tonally off for this narrative and an adaptation that doesn’t take any of its own chances, Watchmen: Chapter 1 doesn’t so much ask who watches the Watchmen, but rather, why you’d choose to watch this instead of just reading the original graphic novel?

What Is ‘Watchmen’ About?

Set in an alternate version of the 1980s, Watchmen tells the story of a world where superheroes and supervillains exist and used to be prominent, but now, most are either retired or work for the government. When one such hero, The Comedian (Rick D. Wasserman), is found murdered, it seems as though someone is out to get rid of this old guard of heroes. One vigilante who never stopped, Rorschach (Titus Welliver) hits the streets to try and find answers, while trying to get the help of other former heroes, like his old partner Nite Owl (Matthew Rhys), the smartest man in the world, Ozymandias (Troy Baker), and a real-world Superman who transcends space and time, Dr. Manhattan (Michael Cerveris). As humanity seems to be heading towards war, Rorshach tries to solve a mystery that could help save the world.

Written by J. Michael Straczynski, the creator of Babylon 5 and co-creator of Sense8, Watchmen: Chapter 1 sticks extremely close to the source material, even making the in-world graphic novel, Tales of the Black Freighter, part of the narrative. At least in this first part, Straczynski isn’t taking any major chances in this adaptation, and considering how strong Moore’s story is, this is a logical choice. Even Snyder’s adaptation did away with the Black Freighter elements to streamline the superhero story. For those who know the story of Watchmen, this retelling will make perfect sense, but again, it also seems almost unnecessary for those who already have read this tale. However, this currently fractured narrative, which is as of now only half-told, might be a bit too scattered for those unfamiliar. Naturally, Chapter 1 is fragments of a story building without a satisfying conclusion that it is heading towards. At barely 80 minutes, it seems strange to not just release it as one cohesive piece.

‘Watchmen: Chapter 1’s Animation Style Is an Odd Choice

Another unusual choice for Watchmen: Chapter 1 is its animation style. While stills of this chapter look fairly accurate to Gibbons’ original art, in motion, this looks more akin to the cel-shaded animation of Telltale Games like The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, or Tales from the Borderlands. This shift in look is arguably the biggest alteration to this story, and yet, it just doesn’t feel right within this world. The decision to go with this style gives it a more cartoonish feel that often undercuts the darkness Watchmen needs to be effective.

However, this approach does have its strengths, even though it is mostly a weakness. For example, this style does work for Dr. Manhattan’s look, and particularly makes this character’s trip to Mars a fairly compelling scene, as he goes back through time, investigating his own history. Vietti’s direction also allows us to soak in this alternate 1980s aesthetic more than most other versions. There are many scenes where we watch our characters quietly walking the streets at night, and we can glean quite a bit from this show-don’t-tell approach. The city is still teeming with crime and questionable figures, while electric vehicles drive through the night—an example of Dr. Manhattan’s contributions to technology over the years. Chapter 1 occasionally takes its time to help give us a good idea of this world and the feeling that seeps into those who live within it.

But ‘Watchmen: Chapter 1’ Does Gather a Great Voice Cast

Watchmen: Chapter 1 also collects an impressive voice cast for its adaptation. Welliver’s vocal chords deserve a moment of silence, considering the gruff performance the actor is giving sounds like it must’ve been a strain, but it works here. Especially in Rorschach’s final scene, Welliver’s vocal performance shows this man’s desperation and dedication to fighting crime by any means necessary. Rhys is also an inspired choice for Nite Owl/Dan Dreiberg, as he excels at balancing the boring mundanity of Dan with his heroic side. Baker and Wasserman both voice Ozymandias and Dr. Manhattan, respectively, with a similar lean, as though they’re both tired of being the smartest person in the room. Katee Sackhoff also is a smart choice for Laurie, showing her confusion and frustration in her relationship with Dr. Manhattan, as she tries to find her own identity away from this bond.

Yet despite its brilliant voice cast and quieter moments that allow us to breathe in this unique version of New York City, Watchmen: Chapter 1 struggles to justify its existence. Its awkward animation choice doesn’t mesh with this concept as well as it should, and loses some of the spirit Moore and Gibbons gave with their original graphic novel. It’s a style that will feel off for those who already love this world, and for those uninitiated, the scattered structure won’t leave much of an impact without Chapter 2 to show where this story is headed. Moore has always been bullish against adaptations of his work, and while that’s come off as close-minded in some cases—particularly with the HBO series—it sort of makes sense with this version. Watchmen: Chapter 1 is a compelling curiosity, but never matches the power of its source material, and, if anything, should make people turn to the graphic novel instead of checking out yet another adaptation.

REVIEW

Watchmen: Chapter 1 (2024)

Watchmen: Chapter 1 is an intriguing idea with a strong voice cast, but rarely matches the tone or spirit of the original story.

Pros

• Watchmen: Chapter 1’s voice cast, especially Titus Welliver and Matthew Rhys, provides smart takes on these characters.
• The quieter moments allow us to soak in this alternate history more than most other adaptations.

Cons

• The animation style feels wrong for this narrative, deviating from Dave Gibbons’ art style.
• Splitting this story into two chapters will likely be all setup and no payoff for those new to this world.

Watchmen: Chapter 1 will be available to stream on VOD in the U.S. starting August 13.

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