Common Sense Media Review
By JK Sooja , based on child development research. How do we rate?
Blood, gore, sexual violence in animated version of comic.
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Watchmen: Chapter I
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 1 parent review
What's the Story?
In WATCHMEN: CHAPTER I, former superhero Rorschach (Titus Welliver) is investigating a series of murders. It seems someone is going around killing ex-superheroes. Meanwhile, Dr. Manhattan (Michael Cerveris) is getting more and more restless and bored with humanity and earth. If America doesn't have him any longer to hold off the threat of Russia and war, what will people do? Can Rorschach convince other ex-superheroes to help him?
Is It Any Good?
With a fresh animation style, this adaptation faithfully puts to screen the comic book original. Many viewers of Watchmen: Chapter I who are familiar with the live-action film version will be pleased to know not much has changed. Others might be disappointed by this fact, as in a few ways, this animated iteration of Watchmen strikes more closely to the source material than the live-action film. Unfortunately, some fans familiar with this story and intellectual property might also feel a little bored. This animated version is fully predictable, often even scene by scene. While some minor changes occur here and there, this is largely an animated version of the first half of this tale. In other words, if you've seen the live-action movie, there's not much here (except for the animation style) that is new or worth paying for. The voice acting is very strong, though, with a strong cast (Troy Baker, Matthew Rhys, Katee Sackhoff).
Others might be upset that this is only the first half of a two-part series. Because of this, a lot of this movie feels like set up for something much cooler to come. Sure, there's action, fighting, killing, drama, intrigue, mystery, and discussions of morality, but it isn't clear yet what Veidt or Dr. Manhattan are up to. Other quibbles include delving perhaps too deep into a comic book story that a kid is reading on a street corner. The film is clearly trying to draw parallels between the story in the comic book and the main narrative, but in this first half, because nothing is revealed yet, none of these comic book scenes will make any real sense to newcomers. Fans who know the story will understand what the story is trying to do (something to do with Veidt), but for the uninitiated, these scenes will be confusing.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in animated thrillers. Did any of the violence in Watchmen: Chapter I surprise you? Why do you think the violence is so extreme?
Who do you think the main character is? Is this story about Rorschach, Dan, Laurie, the Comedian, Veidt?
If you were Dr. Manhattan, do you think you'd leave earth too? Why or why not?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: August 13, 2024
- Cast: Troy Baker , Titus Welliver , Katee Sackhoff , Matthew Rhys
- Director: Brandon Vietti
- Inclusion Information: Female actors
- Studio: Warner Home Video
- Genre: Thriller
- Topics: Superheroes
- Run time: 83 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: violent content and some graphic nudity
- Last updated: August 16, 2024
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