Watchmen (2006)

May 9, 2025

Uncut version is 3 hours and 40 minutes long. It has some really cool shots—very cinematic overall. If you’re looking for atmosphere, this is it. I really liked the intro where they introduce the Minutemen. Also, the animated pirate comic short was great. I love when movies do creative stuff like that.

I also just really like when characters self-narrate. I liked it in Casino, and I liked it here too.

There’s a reference to Dr. Strangelove in here—the war room full of generals and Nixon is straight from Strangelove.

I also liked the non-linear storytelling. It kind of feels like a mix of noir and superheroes. It’s not super deep or anything, but it’s just a great story overall. Though maybe there is something deeper—like the idea that if you think everything is evil, you eventually become evil.

I really liked the ending too. Usually in superhero movies, villains fall into two categories: either evil just to be evil, or the utilitarian type who does something horrible for some “greater good.” The first kind usually ends with a message like “don’t be evil,” and the second with “the ends don’t justify the means.” This movie doesn’t pick either one, and I appreciated that. It didn’t try to create a neat ending just to keep the American public—or the lowest common denominator—happy. 8/10.