Watchmen (2009)
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A group of mostly retired American superheroes must investigate the murder of one of their own while facing a deadly conspiracy.
The story
Set in an alternate history in 1985 at the height of the Cold War, the film follows a group of mostly retired American superheroes. After the murder of one of their own, the remaining members must investigate the crime. As they delve deeper, they uncover an elaborate and deadly conspiracy that connects them all. The narrative explores the lives of these costumed individuals, including a powerful physicist who is a national security asset and a businessman who was once a crime-fighter, as they confront the reality of their roles in a world on the brink of war.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1985, the murder of 'the Comedian' leads the vigilante Rorschach to warn his former teammates, the Watchmen. Rorschach's investigation leads him to a conspiracy involving Adrian Veidt, who has orchestrated a plan to save the world by creating a common enemy. This plan involves manipulating Doctor Manhattan, a powerful physicist, into a conflict that would force nations to unite. As the plot unfolds, Rorschach is framed and imprisoned, while the other members discover Veidt's ultimate scheme: he has rigged reactors to explode, intending to frame Manhattan for the destruction of millions. In the end, the Watchmen agree to keep Veidt's secret to maintain a fragile global peace, while Rorschach is killed by Manhattan to ensure the secret remains. The film concludes with the world united against the perceived threat of Manhattan, while the truth of the conspiracy remains hidden in Rorschach's journal.
- First release year
- 2009
- Runtime (minutes)
- 162
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Zack Snyder
- Writers
- David Hayter · screenplay; Alex Tse · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Malin Åkerman · Laurie Jupiter / Silk Spectre II; Billy Crudup · Jon Osterman / Doctor Manhattan; Matthew Goode · Adrian Veidt / Ozymandias; Carla Gugino · Sally Jupiter / Silk Spectre; Jackie Earle Haley · Walter Kovacs / Rorschach; Patrick Wilson · Daniel Dreiberg / Nite Owl II; Jeffrey Dean Morgan · Edward Blake / The Comedian
- Genres
- superhero; action; science fiction
- Themes
- deconstruction of the superhero genre; American Dream; moral sacrifice
- Tone and mood
- dark; dystopian
- Premise and plot tags
- superhero; alternate history; conspiracy
- Source material / true-story basis
- comic book series by Dave Gibbons, and published by DC Comics
- Franchise connections
- Watchmen
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the striking visuals and the faithfulness to the source material, but criticized the complexity of the plot.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 56 · scale: 100 · review count: 39; CinemaScore · score: B · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Visual Effects · 2009 · pre-nominated
- Production trivia
- The film was in development hell for nearly two decades.; Zack Snyder used the comic book as a storyboard.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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