Watchmen

One of the most engaging and provocative films of 2009 so far, Watchmen—based on the Reagan-era graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons—unfolds in an alternate-universe version of 1985 America, where Richard Nixon is currently serving his fifth term as president and the world stands poised on the brink of nuclear war. Masked and costumed vigilantes have been outlawed but crime runs rampant, with one unknown assassin specifically targeting retired superheroes. Are these vengeance killings, or is there something else going on? That's the question which reunites Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley), Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson), and Silk Spectre (Malin Akerman), while their old teammates Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup) and Ozymandias (Matthew Goode) continue to pursue other interests. Although the subject matter—combined with director Zack Snyder's (300) bravura visual style—suggest a breezy popcorn movie, Watchmen is made of more serious stuff: positing that superheroes are deeply flawed and occasionally sociopathic people (suffering from such commonplace ailments as depression, alcoholism, and impotence) who are psychologically dependent on masks and capes to make them feel strong and capable. While it also sports plenty of action and suspense, the darkly satirical Watchmen is not a family film: the R-rating is fully earned with nudity, sex, language, and occasionally graphic violence. Highly recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include 11 cast and crew video journals with behind-the-scenes footage and interviews (37 min. total), the half-hour production featurette “The Phenomenon: The Comic That Changed Comics,” the music video for “Desolation Row” by My Chemical Romance, trailers, and a bonus digital copy of the film. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are the “Immersive Maximum Movie Mode,” which features director Zack Snyder hosting a personal onscreen exploration of the film, a “Real Super Heroes, Real Vigilantes” character featurette (26 min.), a “Mechanics: Technologies of a Fantastic World” featurette on the technology in the film (17 min.), and the BD-Live function. Bottom line: an excellent extras package—especially on the Blu-ray version—for an impressive film.] (E. Hulse)