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Watchmen (2024 film)
Two-part animated superhero film From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Watchmen is a 2024 American adult animated two-part superhero film directed by Brandon Vietti and written by J. Michael Straczynski. It stars an ensemble cast including Matthew Rhys, Katee Sackhoff, Titus Welliver, Troy Baker, Adrienne Barbeau, and Michael Cerveris. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, Paramount Pictures, and DC Entertainment,[2] and distributed by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment in North America and Paramount Home Entertainment elsewhere, the film is based on the DC Comics limited series Watchmen co-created and illustrated by Dave Gibbons with co-creator and author Alan Moore choosing to remain uncredited.[3] Set in an alternate 1985, the film follows a group of outlawed and retired superheroes who investigate a conspiracy following the murder of one of their own. Gibbons served as a consulting producer on the film. Animation for the film was provided by Studio Mir.
The first part (titled Watchmen Chapter I) was released on August 13, 2024, while the second part (titled Watchmen Chapter II) was released on November 26, 2024. Both parts serve as the fifty-seventh and fifty-eighth, respectively, and final installments of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies.
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Plot
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Chapter I
In an alternate 1985, veteran superhero known as the Comedian is killed by an unknown individual, as the policemen try to investigate the crime, but fail to find any clues or sources. Rorschach, who is also privately investigating the Comedian's murder, suspects that someone is hunting and killing superheroes, after which he decides to warn his comrades to be careful, despite being dismissed.
At the same time, he tries to investigate who the killer is and interrogates one of the former supervillains and a past enemy of the Comedian, Moloch, torturing him and investigating whether he was the killer but Moloch clears his name. As Rorschach investigates, the viewer sees flashbacks from the other individuals' pasts, how each of them became a superhero, what they experienced after the ban on superheroes, and what their future fate is.
Meanwhile, Laurie Juspeczyk and Dan reignite their friendship, after Laurie feels that her relationship with Jon lacks spark and passion because he is too absorbed in his work.
Doctor Manhattan is suspected of causing cancer in all people, after which he exiles himself in Mars. Dan Dreiberg (formerly known as the second Nite Owl) and Laurie Juspeczyk (the second Silk Spectre after her mother Sally "Jupiter" Juspeczyk) are trying to start a romantic relationship at this time.
Meanwhile, Rorschach seeks to interrogate one of the killer's personal informants, only to find him dead, as the killer frames Rorschach by calling the police on him, after which he is arrested and unmasked for the public as Walter Kovacs.
During the end credits, the viewer hears radio recordings of old superheroes from the 1940s.
Chapter II
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In prison, Kovacs is consulted by psychiatrist Malcolm Long, to whom he reveals his dark, disturbing past, which led to his transformation into Roschach; from the abuse of his mother, to the investigation of a disappeared and murderered child. Kovacs is also threatened by other inmates, including Big Figure, a mob boss he and Nite Owl apprehended in the past. Meanwhile, Dreiberg begins believing Roschach's theory after being haunted by nightmares of what is yet to come, for which he decides to don the mantle of Nite Owl again, with Juspeczyk joining him as Silk Spectre, eventually drawing public attention after saving a group of citizens from a fire in a building.
After one last visit from Hollis Mason (the original Nite Owl) and evading the police, Dreiberg and Juspeczyk head on to break Roschach out, just as Big Figure orchestrates a riot in an attempt to kill him, only to be killed himself. Juspeczyk is met with and taken by Doctor Manhattan to his palace in Mars, where he debates humans' destinies.
On Mars, Doctor Manhattan reveals that he knows of Juspeczyk' relationship with Dan, and asks her why he thinks her world is worth saving. Juspeczyk, devasted by his unfazed reaction to Earth's potential downfall, reminisces on the reasons why Dan makes a receptive lover much to the shock of Doctor Manhattan who claims that she was his only link to Earth, and with her no longer with him, he no more has a stake on Earth.
Juspeczyk tries to convince him that Earth is far more important to hinge it on a relationship, but Doctor Manhattan refuses and declines to help her instead, asking her why she's so afraid. Juspeczyk recollects her childhood memory of her father always yelling at her, because she was the daughter of her mother's ex-boyfriend, and her first meeting with Blake, the Comedian.
As she gives up trying to convince Doctor Manhattan, she realizes, through her memories, that her father wasn't her mother's ex-boyfriend as she thought, but Blake instead. Devastated and shattered by this revelation, she breaks down and destroys Doctor Manhattan's building.
However, Doctor Manhattan changes his mind and agrees to help her, commenting how despite the odds, every human that is born was born for a reason.
Meanwhile, Roschach and the Nite Owl continues to research more about Pyramid Holdings, and heads to Veidt Enterprises to warn Adrian Veidt, where they discover that he owns and controls Pyramid Holdings. Realizing Adrian is behind everything including the death of the Comedian, Roschach and the Nite Owl heads to Karnak, his private base at Antarctic.
Doctor Manhattan teleports himself and Juspeczyk to America, only to discover to their horror than an otherworldly species has been released, killing millions in the process. Doctor Manhattan senses the presence of tachyon particles and finally realizes that Adrian was the man behind everything.
Back at the Karnak, Roschach, Nite Owl, Doctor Manhattan and Juspeczyk confront Adrian Veidt, but Adrian claims he was doing the right thing, reasoning that an extraterrestrial threat was what the world needed to stop the war and work together. He attempts to get rid of Doctor Manhattan and the Watchmen so they don't foul his plans.
When Doctor Manhattan attempts to get rid of Adrian, Adrian puts on the news currently reporting the alien from outer space and how the world leaders are responding to such a threat. War is declared over as the world leaders agree to work together. Adrian is elated that his plan worked, and plans to usher Earth into a utopia but the Watchmen want him to pay for the crimes he committed.
Adrian makes them realize that by arresting them, they risk exposing his plans and undoing all the work thus far, also claiming that millions of people would have died for nothing. The Watchmen reluctantly agree to keep this a secret, all except Roschach who is disgusted by their agreement, and vows to expose Adrian. Unable to see any other way, Doctor Manhattan kills Roschach, devastating the Nite Owl.
In an epilogue, the Nite Owl and Juspeczyk, now going by different names, visit Juspeczyk' mother where Juspeczyk tells her she knows who her true father was and forgives her.
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Voice cast
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Production
It was reported in April 2017 that Warner Bros. would develop an R-rated animated film based on the comic book series.[5] It was officially confirmed in 2023 that an animated film adaptation was in development and would be released in 2024.[6] A teaser trailer was released on June 13, 2024, with it being revealed to be a two-film adaptation.[7][8] Director Brandon Vietti praised the animation work done by Studio Mir, stating in an interview that "It was a kind of material and filmmaking that I don't think the studio had approached before, but we had a lot of great discussions about it and they really rose to the challenge."[9]
Release and reception
Watchmen Chapter I received a digital release on August 13, 2024.[10] The film was released on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD on August 27, 2024.[11]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 92% based on 12 reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10.[12] On Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating reviews from mainstream critics, the film has a score of 71 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[13] William Bibbiani of TheWrap felt that the film respectfully adapted the story, but struggled to properly convey its complexity and described the visual aesthetic as "serviceable but not entirely effective".[14] Brad Cook of Flickering Myth agreed, calling the film a "very faithful adaptation" with a visual style that "hews closely to artist Dave Gibbons' well-regarded depictions of the characters and the alternate 1985 timeline they inhabit".[15]
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References
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