Zack Snyder
Watchmen

Once upon a time, there was the terror of the atomic bomb. Once upon a time, there was the Cold War. Once upon a time, there were the communists. Once upon a time, there was the American Empire, the one with the way of life. But did it really all end in 1989? Certainly. But after twenty years not much has changed. The fears are still the same. And the desires too.

"Watchmen" is a novel generated by a simple question: what if masked vigilantes (ordinary people who, concealing their identity, fight crime) really existed, what would the world be like? It is 1985, and the superhero fad, born in the '40s with the  Minutemen, has faded away. American democracy has declined, as President Nixon is in his third term and, with a decree, has banned masked vigilantes, making all such activities, often violent and fascist, illegal. The protagonists, heirs of the Minutemen (some children of some group members, others just fans), are depressed, psychotic. Some have officially abandoned the career of the masked vigilante, revealing their identities. Others have not. Superheroes without superpowers. Except for one. In this context, the story begins. With a murder. The death of the most charismatic and fascist member of the Minutemen group, the Comedian. Probably a conspiracy against the Watchmen. Someone wants them dead. 

Watchmen is the only comic to date to have won the Hugo Award, the Oscar of literature. Like if a dart thrower would win the gold medal in archery at the Olympics. A miracle. 

Adapting a novel into a film is a risky adventure. Impossible if the intention is to reproduce the same amount of content with the same quality. Possible if you focus on some aspects while giving up many things.  Snyder did neither. He was much more straightforward. He followed the plot of the film step by step, he left out nothing and focused on no particular aspect. With meticulous care, he recreated many shots present in the novel. In about three hours, he presented credible protagonists following nothing but the evolution of the story as it was drawn. The result is admirable. Admirable because it holds up. From the second half onwards, the intensity decreases, but this is more due to the inherent difficulty of the adaptation than a flaw in the film (consider that the first presentation script was eight hours long). 

Generally, a film adaptation does not say anything more unless the novel itself is incomplete (Blade Runner docet). The case of Watchmen is more of a stylistic exercise (typical of the numerous "superheroic" films of the past ten years). With a nice photographic and scenographic technique, this film consistently marries the pop sentiment of comic book culture.

A good film. For everyone and no one. For everyone who, having read, reread, and digested the novel, wants to enjoy the opportunity to see it performed, and also for those who haven't read it but are aware of the reality of the '80s. For no one who hasn't read the novel, doesn't respect the value of the comic book art, and intends to watch the film without understanding the political and social reality of the late '80s.