This begs the question: Which Watchmen is best? The 2009 live-action film by Zack Snyder is a reference standard, but has a fatal flaw where it takes liberties with critical aspects of the story. For some fans, Jeffrey Dean Morgan is The Comedian. Billy Crudup delivers Dr. Manhattan in a flawless performance. Years later, the 2022 HBO series by Damon Lindelof takes the story to new heights with Regina King’s Sister Knight, and a story flowing out of the Tulsa race massacre.
With Watchmen: Chapter 1, we get a new visit to the setting that is faithful to the Alan Moore book. This is the result of an incredible adaptation by J. Michael Straczynski, the reliably superb author of countless scripts and books and underrated showrunner of Babylon 5. Straczynski is quite royalty in sci-fi screenwriting. The animation is a beautiful combination of 3D CGI backgrounds setting off Heavy Metal-esque foreground art. The new voice cast is also outstanding, with Katee Sackhoff, Titus Welliver, and Matthew Rhys, just to name a few. The production is beyond reproach.
“If this was the only version, it would be a towering achievement.”
So, where do we land on this film? If this was the only version, it would be a towering achievement. But the Snyder film lives in our minds for contrast. So, if our Watchmen fantasies could be realized… The best mix would be the Straczynski’s script done with the Snyder live action cast and cinematography. Call it the Snyder/JMS cut. Alas, this is impossible without the help of Dr. Manhattan, and he is unavailable.
That said, Watchmen: Chapter 1 is a delight for fans, and great follow up for those who enjoyed the comics and want to see more. Future chapters promise to be just as amazing.
"…begins a new animated version of Alan Moore’s classic graphic novel..."
