Watchmen (2009) Director: Zack Snyder

Zack Snyder's epic Watchmen is an impressive film; although Alan Moore has nothing to do with this version, it is still a sprawling, intellectual assault on the senses which does the well-loved, cult characters justice.

Attempting to bring the 12 issue comic book to the big screen was no easy task; 20th Century Fox originally acquired the rights in 1986 and several studios later, it falls to Warner Bros and Snyder to take the complicated tale of 'superheroes' in an alternate history forward.

Screenwriters David Hayter and Alex Tse do well, as does Snyder's huge vision; Watchmen is dark, dark, dark and weaves in and out of timelines and various historical periods to great effect. You cannot fail to be impressed by the gigantic set-pieces of Dr Manhatten's involvement in the Vietnam War (and his giant blue dingaling), Night Owl and Silk Spectre II busting Rorschach out of jail or the nuclear destruction of...that'd be telling. It looks AMAZING and as a sensory overload, it's perfection.

Diehard Watchmen fans do feel let down but I enjoyed the adaptation and the style Snyder gave it, he is a great director. There's a great performance by Jeffrey Dean Morgan's The Comedian too; a man with such a lack of morals, you do warm to him. Got a girl pregnant? Shoot her.

I even forgive Snyder for the Night Owl/Silk Spectre love scene set to Leonard Cohen.

4/5