Watchmen: Chapter I

1985, an alternate America. Retired costumed heroes are living ordinary lives when one of them, the Comedian, is thrown out of his window. Rorschach, the only one who never gave up the mask, decides this is more than a murder and works his way around the old team one by one. The film is not interested in heroism. It is interested in heroism put to use by the state: the man whose power wins wars is also the man drifting out of humanity. The form chooses fidelity to the comic's panel grid. The animation carries Dave Gibbons's compositions and colour palette directly, which is something the live-action adaptation could not do. The production is deliberately halved: this is the first part of a two-part adult animated adaptation, so the story does not end here. Brandon Vietti directed. Troy Baker voices Rorschach, with Adrienne Barbeau and Corey Burton in the cast. Who it is for: readers of the comic and anyone who wants a faithful adaptation. Who it is not for: viewers looking for a film that finishes in one sitting. It cuts off in the middle, and the crowd of characters is heavy going for anyone who does not know the source.