I've been obsessing over this movie ever since news of its production was first released and I'm very (very very) glad to say that it did not suck. Nor was it mediocre. No, in fact, it was pretty damn good. Being a huge fan of the graphic novel I (along with many other fanboys) was afraid that the original story would be butchered in the translation to film. While there are key elements missing from the film, none of them seem overly noticeable until you’re walking back from the theater thinking, "Damn it. They didn't kill off that old guy whose name I can't remember." The biggest omission from the book is of course the presence of the giant Chthulu monster, which wouldn't make any sense without the black freighter story which is also absent (but is going to be part of the super ultra long DVD version! Hooray!!) Anyway, where the plot deviates away from the Chthulu, the replacement makes a good amount of sense and amounts to the same thing anyway, so it's not really a problem.

As far as the acting goes, it ranges from pretty good (Nite Owl, Silk Specter, Ozymandias) to memorable (Dr. Manhattan, Rorschach, The Comedian). Everyone does a pretty good job filling the shoes of these characters, getting into their heads and at their distinct personality disorders. I only wish there had been more Ozy. He's in the film the least yet is debatably the most important character. Sure, he wasn't in the book much either but he did get a back story (which understandably was left out, being too cerebral to sit through after the 2 hour mark) and had the Black Freighter as a kind of metaphor for himself. Without either, there seems to be so much missing in terms of character development. In the end he's the only one who is still so much of a mystery which is unsatisfying.

Visually, Watchmen is a sex orgy for your eyes. Everything just meshes so well. Even the excessive gore, with all its bone snapping and body exploding goodness, never seems out of place. Accompanied by an absolutely brilliant soundtrack, the action scenes are very mesmerizing to watch. If you thought Zack Snyder raped the hell out of slow motion in 300, not much has changed and I like it that way.

The fact is that Watchmen isn't for everyone. It's a very talky movie and it moves relatively slowly. People with ADD will not like this movie. There's your warning. It's long and plodding and there isn't enough action, but regardless, I can honestly say I thoroughly enjoyed every single second of it. For me, its biggest flaw is that it eventually ends.