So I saw WATCHMEN opening weekend with some friends, and I have to say I enjoyed it quite a bit. Bear in mind I read the graphic novel just once, back in college, so I don't remember too much about it. It is on my pile of books to re-read sometime soon though. Warning: there are some spoilers below...
First off, I have to say it's great to see a superhero movie that isn't afraid to have the characters dressed up in old-school superhero outfits. Because if I have to see one more superhero movie that "updates" the characters into leather outfits (IE X-Men, Daredevil, Hancock, etc), I'm going to punch someone. Sure, the costumes looked a bit cheesy, but it's actually amazing to me how UN-cheesy they become when the characters themselves are treated seriously. It just becomes part of the world and not something campy.
As for the story itself, I didn't have too many problems with it. There were certainly some flaws, but given how much went "right," I'm not going to quibble too much over what went "wrong." One big beef I had was with Night Owl and Silk Spectre killing and maiming so many thugs in the alley fight. That kind of indiscriminate use of violence seems like a Rorschach thing and seemed much more questionable for two supposed heroes to dole out so casually. And it was totally unnecessary. Zack Snyder could have done that entire slo-mo, kick-ass fight scene and just have the heroes neutralize the baddies, without having to actually kill.
I can understand the ending change since the squid aliens would have been much more difficult for the masses to accept. And even in the book, I think I always felt like it was something completely random and new introduced right at the end, which always feels a bit out of place to me. So tying the plot back to something that has already been a big plot element throughout the story (Dr. Manhattan) makes a bit of sense, storytelling-wise.
Anyway, those are my initial impressions. Maybe I'll have some different thoughts after I re-read the book.
