Watchmen: Chapter I

At some point, we have to ask if there’s any juice left in the Watchmen orange. Between Zack Snyder’s 2009 divisive slow-mo spectacle, the 2019 HBO sequel series that actually managed to say something new, and the original Dave Gibbons and Alan Moore comic that still sits on every "must-read" list, the well is deep but arguably a bit muddy. Yet, here comes director Brandon Vietti with Watchmen: Chapter I, a 2024 animated attempt to recapture the lightning in a bottle by staying as close to the source material as humanly possible. It arrives in an era of franchise saturation where "faithful" is often used as a shield against criticism, but does a scene-for-scene recreation actually justify its existence in 2024?

I watched this while sitting on a kitchen chair that has one slightly shorter leg, so I spent the whole 84 minutes unconsciously leaning to the left, which felt like a fitting way to view a world tilting toward nuclear annihilation.

The Telltale Heart of the Animation

The first thing that hits you—and likely the thing that will determine if you stay for Chapter II—is the animation style. It’s that 3D cel-shaded look we’ve seen in games like the Telltale series or the recent What If...? show. On one hand, it allows for some genuinely striking shots that look like they were ripped directly from the comic panels. On the other hand, the character models sometimes look like they’ve been hit with a "smooth" filter on Instagram, lacking the grit and textured "lived-in" feel that made the original comic so oppressive.

However, once the murder mystery of The Comedian gets moving, the style starts to settle. There’s a specific kind of drama that animation allows for which live-action struggles with: the ability to let a character look truly "comic-book weird" without it feeling like a Halloween costume. Rorschach, voiced with a growling intensity, feels right in this medium. His mask—constantly shifting inkblots—is finally realized in a way that feels organic to the world rather than a CGI trick.

Voices from the Void

The voice cast is doing some heavy lifting here to ensure the drama lands. Michael Cerveris as Dr. Manhattan is a stroke of genius. He captures that terrifying, detached "God who forgot how to be a man" tone that is essential for the character. When he speaks, it doesn't sound like a performance; it sounds like a recording of a guy who is currently watching the beginning and end of time simultaneously.

Then there’s Troy Baker as Adrian Veidt. Baker is the chameleon of the industry, but here he leans into the polished, "too-perfect" nature of Ozymandias. To be honest, this version of Adrian Veidt looks like he’s about to try and sell me a high-priced crypto course, which actually makes him more intimidating than the more traditional superhero versions we've seen before.

I was also delighted to hear Jeffrey Combs—a legend for anyone who grew up on Re-Animator—showing up in multiple roles, including Edgar Jacobi (Moloch). Having a genre icon like Adrienne Barbeau voicing the elder Sally Jupiter adds a layer of legacy that fits the "Contemporary Cinema" trend of honoring the past while trying to build a new franchise.

The "Chapter I" Dilemma

In our current streaming-dominated world, we are seeing a massive shift toward splitting stories into "Chapters" or "Parts." We saw it with Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Dune. It’s a strategy designed to maximize content, but it can leave a film feeling like a very expensive prologue. Watchmen: Chapter I ends right as the stakes are beginning to boil over, which might frustrate those looking for a complete narrative arc.

However, by taking its time, the film allows the drama to breathe. We get the long conversations about morality, the decaying state of 1985 New York, and the psychological fractures of these outlawed heroes. It doesn’t rush into a fight scene every ten minutes. It understands that Watchmen is a drama first and a superhero story second. It leans into the "noir" elements of the mystery, focusing on the shadows and the dialogue rather than the punches.

The film's existence feels like a reaction to the current "franchise fatigue." By returning to a self-contained (albeit two-part) adaptation of a classic, Warner Bros. is betting that audiences are tired of multiverse-hopping and just want a solid, grounded story about how power corrupts. It’s a strange irony that a story about the end of superheroes is now a staple of the superhero genre.

Watchmen: Chapter I is a handsome, well-acted, and incredibly faithful adaptation that might just be the most accurate version of the book we’ll ever get. While the animation style takes a moment to get used to and the "half-a-movie" structure is a product of our current release climate, there is real heart in the performances. If you’ve never read the book, this is a fantastic entry point. If you have, it’s like visiting an old friend who has gotten some work done—they look a little different, but the soul is exactly where you left it.