Watchmen: So how complex do you like your superhero movies?

When you hear the words, "comic book adaptation" the first images that probably pop into your head are of Spider-Man swinging on a web or Batman brooding on a dark rooftop. The last thing on your mind would be images of heroes philosophizing on how the world is not worth saving or those same heroes discussing the need to sacrifice a few in order to save the many. But this was the case with Watchmen

In an alternate universe, one in which Richard Nixon is still President and the Cold War between the U.S. and USSR still threatens to destroy the world, masked heroes are being murdered. It is up to the remaining members of the superhero group known as the Watchmen to figure out why this is happening.

Director Zack Snyder (of "300" fame) was very faithful in keeping to the source material (a graphic novel) in bringing the story of Nite Owl, Silk Spectre and all the rest of the characters to the screen. His trademark visual style was certainly on display as the audience was treated to the same kind of slow-motion, stylized action sequences present in 300 as well as some truly breathtaking scenes (i.e. Nite Owl and Silk Spectre kissing as a nuclear blast envelopes them). These heroes were far from being carbon copies of ones who came before them as time was spent building up their backstories. By doing this, the audience was shown all the moral dilemmas each Watchmen faced as they struggled in making sense of their own lives both professionally and personally.

But therein lies the catch - 22 of Watchmen, how many audience members are willing to sit through an almost 3 hour film in which the action sequences seem few and far between when compared against a Spider-Man or Batman film? The universe that the Watchmen inhabited certainly was not for the faint of heart (kinda made Gotham City look like Beverly Hills) as the heroes killed indiscriminately, fought amongst each other, and seemed to blur the line between good guy and psycho vigilante from time to time (especially Rorschach). In this way the film challenged the audience to think beyond their normal expectations for a comic book movie and take a journey in which the greatest accomplishments of its heroes were not the apprehension of supervillians or the simple battle of good vs. evil, but the philosophical breakthroughs made when the hero realizes that the world is not pure black and white but a shade of gray which can grow lighter or darker depending upon where you are standing morally.

Watchmen just might be the most literate comic book movie you're likely to run across, which might enthrall some but discourage others.

Grade: B-