I finally got the chance to go see Watchmen. After hearing from the nerds that it was awesome but hearing just the opposite from the average joes I was a little concerned. Watchmen is a great superhero movie. Not the best mind you, but it's up there.
Snyder gets really close to the graphic novel with only a few changes, the ending included. But I actually like the movie ending better than the Squid one in the book. I think the whole creation of a machine that can duplicate Dr. Manhattans powers makes more sense to the people who aren't familiar with the book. I did in fact try to explain the squid ending to one of my friends and his reaction was, huh, which was mine initally when I read the book and I had to reread it to get it. So I think the movie ending makes moe sense to the normal movie goers.
As far as the characters go, Jackie Earle Haley is Rorschach, very gritty and mean like in the comics and even looks like him with the mask off. I think he's almost eveyones favorite. Gotta love the scene in the prison where he tells the prioners, "I'm not stuck in here with you, your stuck in here with me!". Patrick Wilson as Nite Owl II was pretty dead on, very Clark Kent and Blue Beetle like. Malin Akerman as Silk Spectre II was also acurate, a hot superheroine that's stuck up and pretty. Billy Crudup's Dr. Manhattan at times sounded like my driving instructor, bored, without emotions and rambles on without making sense but thats the way he is in the comics too. Matthew Goode plays Ozzymandias as a calm logical guy, and I don't know why everyone was dissing on him, I thought he was rather good. Finally Jeffrey Dean Morgan as The Comedain. I always knew he'd be good but I didn't expect him to be awesome,he's such a nice guy and the Comedain well, isn't but I guess that's what good acting is being someone your not. I think probably one of my favorite scenes in the movie is where he jumps down from Archie and "disperses" the angry mob, he was just such a bad ass.
Overal Watchmen isn't the best comicbook movie but like I said it's up there. I rate the Watchmen 8/10. Who watches the Watchmen? You should.