Thanks to Alan Moore’s timeless writing and Dave Gibbons’ incredible illustrations, Watchmen is one of the most iconic limited comic book series ever made. It’s been previously adapted into a film before, with Zack Snyder doing a good job translating it into live-action. It is receiving a two-part animated adaptation with the Watchmen Chapter 1 4K release now available.
“Watchmen Chapter 1 delves into the gritty and complex world of masked vigilantes in an alternate version of America during the Cold War era. The Watchmen saga remains a cornerstone of comic book literature, having garnered numerous awards and accolades over the decades. The adaptation captures the spirit and style of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ original, groundbreaking vision with stunning animation that pays homage to the comic book’s iconic visual style,” says the official description.
DC animated movies are generally quite good, but they have a habit of changing things (like who the killer of The Long Halloween was) when adapting iconic work. The good news is that Watchmen Chapter 1 is a very faithful adaptation, which is good since you don’t want to mess with perfection. The 3D art style does take some time to get used to, although it leads to some really stunning imagery, especially in 4K as the blacks really look great. Both Rorschach’s mask and any time Doctor Manhattan is on screen really wows in its animation.
What really makes Watchmen Chapter 1 a joy to watch, though, is the great voice acting. Matthew Rhys gives a grounded performance as Nite Owl, while Katee Sackhoff and Titus Welliver give standout showings as Silk Spectre and Rorschach, respectively. Other familiar voices appear, such as Troy Baker, Grey Griffin, Phil LaMarr, and Yuri Lowenthal, and everyone does a great job. It really makes it such a fun and fresh way to revisit the comic.
The Watchmen Chapter 1 4K disc features two really nicely put together nine-minute featurettes as bonus features. The first is “Dave Gibbons and Watchmen: Worldbuilding,” which features comic legends Jim Lee and others discussing the legacy of Watchmen and co-creator Dave Gibbons also shares some great stories about its creation. The second one is called “The Art of Adaptation: Introducing the Story,” which features director Brandon Vietti and others discussing the film’s choices and going over how it was made. Both videos show just how much reverence went into the project and it shows in the finished product.
Watchmen Chapter 1 4K Review: Final Verdict
The Watchmen Chapter 1 4K release is the best way to watch the animated movie. It looks great and does a wonderful job in bringing the beloved comic to screen. While it’s admittedly only half of the story, I can’t wait to watch it back-to-back with Chapter 2 once the second half releases later this year.
Disclosure: ComingSoon received product from the distributor for our Watchmen Chapter 1 review.
