By John Garces/entertainment editor
Set in an alternate universe in 1985, Watchmen is the tale of a group of superheroes who reconnect to save the world.
Led by Rorschach, a masked vigilante played expertly by Jackie Earle Haley, the band of superheroes and their alter egos share many misadventures.
The Doomsday Clock is set at 5 minutes to midnight in the middle of President Nixon’s fifth term. In the movie based on the graphic novel series by Alan Moore, the band of masked superheroes reunite to fight an unexpected enemy.
The stars of the movie all play dual roles. Haley not only wears the mask of Rorschach and voices over Rorschach’s log, a collection of written notes about the experiences, but also plays Walter Kovacs, his sociopathic alter ego, when framed for a murder and sent to prison.
Eventually joined by Nite Owl II, played by Patrick Wilson; Silk Spectre II, played by Malin Ackerman; and Dr. Manhattan, played by Billy Crudup, their adventures lead them to strange places.
Nite Owl II and Silk Spectre II are carrying on the tradition of their parents who were the original Nite Owl and Silk Spectre. They join forces to help spring Rorschach out of jail.
They then must retrieve Dr. Manhattan from Mars where he went to live in exile after being accused of being a toxic risk on a late-night talk show.
Meanwhile, a U.S. task force secretly tracks the progress of nuclear activity in the Soviet Union, leading Nixon to decide whether to take action against our Cold War nemesis.
Along the way, they have to deal with government conspiracies to shut down the group and their efforts. In addition to Rorschach having been set up as a murderer, Dr. Manhattan, author of the Manhattan Project, had been set up to look like a nuclear health hazard on national TV. He leaves the country in shame.
After Dr. Manhattan goes to Mars, Laurie Jupiter, Silk Spectre’s alter ego (also played by Ackerman), follows to bring him back to Earth. Although bitter, Manhattan is eventually coaxed back to help the team.
What they discover, though, is a plot much more disturbing than anyone could have imagined, involving another former member of the group.
That leads them to Antarctica, where the story climaxes with yet more surprising twists and turns with the overlying message: If the Watchmen are watching us, who’s watching the Watchmen?
Fans of the novel series will likely form their own opinions on the movie, but it tries to appeal to fans of many genres.
If you’re a fan of any of them, and don’t mind spending nearly three hours in a movie theater, Watchmen is worth a shot.
