Watchmen Chapter II
review by Bobby Blakey
One of the most iconic comics of all time is Watchmen from creators Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. In 2009 director Zack Snyder brought the characters off the page and onto the big screen with the film of the same name. After its success it brought some focus back to the comics with a sequel story arc and a new TV series adaptation that once again brought the comic to life while also treading new ground in its storytelling. In 2024 DC brought the story to their hit animation collection with Watchmen: Chapter I from Batman: Death in the Family and Batman: Under the Red Hood director Brandon Vietti. Now the second Chapter is here to bring it all home.
Watchmen follows follows an alternate world history set in 1985 where the murder of a government sponsored superhero draws his outlawed colleagues out of retirement and into a mystery that threatens to upend their personal lives and the world itself.
The features includes a great voice cast including Matthew Rhys, Katee Sackhoff, Titus Welliver, Troy Baker, Adrienne Barbeau, Corey Burton, Michael Cerveris, Jeffrey Combs, Grey DeLisle, Kelly Hu, John Marshall Jones, Max Koch, Phil LaMarr, Yuri Lowenthal, Geoff Pierson, Dwight Schultz, Jason Spisak, Kari Wahlgren, and Rick D. Wasserman.
I am not a massive fan of Watchman, but it is an amazing piece of work. I say this to separate my overall expectations of these films, not so much just in comparison of the book itself. Much like the live action version it stays true to the source material with some elements adjusted that only the hardcore fans will notice. I was initially put off a bit by the animation style in the first film that reminded me of Marvel’s What If? animated series on
some level, but as it moved along, I was more pulled into it. Heading into this next chapter I was able to get right into it and think it is a good decision and representation of the source material.
This is the kind of story that you must sit with and let marinate as the history and mystery unfold.
In the first film Rorshach served as the voice and guide of sorts to navigate the story, but this time around he is central to it. It dives right into the famed prison fight sequence that is perfectly executed and still my favorite part of this story. His prison time also takes us into his back story that once again lets him just take over the film offering up some of the best scenes in the entire thing as the most engaging character.
I am so glad that they leaned into the R rating as they needed to make sure to capture the essence of what this story is and the elements that evolve these characters. This is not a kid’s story and without the impact of blood and actions it just doesn’t work and delivers the impact it deserves. This chapter reminds you that once again and goes all in with the adult tone and violence needed.
In the end I really did enjoy this new adaptation and so glad they broke it up into multiple parts so they can really get all that info in there as it should be. The two films serve as one long story and would love to see them release a longer version of the entire thing, but this format works to perfection as well. I will be interested to see what the hardcore fans think of it, but I think the source material is well handled and uses this next chapter to wrap it all up properly.
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In addition to the film this release will offer bonus content including featurettes on bringing this final chapter to animated life. Witness the final arc of the story when Watchmen: Chapter II hits 4K, Blu-ray and DVD on December 3rd as well as Chapter I available now on digital, 4K and Blu-ray from Warner Bros Home Entertainment.