What would happen if a comic book started with the death of a beloved superhero while all his colleagues had to figure out who had murdered him and why? That was the idea writer Alan Moore (The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) came up with back in 1983 when DC Comics bought Charlton comics. Originally, he planned to use characters from the newly acquired Charlton, but when he realized his idea would yield several unusable characters, he was convinced to create new ones instead. Thus, The Comedian (Rick D. Wasserman; Batman: The Killing Joke), Rorschach (Titus Welliver; Transformers: Age of Extinction), Nite Owl (Matthew Rhys; The Americans), Dr. Manhattan (Michael Cerveris; The Mexican), and Silk Spectre (Katee Sackhoff; Riddick) were born.
In Watchmen: Chapter I, we find out that Edward Blake/The Comedian is dead and Rorschach believes he was murdered. Vigilante superheroes have become outlawed and have gone into hiding. With Dr. Manhattan gone, another murder occurring, and Rorschach in prison in Chapter II, Night Owl, and Silk Spectre must figure out what is going on without getting arrested or murdered themselves. Ultimately, Silk Spectre, who lives with Dr. Manhattan, convinces him to come back to Earth to save humanity while Night Owl discovers who the murderer is.
The vocal talent assembled for Watchmen: Chapter I and Chapter II is excellent, which helps the story move along. Listening to their voices is like hearing the melody of a song shine through as a large orchestra plays. Welliver as Rorschach brings a scratchy roughness that reminds me of the trombones, while Sackhoff's higher-pitched tone is the sweet sounds of a flute. Rhys and Cerveris are the clarinet and alto saxophone, respectively. The other voices meld together, playing a symphony under the capable hands of the Maestro, director Brandon Vietti (Batman: Under the Red Hood).
The 2160p, native 4 K resolution makes the visual aspects even more impressive. The animation is well done, but the details are sharper because of the 4K technical specs. Color saturation is deep and true, and varying hues shade the palette beautifully. Night scenes have shadings of blacks that offer depth, and the daylight/Mars scenes are bright and clean.
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 enhances the overall look and feel of the film with robust and layered dialogue and music tracks. The dialogue sits nicely in the front speakers, while ambient sounds envelop the viewer from all sides and the rear speakers. Combined with the video, the audio brings the tech specs full circle with incredible results.
The combo pack comes with the 4K disc and the digital download but no Blu-ray Disc, which is becoming more and more common these days. There are about 45 minutes worth of extras that include: Dave Gibbons and Watchmen: Endgame, The Art of Adaptation: Building to the Final Act, and Designing Watchmen. They are worth viewing maybe once or twice but not something you would view repeatedly.
Warner Bros. Animation has a long history of animated superhero films and Watchmen: Chapter I and Chapter II fit in well. However, the films are almost the same as the 2009 live-action Zach Snyder (Man on Steel) movie, so if you have seen that version, there isn't a lot to add plot-wise. Having said that, there is more that can be done with animation as opposed to live-action CGI, so certain scenes work much better animated.
If you are a Watchmen fan, you would be remiss if you didn't purchase both Watchmen: Chapter I and Chapter II on 4K, as they are terrific adaptations of both the live-action movie and the comic books.
Grade: B
