Rent Watchmen: Chapter II on Amazon Video (paid link) // Buy the graphic novel (paid link)
Written by: J. Michael Straczynski, Dave Gibbons (graphic novel), Alan Moore (graphic novel, uncredited)
Directed by: Vinton Heuck, Brandon Vietti (co-directors)
Starring: Matthew Rhys, Katee Sackhoff, Titus Welliver, Troy Baker, Adrienne Barbeau, Corey Burton, Phil LaMarr
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
In
an alternate history 1985, 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.
This is a direct sequel to Watchmen: Chapter I.
Verdict
I don't know why this split the two movies. Apart they're incomplete. Together they're an engrossing yet cynical tale of a world with super heroes. Vigilantism and thus super heroes have been outlawed, but a plot to kill the remaining super-humans is uncovered. What is the price for peace and can it be too much? Veidt wasn't content to save people in his city, he had grand plans to stop violence around the globe. The only difference to him is scale, and the cost for that kind of peace is worth it. This story considers the question that super hero movies subtly ask, do you want to be saved? This movie is the cynical response.
Watch It.
Review
The first movie was introduction with no payoff, stopping abruptly. We're introduced to Dr. Manhattan, Rorschach, and The Comedian. In Part I, the Comedian is killed and Rorschach investigates before he is ultimately arrested to conclude that movie. This should have been one movie. There's little reason to split it.
This doesn't even provide any kind of introduction. It just picks up where the last movie ended. Rorschach is in prison and as he famously states, he's not the one in danger they're trapped inside with him. His past is disturbing which contributes to his psychopathic tendencies. Laurie and Dan reconnect as Laurie's boyfriend Dr. Manhattan has grown distant. Despite being outlawed, they decide to don their costumes to relive their past days which results in saving people from a fire.
 |
| Rorschach, Dr. Manhattan, Nite Owl, Silk Spectre |
Dan and Laurie decide to free Rorschach as Dan thinks Rorschach has been framed. Rorschach is too smart to have been captured. Trying to track down who killed the Comedian, Dan and Rorschach confront Adrian Veidt.
A parallel story is a comic about the Black Freighter. A man so crazed and deranged desperate to save his family commits atrocities to that end. He returns home and nearly kills his family, not recognizing them. The similarities are with Veidt and how far he'll go for peace.
 |
| Silk Spectre, Adrian Veidt, Nite Owl, Dr. Manhattan |
I love that when he's confronted Veidt reveals his plan. When Dan states it must be stopped, Veidt responds that he's not some comedic villain that would reveal his plan only for it to be stopped. The plan is already underway. He's created a convincing performance that will unite the world against a single villain. The story leads to this moment. Dan, Laurie, and Rorschach face a difficult decision. If they reveal the truth it would rip apart newfound peace. Remaining silent keeps the peace but vindicates Veidt's underhanded plan. Rorschach can't compromise. His world is black and white with no shades of gray.
To save a decaying, rotten world is it allowable to kill thousands? Is it allowable to create the single biggest lie for the sake of unity and peace? Should the public know the truth or live a happy, ignorant lie? That's the parallel of Veidt and the Black Freighter. The quest for safety has made monsters of them both, unrecognizable from who they used to be. While Veidt orchestrated the plan, Dan and Laurie are accessories.
The two chapters transform the graphic novel into a movie. I'm not sure it's necessary as the source material has a lot of depth that a movie can't capture. If you've read the graphic novel this will be a fun revisit. If you haven't read it, this will lead you to it.
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