Watchmen

Play trailer

2:19

Watchmen

R

2009

2h 42m

Action

Adventure

Fantasy

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

64%

Tomatometer

304 Reviews

71%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

In an alternate 1985 America, costumed superheroes are part of everyday life. When one of his former comrades is murdered, masked vigilante Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) uncovers a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes. As he reconnects with his retired associates, only one of which has true powers, Rorschach glimpses a far-reaching conspiracy involving their shared past and catastrophic consequences for the world's future.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Gritty and visually striking, Watchmen is a faithful adaptation of Alan Moore's graphic novel, but its complex narrative structure may make it difficult for it to appeal to viewers not already familiar with the source material.

Read Critics Reviews

Matthew Rozsa

Salon.com

When given a great story and told that his job is to simply adapt it, Snyder more than rises to the occasion.

Rated: 3.5/4

Jul 23, 2019

Full Review

Matt Singer

The Rumpus

The only way to truly adhere to Alan Moore's vision of Watchmen would be to not make the movie in the first place.

Sep 18, 2017

Full Review

Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

Watchmen isn't your typical caper flick filled with kickass effects and gunfire and no premise.

Rated: B+

Sep 12, 2017

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

The story of costumed superheroes into the real world offers a visual spectacle to be sure, but it emphasizes the “novel” in graphic novel: narrative complexity, character dynamism, the density of fiction and history and commentary swirling together.

Oct 28, 2023

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Ambitious films like this are generally either glorious artistic successes or utter failures; Watchmen uniquely falls somewhere in the middle.

Rated: 2.5/4

Sep 5, 2023

Full Review

Manuel São Bento

MSB Reviews

Technically sublime, with a distinct style, brilliant production design, and gorgeous cinematography. As it stands, as one and only film, it’s really impressive even with its flaws.

Rated: B

Jul 24, 2023

Full Review

Read all reviews

Jordan S

If you enjoyed the graphic novel. Give this a try. It changes some things that I personally enjoyed more than the original, but overall it doesn’t exceed the quality of the original. Still worth al watch though! (I should specify, I’m referring to the Director's cut)

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/30/25

Full Review

Uncle R.

A decent movie with good qualities and bad.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/30/25

Full Review

Stathis K

Story: 8.5/10 – A dark, complex deconstruction of superheroes. It stays faithful to the graphic novel while exploring moral ambiguity, power, and human flaws. Some pacing issues make it dense, but the narrative depth is impressive. Visuals / Atmosphere: 9.5/10 – Zack Snyder’s signature style shines: stylized visuals, striking color palettes, and meticulous framing bring the comic book world to life. Action: 8/10 – Stylized and visually impressive. Action sequences are memorable, though sometimes prioritized over story flow. Soundtrack / Sound Design: 9/10 – A mix of classic rock and original scoring that enhances both mood and atmosphere perfectly. Performances: 9/10 – Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach and Malin Åkerman as Silk Spectre stand out. The ensemble captures the depth and darkness of their characters. Overall: 8.8/10

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/16/25

Full Review

Pedro Henrique C

Watchmen (2009) is a rather complex film; it's not that bad, but it has some very questionable moments. Clearly, it's a superhero movie that doesn't have many action scenes; it also drags on a lot and feels like it will never end.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/08/25

Full Review

Obi-wan K

So mid like no im being serious i got bored prob cuz watchmen aint rlly my thing

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/01/25

Full Review

Christopher L

I think this is Synders best film, the material is a great fit for his directing style and his reliance on slow motion in action scenes seems to work well here. I wasn’t as annoyed by it as I was in 300. The characters are so well casted and developed and there is real feeling and foreboding in the right places. While I’m not hugely adverse to them changing the threat at the end, I think they still could have made the comic ending work just fine, however it works just the same here in the end.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/21/25

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Zack Snyder

Director

Billy Crudup

Jon Osterman

Malin Akerman

Laurie Jupiter

Jackie Earle Haley

Walter Kovacs

Matthew Goode

Adrian Veidt

Patrick Wilson

Dan Dreiberg

View more videos

Conan the Barbarian

25%

30%

Conan the Barbarian

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Conan the Barbarian

Immortals

50%

49%

Immortals

Watchlist

Logan

93%

91%

Logan

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Logan

Hellboy

17%

47%

Hellboy

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Hellboy

Zack Snyder's Justice League

71%

92%

Zack Snyder's Justice League

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Zack Snyder's Justice League

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Watchmen: Trailer 1

2:19

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

In an alternate 1985 America, costumed superheroes are part of everyday life. When one of his former comrades is murdered, masked vigilante Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) uncovers a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes. As he reconnects with his retired associates, only one of which has true powers, Rorschach glimpses a far-reaching conspiracy involving their shared past and catastrophic consequences for the world's future.

Director: Zack Snyder
Producer: Lawrence Gordon, Lloyd Levin, Deborah Snyder
Screenwriter: David Hayter, Alex Tse
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Production Co: Lawrence Gordon Productions, Lloyd Levin
Rating: R (Nudity|Language|Sexuality|Strong Graphic Violence)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 6, 2009, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 31, 2010
Box Office (Gross USA): $107.5M
Runtime: 2h 42m

Most Popular at Home Now