DVDs to Go: ‘Watchmen’ a must-watch adult adventure

» "Watchmen"—You have to give director Zach Snyder ("300") credit. Nearly everybody in Hollywood said "Watchmen," the legendary comic book style graphic novel that literally established the genre, was impossible to film.

Any director taking on the task, along with their screenwriters, would be faced with a terrible choice.

If you softened the book's dark psychological elements, raw violence and adult sexuality, you'd be considered a sell out by the hardcore fan base.

Do a full-out adaptation and you run the real possibility of getting an NC-17 rating from the Motion Picture Association, which would keep many of the story's younger fans out of theaters and wipe out the possibility of big box office returns.

Snyder and his writers stuck to the novel's story— dark elements and all—and delivered a gritty adult adventure.

"Watchmen" isn't perfect, but it is a fascinating vision of a world where freedom struggles to survive.

Set in an alternate America in 1985, watching this movie is like looking into a funhouse mirror. Nixon evades the Watergate scandal and remains in office. Costumed superheroes have been driven underground by a government crackdown and lawsuits over their actions. When a former hero is murdered in a particularly ugly manner, his fellow heroes decide to come out of retirement to investigate.

What they discover is a far-reaching conspiracy that threatens to engulf the planet. Meanwhile, the heroes must also deal with their own quirks and personal demons, which constantly threaten to deter them from their mission.

"Watchmen" isn't willing to compromise its vision of a world where many things aren't as they seem, where good not only does not always triumph over evil, but the two find they have interests in common. Though author Alan Moore was so displeased about a movie version of his novel he demanded his name be removed from the credits, he actually should be pretty proud.

What he wrote is on screen, for better or worse.

Jackie Earle Haley ("Little Children," "Bad News Bears") does particularly impressive work here as Rorschach, the edgy hero who resembles Heath Ledger's Joker in several aspects. Haley brings an edge to the character that locks your attention on him. Billy Crudup's Dr. Manhattan, the only hero with real superpowers, is a layered and unusual character in his own right.

The screenplay's commentary on the ways in which government can twist itself into complications as it attempts to preserve liberty reflects on elements of recent events in real life. That said, the film's sexual and violence level often obscures the more serious issues it could explore.

The director's cut includes a digital copy of the film. Extras in the three-disc edition include short features on the "Watchmen" phenomenon from its first publication to the current day. Another feature compares real life vigilantes and fictional ones.

A compelling mix of comic fantasy and dark, conspiratorial storytelling, "Watchmen" is definitely entertainment for adults willing to stretch their expectations. In other words: a comic book, this isn't.

The film is available in standard, HD-TV and Blu-ray formats.

Rated R for pervasive profanity, sometimes graphic violence, nudity and sexual situations.

Joe's rating: Three stars.

Joe Barber's entertainment reviews and reports can be heard Fridays though Sundays on the WTOP-FM Radio Network (103.5, 103.9, 107.7 & Wtop.com. ) He can be seen regularly on WETA-TV's Around Town.