As artistic as comic book fiction gets.

Needless Delineation?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The Hobbit.
Sometimes proven IP gets split into multiple films. Not to preserve the material – but to double profits. That’s the studio’s prerogative. Our job is to judge the result.

Splitting The Deathly Hallows wasn’t immoral – both parts worked. Everybody won.
But The Hobbit trilogy? Despicable.

This dynamic doesn’t apply to the animated Watchmen duology.

The Comedian

What’s the joke, exactly?

This version explores the philosophical meanderings of Edward Blake—the Comedian. He’s central in every adaptation, but here, Chapter I sparks a desire to catalogue his contradictions.
And what’s most upsetting? The Comedian never actually tells a joke. Fans already know this – but the animated version emphasizes it. There’s no levity in Blake’s life. None.

A glimpse of warmth flickers when he chats with Laurie – only for a violent interruption to turn it grotesque. His good intentions are thrown back at him with cruel intensity.
He is both pitiful and pitiable. His virtue ambiguous. His chaos deliberate. Yet he fights for the righteous cause his whole life.

Meeting the riot with an extreme but effective form of riot suppression. There is dignity in his quickness to act in a practical manner. While others are shocked into moral obscurity, Blake dives into re-establishing order.
So – do we consider him noble? Or monstrous?

Just finished Chapter I and found myself completely engaged – ready to fire up Chapter II.

Can fans of the graphic novel or the live-action film really keep avoiding this version?
Has DC altered the narrative enough to justify a third artistic portrayal?

The answer, between films: yes.

It mostly sticks to what’s known – major beats and themes return. The Comedian’s final fight is less detailed than in other tellings. Crucial details, casually sloughed off. Yet somehow, the narrative still works.

The Black Freighter

The audience still gets a fair dose of The Black Freighter – the dread-fueled comic-within-a-comic. I actually liked it more this time. Usually, I consider it Watchmen’s weakest element.
It’s fantasy so bleak no real person would ever want to read it. The Old Man and the Sea – but with ghosts and corpses. No majestic tuna in that ocean.

Small differences stand out. The floating elephant platform, Gunga Diner – does it house a familiar character? Or is it just stylistic filler?

Veidt’s handling of the assassination attempt is also presented differently. In the comic, the sequence carries an unsettling ambiguity – an extra layer of chaos tied to positioning and reaction. The animated version streamlines the moment. The result is a cleaner, arguably more grounded portrayal. The tension remains, but it’s stripped of interpretive baggage.

Which is better? Probably the original. But can’t we just enjoy both? It’s a subtle maneuvering, yet it somehow improves the experience for fans and newcomers alike.

This version brings Blake’s existential crisis to the center. The viewer becomes hyper-aware of his internal torment. But what does it all add up to?

Dr. Manhattan

A.K.A Jon Osterman. Why won’t Jon stop Ed in Vietnam? Wrong question.
Manhattan witnesses the buildup – watches the woman confront Blake, slash his face and escalate toward tragedy. But he stays silent. He ignores every moment where deescalation remains possible. Then, finally, he mutters a weak: “Don’t.” That’s not effort.

This speaks volumes. Manhattan will wield his godhood to serve government aims, but when faced with small-scale human violence – even against someone he may call a friend – he disengages. His refusal to act isn’t apathy. It’s detachment. He no longer believes it’s his place to intervene. His words replace his will.

Jon Osterman – Dr. Manhattan – is both the most pitiful and most pitiable character in Watchmen. He could intervene. He could change everything. But he’s surrendered that part of himself. What’s left is a man who speaks without acting, who observes without judgment. A ghost in god’s clothing.

Why won’t Jon protect Ed in Vietnam? Right question.

Naturally, Chapter I ends on Mars. But then comes the weakest moment in the film – a two-minute tease of Chapter II. Entirely unnecessary. Spoils too much. Skip if you can.

Because Watchmen Chapter I is already teetering on the edge of greatness.
Here’s hoping Chapter II dares to depart even further.

★★★ ★★★ ★★★

Far briefer analyses here on IMDb and Letterboxd.

Read Justice League x RWBY for a DC animation two-parter which does NOT work.