Watchmen (Directors Cut) | Canadian First Time Watching | Movie Reaction | Movie Review | Commentary 

This version of the Sound of Silence is the original version by Simon and Garfunkel and the dongs were in the theatrical version and they were much bigger on a 70ft screen.

Fun fact: all of the American flags in this movie have 51 stars on them, alluding to the fact that in this timeline, Vietnam became the 51st state after Dr. Manhattan won the war for America.

The casting for Rorschach was perfect, Jackie Earle Haley looks exactly in the film like the character did in the book, though to be fair practically all of the characters do, the casting and costuming in this film was simply fantastic. And yeah, Kovacs was short, and shorter than his alter ego; when he was captured the police were surprised to find out he was wearing shoe lifts (and it's quite surprising that more masked vigilantes / superheroes aren't known to wear them... if you want to look imposing and superhuman wearing something that makes you look taller seems like the thing to do).

Best line in the movie is "You think I'm locked in here with you. You're wrong. You're locked in with me." I remember getting chills way back when I read that in the graphic novel and it is delivered almost exactly as I heard it in my inner voice. And yes, Rorschach's character was diminutive in the book.

I don't think any film has managed to bring together so many conflicting ideologies. Each character is essentially an archetypal embodiment of a particular moral viewpoint. Rorschach is the deontological absolutist, who adheres to an iron code of black v white. Ozymandias is the rational consequentialist, for whom the ends justify the means. The Comedian is the nihilist, who says nothing matters so might as well revel in the absurdity, and Dr Manhattan the strict determinist who holds that since the position and momentum of every particle in the universe at any given moment is a predetermined event due to the laws of physics, free will is an illusion and debates on morality are pointless since the future is fixed and we have no choice. Yet it somehow does all this without diluting the archetype by making them real people with real flaws, who don't always adhere to their own standard.

The long Dr. Manhattan sequence/origin story is probably my favorite single sequence in the movie. The music perfectly aligns with the narrative build up and how he occasionally jumbles the linearity is a nice look into how he's come to see time in general now.

The characters in this story are ‘original’ to it because when Moore was first writing the story, DC Comics wouldn’t let him us the recently acquired characters from the defunct Charlton Comics that he wanted to use. The characters are still all dark reflections of characters that are these days well established DC characters. Dr Manhattan is based on a character named Captain Atom, Silk Spectre is based on the Phantom Lady, Rorschach is based on the Question, Ozymandias is based on Peter Cannon ‘Thunderbolt’ (actually no longer a DC character), both Night-Owls are based on a series of characters named the Blue Beetle, and probably best known these days the Comedian is based on Peacemaker. The same character that John Cena has been playing in the HBO MAX series to great acclaim. -notes from a giant comic nerd

Disturbed's version of "The Sound Of Silence" wasn't released until 6 years later from this film's release. That's why. I still prefer their choice because it not only fits the timeframe, it fits the mood. This was the original goth music.

The intro of this film is among some of the best I've seen.

The best thing about this story is that there is no clear villain. Everybody believes they are right, and everybody is, at least partially.

8:28 "99 Luftballons" is really a very appropriate song for this movie if you read the English translation. Toy helium balloons are released by the singer/narrator, are misidentified by the military on radar and trigger a nuclear war.

Btw George....the extra long censorship of the..."reveal"...of Dr. Manhattan is A+ comedy lmao

WRT the peace not lasting, there’s a scene in the comic where Jon goes back to talk to Adrian and Adrian says “I did the right thing, didn’t I? In the end?” And Jon replies “‘In the end’? Nothing ever ends.” And that’s the whole idea - Adrian got humanity to that one point, but points in time don’t last. So what happens next?

One of the best examples of "Super Heroes as humans" stories. Imperfect, morally grey or even dark, different motives. It's a very dark story obviously. Memorable because when this hit, most other comics were Superman / Spiderman pure good guy icons vs the evil bad guys.

This movie was ahead of its time for sure. Turned the superhero genre on its head and gave us a more mature, adult film with a dark and epic story built around the archetype of the complex characters and their ambiguous moral views.

The problem with Allan Moore's Comics is that when they are adapted to film, such as the Watchmen and V for Vendetta, large amounts of the subtext is lost. He writes great characters and because of this the films generally become character driven stories. However, all his stories are multi layered satyrs, this movie is a great example, while the message of using violence to stop violence is seen, the message of the violence of the American dream is barely noted.

I loved the inclusion of George Carlin in your reaction. For a great movie with George, please watch the 1999 film Dogma. Also starring, Alan Rickman, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Chris Rock and Salma Hayek.

The Dr Manhattan origin sequence gives me chills every single time.

There's an even longer version that includes segments of an animated short film. The actor playing young Rorshach is Zack Snyder's son, who also played a young Leonidas in 300

That was the GOOD version of "Sound of Silence."

"Look upon my blue dong and despair". Even if Manhattan's behavior during sex is understandable rationally for what he is, I'd say that from his partner's point of view there's a human need for undivided attention and sharing that intimacy. It just highlights how far removed he is from our perspective. The graphic novel came out in 1987 and along with Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns, it basically coined the whole term "graphic novel". It's a stand-alone story from Alan Moore's point of view (novel, not a franchise), even though decades later other writers made sequels and the tv show. The movie is a surprisingly faithful adaptation although it has to omit a lot of stuff (and change some).

Having seen this in theaters, I can confirm that some of the blue dongs and the ridiculous sex seen were in it. They also left out a great exchange in the graphic novel. Ozymandias asks Dr. Manhattan if everything he was right because everything worked out in the end and Manhattan says tells him that nothing ever ends and then leaves him to stew on that thought.

In this universe Rorschach saved Bruce Wane's parents preventing the creation of Batman.

I found out about this movie before its release, but knew nothing about it, so I bought the graphic novel. SERIOUSLY one of the best I've ever read. Time Magazine named it as one of the 100 best novels of the 20th century, and rightfully so. . I was not prepared for how dark it was, nor how much of a genius Alan Moore truly is. The director's cut leaves in some great moments that the theatrical version doesn't, so I'm glad you guys watched that one. This is fairly faithful to the source material, except for the act that destroys New York. Which didn't really shift the tone of the ending, just the means. And yes, the sex scene and the blue dongs were all over the theatrical run.

I would really like to see George’s reaction to the movie “Big Trouble in Little China”

THANK YOU FOR WATCHING THE DIRECTORS CUT! The extra 30 minutes really add a level of richness to an already great story, including most importantly Hollis Masons storyline.

They didn’t use the Disturbed version of “The Sound of Silence” because the movie preceded it by 10 years or so. Also, the Watchmen exist in the DC universe with the likes of Superman and Batman. Nice reaction!

Rorschach was a badass character but he was also totalitarian in his view of justice. Things were black/white, he didn't believe in grey. His world is harsh, strict, and without mercy. You follow the rules, no exceptions, or you're punished.

It's worth reading about Alan Moore's history with the adaptations of his work, just for context.

The key aspect of Dr. Manhattan which is obscured by the film’s reference to “parallel realities” is that Jon’s seeing the future is a prison. Once he’s seen it his free will ceases because his vision of the future is absolutely correct (though he only really sees his own future). So he can’t seemingly interfere as he just now has to watch the events unfold-otherwise he wouldn’t have seen that future. It’s kind of brain breaking when you think about it. The fly in the ointment here though is that Jon’s entire personality seems very passive, and we can’t help but wonder if his seeing the future just played into his already passive nature. Jon’s motivations become super weird too. Is he doing something because he wants to or because he has to? There’s a metatextual element here where he’s essentially aware that he’s caught in an unchangeable narrative-a fictional character who’s aware he’s playing a predetermined script.

With the exception of Dr Manhattan, none of the characters in the graphic novel had superpowers. They were just really good fighters, and some of them had really good weapons and gadgets. The fact that their movie versions can punch though cement and throw bad guys across a room like ragdolls is mostly down to the fact that Zack Snyder is about as subtle as a bag of rocks. Don't get me wrong - he did a brilliant job translating Moore's story to the big screen, and I doubt any other director could have done it better. But there are several moments in this film where I found myself thinking "You just couldn't help yourself, could you Zack?"

this comic changed comics so much that what may seem mundane ( super heroes with flaws?!?!) was ground breaking. its so fundamental we take it for granted now. especially now ppl dont understand the threat of nuclear war was so scary . imagine the fear around covid but the fact it could fall form the sky and kill u instantly

When it comes to superhero deconstructions Watchmen is still the most comprehensive, tackling just about everything about the genre, to the point where the movie can only really cover the broad strokes. "What if superheroes had real personalities and existed in the real world?" What you find is that costumed fighters aren't very well equipped to tackle the messy political problems of the era, and that multi-faceted "real" people don't make very good avatars of virtue that a hero should be. Rorschach and Ozymandias are the two that come closest to being as dedicated to their principles as a classic comic book hero, but in both cases that's also their greatest flaw. Basically, Alan Moore showcases why comics *shouldn't* be too realistic. It can be an interesting side-track, but it also misses the point.

40:36 - I'm pretty sure Comedian mentioned the names of the two reporters that broke Watergate, and he mentioned them in terms of a job, so I think that Watergate never happened.

Yes, Rorschach in the food line at the prison has one the most bad ass lines ever - " I am not locking here with you, you're locked in here with ME!" What statement.

I remember watching Watchmen and afterwards immediately watching some interviews. I have never had such whiplash as I had after hearing Jackie Earle Haley's (Rorschach's) natural voice. Like I would not even remotely think of them as the same person, while knowing the gruff voice was fake

Boy does George have a fixation on body parts and giggling. Almost the response of an adolescent 🤣 So glad that got better with giggling and laughing at everything in their later videos. It's what kept me on their patreon site. 😎

The graphic novel this movie came from was meant to deconstruct the nature of "superheroes". If real people had super powers they'd be jsut as flawed, jsut as power-hungry, just as detached, just as mentally ill, just as arrogant or deeply disturbed or trauma-ridden. They'd just have costumes or powers. That's about it. At the time it came out, everyione hailed Alan Moore as one of the comic book industries most gifted writers. Watchmen is pretty brilliant take on the entire genre. He theorized that people or society wouldn't really change, that people with powers or abilities would, depending on a lot of outside circumstances, some would do the right thing, but most of them would be pretty messed up individuals. Good analogy of Rorshach would be theburned out cop who's seen too much and doesnt pull his punches and uses his gun freely on criminals with no reservations whatsoever. A lot of the characters - with the exception of Night Owl and Silk Spectre II - are really messed up individuals. Watchmen won a lot of awards because of how its writer thought outside the box psychologically.

10:11 The Disturbed one is a cover. Not the original. The one they're playing in this scene is the original from 1965 by Simon & Garfunkel. The Disturbed cover is also from 2015. 6 years after this movie was released in 2009.

Rorschach is my favorite part of this movie, and the actor who plays him, Jackie Earl Haley, is highly underrated.

When they made this movie, they left out one little scene that I think is vital for Adrian. After Rorschach was killed and before Jon left, Adrian and Jon spoke. That conversation (which I wont repeat... if you don't know it, go read it :) ) is so important for Adrian. It is the conversation that changes him from villain to trapped hero in my view.

"He didn't have to kill the dog". Personally, if I had a big Rott that had acquired a taste for raw human flesh, I would prolly feel the need to put him down.

There did seem to be 2 basic camps when this came out in theaters. Seems there still are today. The "zomg! dongs!" camp and the "just ignore the dongs" camp.

You guys really caught all the nuances between the characters from the very beginning. It's quite nice to watch reactions from people who actually follow the plot.

22:00 when Ozymandias stands before the window, talking about energy policy, the dirigible slowly moves toward the twin towers, then it cuts back and the towers are consumed in clouds. That moment hit really hard when I saw it on the big screen.

You guys should really check out the comic, so many little quirks and nuggets. Even Rorschach's mask has a back story, with a real world connection (a very sad real world connection) I wished they hadn't changed the ending, but if you guys check out the hbo series, you definitely wanna read the book. It goes off the book ending, and not the movie ending, which is quite different.

The Sound of Silence cover by Disturbed came out 6 years after this movie.

@40:34 I don't remember if it was touched on in the movie, but IIRC in the graphic novel The Comedian implied that he killed Woodward and Bernstein to cover up Watergate

the film is a very faithful adaption of the original 12 issue miniseries. There is one major change from the comic that is a bone of contention amongst fans but I'll let you discover that on your own. The graphic novel is well worth your time to read, as well as anything written by Alan Moore (V for Vendetta, Swamp Thing, Miracle Man, ect.)

Dr. Manhattan is probably the coolest super being ever

This film came out a long time before Disturbed did their version of sound of Silence... they're also using music from the time period of when the film is set. And yes... the dongs and sex scene were in the theatrical version... I can tell you one thing... seeing it on a cinema screen... that's not an image you can easily wipe from your mind...

Took me a few viewings to really understand and appreciate it all , such a great movie, thanks again!

See, so many people view Comedian as "The Villain" - they see the rape scene and go "FUCK THAT GUY! I'M GLAD HE'S DEAD", which is an understandable response. In the very next scene, we see Dr. Manhatten eviscerate some viatnamese villiagers, and people just go "hmm, that seems a little unfair" - but immediately forgive Dr.Manhatten, and never think about it again. Dr Manhatten killed way more people than the Comedian. And people view the Comedian as the villian. The Comedian would find that hilarious. Silk Spectre and Night Owl both get sexual thrills from brutaly beating people while in a costume. Rorsarch is a straight up homophobic psychopath. Osymandias, the 'actual villain', while unbelievably arrogant has the goal of World Peace and preventing a Nuclear apocalypse. That's what The Watchmen does well. Creates moral ambiguity in it's 'Heros & Villains'.

1:29 I'm old enough to remember catching snippets of the mcloughlin group on TV when I was a kid. Him, Eleanor and Pat Buchanan are perfectly imitated hear. I love that this movie put in so many 80s deep cut references, for us "olds". Much as i dislike some Zack Snyder's other movie's, this director's cut, as well as the one for Dawn of the Dead are awesome.

one of my all time favourites! though happy the thumbnail cut off where it did :P Rorschach is such a brilliant character for sure.

the graphic novel ends differently than the movie and in my opinion the graphic novel works better for the very reason you stated, how long would it last? well in the graphic novel instead of setting up the Manhattan like radiation explosions Ozymandias uses a vastly "different" enemy that the world unites against... and the tv series answers the how long question by showing that Ozymandias routinely reminds the world of that evil by faking small scale reoccurrences that keep the people of the world fearing the return and united

The theatrical version definitely included the blue dongs and the sex scene. It was a bit surprising, to say the least.

Part of what I got from this film, is that your hero, is someone's worst nightmare. It doesn't matter if it's Disney's marvel or this.

Oooooo epic reaction!! I don't often come across anyone who appreciates this badass idea. Apart from cool characters and visuals, the concept is f*;€¥ awesome!! I loved rewatching this with you. Please keep up the good work 👌🤯😁😎

@12:33 Niteowl keeps Rorschach back like, "Easy, buddy."

After this you should watch Sucker Punch just for the fantasy scenes

Would be great to see you react to Unbreakable. One of the best superhero movies.

The original graphic novel version of Watchmen was supposed to be a reboot of the Charlton Comics characters which DC had recently bought out, but given the darker tone and content in Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' pitch, the company decided they wanted to keep those characters free of Watchmen's baggage and so the creators reworked them to be OCs with different names and slightly different "powers"/theming - The Question became Rorschach, Blue Beetle II became Nite Owl II, Nightshade became Silk Spectre, Peter Cannon the Thunderbolt became Ozymandias, Captain Atom became Dr Manhattan and Peacemaker (yes, as in John Cena's Peacemaker) became the Comedian. Ironically, while the Charlton heroes have had arcs in the comics since and the Peacemaker show is obviously a big crossover hit, they've largely been supplanted by their Watchman counterparts.

The 'Watchmen' movie was set in 1985, that was why the original 60's version by Simon & Garfunkel of 'The sound of silence' was used... instead of Disturbed's 2015 cover.

This movie always get everybody to think about so many things overlooked of daily life... It's an amazing way to make you want to read the graphic novel.

if uou want to see a great Jackie Earl Hailey performance (Rorschack), watch Little Children. You could also watch the original Bad News Bears

None of the "superheroes" in the story are "super powered," except Dr. Manhattan. One of the things Alan Moore was exploring with the story is that people who would wear masks and fight crime are probably messed up in the head. The movie makes the artistic decision to give the superheroes near superhuman (or more accurately just beyond human) strength and fighting skills just to make the fight scenes that much more exciting. Basically the movie amped up "average" in that universe to make for exciting scenes, and could still show that Dr. Manhattan's capabilities were godlike.

29:28 The love scene IS in the theatrical version.

One of my friends is in this movie. She played Rorschach's mom. You can see her @ 24:18.

i would say that the characters having superpowers comes from the fact that humans in superhero genre always seem capable of doing superhuman feats through sheer will and training.some characters like batman and daredevil do a lot of crazy shit that's impossible for normal/real humans and its mostly attributed to the fact that the superhero genre is more fantastical than realistic. watchmen is about superheros existing in the real world. how would they effect it and how would they effect the normal people around them. not necessarily about them being realistic or practical. i mean we have a guy who's made out of pure energy and ozymandias is able to catch a bullet.

In the graphic novel Rorschach is a tailor who gets the request to tailor a dress whit this special cloth that can change the form. He is so fascinated about it so he makes a mask instead of it

12:21- I love this conversation. To me this is the convo between to two of the smartest. Ozy, the literal smartest and Comedian, the one who sees what's really going on.

No spoilers but in the graphic novel there was only one being with superpowers in the Watchmen. And that was a crucial theme of Alan Moore's story. It's a minor tragedy what happened to his creative right as an author to it.

10:00 Watchmen movie came out in 2009, was set in 1985. Disturbed's cover wasn't until 2015. So besides not being in existence, they were also going with period music (as the Comedian was doing most of his work in the 60s and 70s). Theatrical cut had the sex and nudity. 33:12 the comics did indeed have different faces reused indicating what Rorschach was feeling. I'm not sure if they gave that much detail attention in the film. 34:57 in the comics, the weird kitty was a byproduct of all of his genetic engineering to build the alien world invading squid. In the film, he really has no explanation because of the ending change. 37:25 yes, that's the idea, a common enemy to unite the world. Although since Superman exists and he is American, one would think that the world would launch strikes against the US before asking questions. Keep in mind the backdrop of the story, we were in the very heights of the cold war, and nuclear annihilation seemed to be almost an inevitability. Ironically the doomsday clock (featured in the comic) was at 3 minutes to midnight. It's currently set at 100 seconds to midnight. The story was a 12 issue miniseries by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. There have been sequels, prequels, etc. but those are just cash grabs by DC well after the book with zero input from Moore, and can be summarily ignored.

The TV show is great, but you'd probably want to find out how the comic version this movie was based on actually ended. The TV show picks up after the comics, not the movie, so there's a little bit of difference there, but that would be pretty much the only thing to know.

"I'm not locked in here with you, you're locked in here with me." is still the hardest line I've ever heard in anything.

Please watch THE NEVERENDING STORY!

I actually love this movie. I recently read the graphic novel and surprisingly it’s very accurate. The big difference is instead of it being a bunch of bombs made with Dr Manhatten’s energy they made like a faked an alien attack.

Yes. In the graphic novel Rorschach was short. They mentioned he had lifts in his shoes to make him seem taller.

i think this is my favorite movie, cant get enough

After seeing Dawn of the Dead, 300 and this, I was a full-fledged Snyder fan. That opening credits sequence was absolutely amazing.

I was 16 and 17 when this series was printed and it was the second "grown up" comic series I had read; the first being The Dark Knight Returns. Miller and Moore were gods in this time period by the way. I didn't re-read the series as a whole until my 20s and realized wow, I missed a lot reading an issue a month (sometimes longer depending on publishing, or Moore, issues). Reading the series again now or just watching the movie which was a great adaptation (with an altered means to an end ending .. think Stephan King weirdness and you have Moore's original means, but same general outcome for Veidt's plan) just leaves me numb and processing. And that, is a good thing. In the mid-late 80's, this was stand alone 12 issue series, but I haven't really kept up with what they might have retro'd into it since because I thought this was enough.

On a TV in a background of a shot, The Outer Limits episode "The Architects of Fear" is playing. The basic plot for this movie came from that episode.

I’m glad they used the original versions of songs in this movie. Especially the original Leonard Cohen version of Hallelujah. Cohen is still criminally underrated in the US, which is a damn shame. Best concert I ever saw.

Please react to "Galaxy Quest"!

10:02 Watchmen were filmed in 2009 - Disturbed made the cover of The Sound of Silence December 7, 2015. The original was written by Paul Simon over several months in 1963 and 1964. That's why the cover did not made into the film...

"You're locked in here with me" has to be the most badass boast in cinema history.

Please watch the STAR TREK movies! 🖖

You guys should also do the HBO series, which is brilliant.

yes, it was in the theatrical version!

Hi guys. I have subscribed for a while and I want to congratulate you for the channel. Your videos are so funny and I enjoy watching your reactions with movies I watched many times in some cases. You are great. Greetings from Spain.

This was the entire run of the graphic novel, although this actually has a dramatically different ending than the graphic novel/original. Interestingly, the show is (excellent) an *entirely* new story set in the aftermath of the graphic novel's ending. You two would probably really enjoy it. It's very well done and an incredible continuation of a story thought to be concluded ;)

The graphic novel is a must read if you enjoy the movie. The film, specially this cut, covers pretty much the entire run of the original comic but it has some dramatic changes in the plot. There has been some expanded universe stories which different degrees of quality, but the novel can (and I think should) be read as it's own thing.

Night Owl and Rorschach thinking they had Adrian "monologuing", only to ge gobstopped by the reveal of "I did it thirty-five" minutes ago" really turns the classic comic book trope on its ear.

"I'm not locked in here with you .... YOU'RE LOCKED IN HERE WITH ME!" Perspective is a powerful thing.

I have a real love-hate-relationship with this movie. One the one hand there are scenes I really love - on the other it get's quite a few points fundamentally wrong (in my opinion at least): There is this whole attitude of "Wow, it's a superheromovie for adults, so there must be lots of violence and sex!" The film is way more explicite than the book and I just don't see the point. Watchmen should be hard to watch, because it's a morally grey world with deep messages about what it means to be human, not because there are people exploding in bloody gore all over the screen. It's just too violent for the sake of it, so I can't blame you guys for thinking the watchmen have real superpowers. In the comic it's very clear that (apart from Dr. M of course) they are just broken individuals who play dress up to feel better. The one exeption being Ozymandias, who really saves the world in the end, but becomes a mass murderer in the process. And this is the one point I can't get over: Ozymandias is totaly misscast. The actor really comes across as a plotting supervillain from the start (as you noticed), when he was everything but in the book: In a way he was meant to be the peak of human physical, intellectual and spiritual abilities (maybe like a Lex Luthor-type against Dr Manhattans Superman) But he was also charming, thoughtful and - dare I say - funny at times, so it was a real surprise to see him as the endboss "villain". I would really like to see your opinion on the Watchmen-TV Show, although they somehow managed to do poor old Ozymandias an even bigger disservice. Greetings from Germany!

I was never too happy with the movie's change of Veidt's plan to blame Manhattan, for the reasons you cited and also the fact that he is too tied to the US military up to that point in time, it leaves too much room for the world to blame the US for the attack/enabling Manhattan all those years. The graphic novel takes a very different direction with the plan which makes more sense, but I understand that it would have been harder to fit into the film The TV show, which is great, uses the original plan though, so read up on the original before watching!

Simone you were right to call it a comic. It was released as a mini series before it was collected into a graphic novel.

The irony that Doctor Manhattan literally turned Rorschach into a giant Rorshach.....

Thank you for reacting to this film guys, it’s one of my favorites. There are many aspects I love, but what stands out the most for me is how most characters are presented as morally grey, not with the typical good vs evil angle. And the ending is so good too. If you like Zack Snyder’s style and tone so far then it’d be interesting to see what you think of Sucker Punch, a very controversial movie, which was critically panned on its release. Man of Steel is really good if you like “superhero” origin stories and great action. His Dawn of the dead remake is good too.