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Watchmen Chapter I

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Watchmen Chapter I
Official release poster
Directed byBrandon Vietti
Written byJ. Michael Straczynski
Based onWatchmen
by Dave Gibbons
Produced by
  • Jim Krieg
  • Cindy Rago
  • Brandon Vietti
Starring
Edited byCris Mertens
Music byTim Kelly
Production
companies
Distributed byWarner Bros. Home Entertainment
Release dates
  • August 13, 2024 (2024-08-13) (Chapter I)
  • November 26, 2024 (2024-11-26) (Chapter II)
Running time
  • 84 minutes (Chapter I)
  • 89 minutes (Chapter II)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Watchmen Chapter I is a 2024 American adult animated superhero film directed by Brandon Vietti and written by J. Michael Straczynski. It stars an ensemble cast including Matthew Rhys, Katee Sackhoff, Titus Welliver, Troy Baker, Adrienne Barbeau, and Michael Cerveris. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, Paramount Pictures, and DC Entertainment,[1] and distributed by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, the film is based on the DC Comics limited series Watchmen co-created and illustrated by Dave Gibbons with co-creator and author Alan Moore choosing to remain uncredited.[2] Gibbons served as a consulting producer on the film. Animation for the film was provided by Studio Mir.

Plot

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A mysterious killer killed a superhero nicknamed Comedian. The police tried to investigate the crime, but could not find out anything. When Rorschach came to the crime scene, he suspected that someone was hunting and killing superheroes, after which he decided to warn his comrades to be careful. At the same time, he tries to investigate who the killer is and interrogates one of the former superheroes, torturing him and investigating whether he was the killer. As Rorschach investigates, the viewer sees flashbacks from the other main characters' pasts, how each of them became a superhero, what they experienced after the ban on superheroes, and what their future fate is. Dr. Manhattan is suspected of causing cancer in all people, after which he goes to Mars. Dan Dreiberg and Laurie Juspeczyk are trying to start a romantic relationship at this time. At the end of the film, the killer has killed a personal informant and framed Rorschach by calling the police on him, after which he is arrested. During the end credits, the viewer hears radio recordings of old superheroes from the 1940s and as a post-credits scene, a trailer for the second chapter of the film is shown.

Voice cast

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Main article: List of Watchmen characters
Voice actor[3] Character
Appearing in both parts
Matthew Rhys Dan Dreiberg / Nite Owl II
Katee Sackhoff Laurie Juspeczyk / Silk Spectre II
Titus Welliver Walter Kovacs / Rorschach
Troy Baker Adrian Veidt / Ozymandias
Rick D. Wasserman Edward Blake / Comedian
Adrienne Barbeau Sally Jupiter / Silk Spectre I
Michael Cerveris Jonathan Osterman / Dr. Manhattan
Geoff Pierson Hollis Mason / Nite Owl I
Kari Wahlgren Female Knot Top
Yuri Lowenthal Knot Top #2
Phil LaMarr Comic Book Narrator, Bernie
Jason Spisak Doug Roth
John Marshall Jones Hooded Justice
Max Koch Bernard, President Nixon
Part One
Matthew Rhys Photographer #3
Troy Baker Minister, Benny Anger
Rick D. Wasserman Male Citizen #1, Photographer #2
Adrienne Barbeau TV Broadcaster
Michael Cerveris Father
Corey Burton Captain Metropolis, Forbes, American Newscaster
Yuri Lowenthal Wally Weaver, Criminal #1
Jeffrey Combs Edgar Jacobi / Moloch the Mystic, British Newscaster, Photographer #1
Phil LaMarr Security Guard
John Marshall Jones General #1, Criminal #2
Kari Wahlgren Janey Slater, Female Citizen #1
Jason Spisak President John F. Kennedy, Restaurant Cook
Max Koch Detective Joe Bourquin
Kelly Hu Yvonne, Vietnamese Woman
Grey Griffin Spanish Newscaster, Female Citizen #2
Dwight Schultz Detective Steve Fine, Happy Harry
Part Two
Geoff Pierson Prison Guard #1
Zehra Fazal Hira Manish, Newscaster
Yuri Lowenthal Seymour, Bully #1
Phil LaMarr Male Citizen #1
Kari Wahlgren Sylvia Kovacs
Phil Fondacaro Tom Ryan / Big Figure
Max Koch Lawrence Andrews
Grey Griffin Female Citizen #1, Advisor #1
Long Nguyen Attendant #1
Jason Spisak Hector Godfrey, Bully #2

Production

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It was reported in April 2017 that Warner Bros. would develop an R-rated animated film based on the comic book series.[4] It was officially confirmed in 2023 that an animated film adaptation was in development and would be released in 2024.[5] A teaser trailer was released on June 13, 2024, with it being revealed to be a two-film adaptation.[6][7] Director Brandon Vietti praised the animation work done by Studio Mir, stating in an interview that "It was a kind of material and filmmaking that I don't think the studio had approached before, but we had a lot of great discussions about it and they really rose to the challenge."[8]

Release and reception

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Watchmen Chapter I received a digital release on August 13, 2024.[9] The film was released on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD on August 27, 2024.[10]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 92% based on 12 reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10.[11] William Bibbiani of TheWrap felt that the film respectfully adapted the story, but struggled to properly convey its complexity and described the visual aesthetic as "serviceable but not entirely effective".[12] Brad Cook of Flickering Myth agreed, calling the film a "very faithful adaptation" with a visual style that "hews closely to artist Dave Gibbons' well-regarded depictions of the characters and the alternate 1985 timeline they inhabit".[13]

Sequel

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A single sequel entitled Watchmen Chapter II is expected to cover the second half of the story, completing the retelling of the 12-issue maxiseries. Chapter II is scheduled to be on Digital HD on November 26, 2024, and on Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD on December 3.[14]

References

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  1. ^ "Watchmen Chapter I: Company credits". IMDb. October 24, 2024. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  2. ^ "Watchmen Creator Alan Moore Has Surprising Advice For Writers". Screen Rant. April 24, 2022. Archived from the original on July 6, 2022. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  3. ^ "Watchmen Chapter 1 (2024) – Behind The Voice Actors". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on August 21, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  4. ^ Gerding, Stephen (April 13, 2017). "Watchmen Is Getting an R-Rated Animated Adaptation". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on June 9, 2017. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  5. ^ Schedeen, Jesse (July 22, 2023). "Comic-Con 2023: DC Announces Crisis on Infinite Earths and Watchmen Animated Movies". IGN. Archived from the original on June 13, 2024. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
  6. ^ Cripe, Michael (June 13, 2024). "We Just Got a Surprise First Look at the Upcoming Watchmen Animated Films". IGN. Archived from the original on September 3, 2024. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  7. ^ Perine, Aaron (July 22, 2023). "New Watchmen Movie Announced". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on July 22, 2023. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  8. ^ Zahed, Ramin (August 13, 2024). "'Watchmen: Chapter 1' Director Brandon Vietti Unmasks the Animated Antiheroes". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on August 22, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  9. ^ Vejvoda, Jim (July 10, 2024). "Watchmen Chapter I: Exclusive Trailer, Voice Cast, Boxart and Release Date". IGN. Archived from the original on July 11, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  10. ^ "WarnerBros.com | Watchmen Chapter I | Movies". WarnerBros.com. Archived from the original on August 23, 2024. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  11. ^ "Watchmen Chapter I". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  12. ^ Bibbiani, William (August 13, 2024). "Watchmen: Chapter 1 Review". TheWrap. Archived from the original on August 21, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  13. ^ Cook, Brad (August 13, 2024). "Watchmen: Chapter 1 (2024) – Movie Review". Flickering Myth. Archived from the original on September 3, 2024. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  14. ^ Vejvoda, Jim (October 16, 2024). "Watchmen Chapter II Exclusive Trailer". IGN. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
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