Overview: In an alternate world history set in 1985, the murder of a government sponsored superhero draws his outlawed colleagues out of retirement and into a mystery that threatens to upend their personal lives and the world itself.

4K UHD Blu-ray Verdict: Warner Bros. Entertainment is expanding their 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray catalog offerings this month with the release of the highly-anticipated Watchmen: Chapter 1 (4K Ultra + Digital) in the expansive 4K Ultra HD video format this August 27th, 2024.

For my money, this Watchmen: Chapter 1 (4K Ultra + Digital) sharpness takes a fairly large step forward from others in their 4K Ultra HD catalog and even comes with HDR (High Dynamic Range) for the complete 4K Ultra HD experience, of course.

So, what we have is Watchmen: Chapter 1 presented to us as a one-disc with a sheet for a Digital HD Copy. Other stand out points you should know are: Codec: HEVC / H.265, Resolution: Native 4K (2160p), HDR: HDR10, Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 and Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1.

Featuring Dolby Vision and HDR10 for brighter, deeper, and way more lifelike colors, as with most all 4K UHDs, everything that we watch features these qualities - but somehow, this film gloriously shines within them all.

Noticeably crisp with the overall clarity receiving an obvious boost here on this release, what is more is that it is enjoyably noticeable. For as well as some new nuances to the somewhat drab palette courtesy of Dolby Vision, we also get to witness sudden bright pops of color, which makes the eyes draw in, for sure.

As for the audio, well we get the choice of: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French: Dolby Digital 5.1 and Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1.

Overall, this is a very strong 4K HDR Blu-ray presentation, and, for the most part, the audio track remains fairly similar to its DTS-HD counterpart; with much of the action occupying the surrounds with outstanding directionality and placement where effects flawlessly pan between the sides and rears.

As for the story to hand, well, I’ve accused both the Zack Snyder adaptation and the HBO continuation of Alan Moore’s Watchmen of missing the point in the past, that’s for sure. You may be wondering what exactly it is I’m looking for. The answer is nothing. Pretty much any attempt to adapt this novel is to miss the point (although some adaptations miss the point more than others by trying to make Moore’s characters, which serve the argument that IRL masked crimefighters would be a piteous bunch, into legitimately cool heroes).

Its cinematic presentation was remarkable precisely because it was a graphic novel -- with angles, match cuts, and shots that aren’t as striking when they’re in, well, an actual film. Moreover, the comic book format was thematically relevant; it allowed you to spend any amount of time on a given page and read the panels in any order you please even as the ending remains the same, not unlike the way the godlike, ultra-powerful nudist Dr. Manhattan perceives time.

Watchmen Chapter 1 translates the intent of the images instead of just their basic appearance -- meaning it’s better than the Snyder film in that regard -- but the What If...?-esque cel-shading makes them less than stellar to look at. They’re too expressionless to convey either the tragedy of the panels or the omg so cool and sexy-ness of Snyder. Even when the images are successful/potent, they’re never as creative or purposeful with the colors and framing as Dave Gibbons’ artworks.

Last, but not least is the voice work, which is good, but as a gigantic fan of the source material, it’s hard not to imagine how you want these voices to sound, of course.

I know this sort of thing doesn’t make a film worse, but this is the kind of movie that you’re not gonna watch unless you are, indeed, a gigantic fan of the source material (and likely have those same nitpicks while viewing it). I never got the impression that this film was aiming to introduce new fans to the IP; too many key moments are breezed past, in my humble opinion.

To put things in perspective, this first chapter crams in more elements from the novel than even the Ultimate Cut of Snyder’s Watchmen, yet the full two-parter will be shorter than that film. Go figure.

In conclusion, and with all that said, the pace is deliberately slow, but this is not a Tik Tok era piece of media. It’s supposed to be slow. But at the same time, every frame and sentence is packed with information and details you can miss.

In 2024, we are living a decay of the success of superheroes, after being a huge thing. But also superheroes have a nostalgic past, that only outcast nerds (like myself) care about and miss. Perhaps today is a good time to revisit Watchmen because of this. Why we liked them? Why we got tired of them? Why some people hate them?

So, if you’re ready to have your mind expanded and your perceptions challenged, then join me on this journey into the world of Watchmen. I promise you, it’s a ride you won’t soon forget; but then again, it is also a captivating and thought-provoking introduction to a seminal work in the graphic novel genre.

So if you haven’t already, do yourself a favor and dive in - but be prepared for a complex and mature reading experience!

Special Features:
Featurette: Dave Gibbons and Watchmen: Worldbuilding [Chapters I-VI]
Featurette: The Art of Adaptation - Introducing the Story

Watchmen: Chapter I will be available on August 13 to purchase digitally from Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play, Fandango at Home and more. On August 27 the film will be available to purchase on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Discs online and in-store at major retailers.

Watchmen: Chapter II will be released later in 2024.