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 DC Studios, Warner Bros. Animation, and Paramount Pictures, 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.[1] Gibbons served as a consulting producer on the film. Animation for the film was provided by Studio Mir.
Plot[]
Watchmen Chapter I faithfully retells the story of the first 6 issues of the original 12-issue maxiseries from DC Comics, cover-dated September 1986 to October 1987.
Voice cast[]
Voice actor[2] | Character |
---|---|
Titus Welliver | Walter Kovacs / Rorschach |
Matthew Rhys | Dan Dreiberg / Nite Owl II, Photographer #3 |
Katee Sackhoff | Laurie Juspeczyk / Silk Spectre II |
Troy Baker | Adrian Veidt / Ozymandias, Minister, Benny Anger |
Rick D. Wasserman | Edward Blake / Comedian, Male Citizen #1, Photographer #2 |
Adrienne Barbeau | Sally Jupiter / Silk Spectre I, TV Broadcaster |
Corey Burton | Captain Metropolis, Forbes, American Newscaster |
Michael Cerveris | Jonathan Osterman / Dr. Manhattan, Father |
Geoff Pierson | Hollis Mason / Nite Owl I |
Yuri Lowenthal | Wally Weaver, Criminal #1, Knot Top #2 |
Jeffrey Combs | Edgar Jacobi / Moloch the Mystic, British Newscaster, Photographer #1 |
Phil LaMarr | Comic Book Narrator, Bernie, Security Guard |
John Marshall Jones | Hooded Justice, General #1, Criminal #2 |
Kari Wahlgren | Janey Slater, Female Knot Top, Female Citizen #1 |
Jason Spisak | Doug Roth, President John F. Kennedy, Restaurant Cook |
Max Koch | Detective Joe Bourquin, Bernard, President Richard Nixon |
Kelly Hu | Yvonne, Vietnamese Woman |
Grey DeLisle | Spanish Newscaster, Female Citizen #2 |
Dwight Schultz | Detective Steve Fine, Happy Harry |
Production[]
It was reported in April 2017 that Warner Bros. would develop an R-rated animated film based on the comic book series.[3] It was officially confirmed in 2023 that an animated film adaptation was in development and would be released in 2024.[4] A teaser trailer was released on June 13, 2024, with it being revealed to be a two-film adaptation.[5][6] 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."[7]
Release and reception[]
Watchmen Chapter I received a digital release on August 13, 2024.[8] The film was released on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD on August 27, 2024.[9]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 92% based on 11 reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10.[10] 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".[11] 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".[12]
Sequel[]
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. It was initially reported that Chapter II would be released in late 2024, but this was later pushed back to sometime in 2025.[13][14]
External links[]
References[]
- ↑ Watchmen Creator Alan Moore Has Surprising Advice For Writers (April 24, 2022).
- ↑ Watchmen Chapter 1 (2024) – Behind The Voice Actors.
- ↑ Gerding, Stephen (April 13, 2017). Watchmen Is Getting an R-Rated Animated Adaptation.
- ↑ Schedeen, Jesse (July 22, 2023). Comic-Con 2023: DC Announces Crisis on Infinite Earths and Watchmen Animated Movies.
- ↑ Cripe, Michael (June 13, 2024). We Just Got a Surprise First Look at the Upcoming Watchmen Animated Films.
- ↑ Perine, Aaron (July 22, 2023). New Watchmen Movie Announced.
- ↑ Zahed, Ramin (August 13, 2024). 'Watchmen: Chapter 1' Director Brandon Vietti Unmasks the Animated Antiheroes.
- ↑ Vejvoda, Jim (July 10, 2024). Watchmen Chapter I: Exclusive Trailer, Voice Cast, Boxart and Release Date.
- ↑ WarnerBros.com | Watchmen Chapter I | Movies.
- ↑ Template:Cite Rotten Tomatoes
- ↑ Bibbiani, William (August 13, 2024). Watchmen: Chapter 1 Review.
- ↑ Cook, Brad (August 13, 2024). Watchmen: Chapter 1 (2024) – Movie Review.
- ↑ Watchmen Chapters 1 & 2 Adapts The Full Original Comic In Animation – Watch The Trailer (June 14, 2024).
- ↑ K, Demet (June 13, 2024). Warner Bros. Reveals An Exciting Slate of Animated Projects at Annecy Animation Festival.