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Malin Akerman carries the load for women, representing females in Watchmen's male-dominated alternate reality. Carla Gugino shows up in a few brief but pivotal scenes as Akerman's character's retired crime-fighting mom – the original Silk Spectre – but for the most part it's up to Akerman as Laurie Jupiter/Silk Spectre II to provide the female perspective. Silk Spectre II has a rocky relationship with her mother (who was raped by The Comedian) and she's torn between two men and torn apart by the knowledge of who her father might be.

Yet she's still a strong woman. And physically she's just as capable of kicking ass as her male cohorts. Akerman's not known for action roles, but she handles the fight scenes well and definitely heats up the screen during her love scenes with Wilson and Crudup. Plus, she looks gorgeous in latex.

Matthew Goode has one of the more difficult tasks in the film, giving life to the one main character who doesn't get as much screen time as the rest of the group. Goode plays Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias as a slightly effeminate admirer of Alexander the Great who speaks with the barest whisp of a German accent. Considered the smartest human being on the planet, Adrian Veidt is a puppet master and Goode plays him as though he possesses many secrets behind his smug, holier than thou smile.

If there's one actor who steals scenes in Watchmen it's Jackie Earle Haley as Walter Kovacs/Rorschach. Hidden behind a mask for the majority of the film, Haley brings Rorschach to life on the screen exactly how he was written in Watchmen.

It's a perfect, flawless match between actor and character.

The Bottom Line

The film opens with the death of The Comedian quickly followed by a six-minute opening credits sequence that's absolutely breathtaking. Backed by a lengthened version of Bob Dylan's The Times They Are A-Changin', this unforgettable montage of scenes plunges us into the universe of Watchmen as it moves through the past exposing the history of the costumed vigilantes leading up to the film's present day. Watchmen fans will either be dismayed by how Snyder condensed so much from the graphic novel into that opening or will embrace the fact he was able to get as much as he did into such a short segment and still add his own touches to specific characters backstories. I embraced it (particularly the bit on the grassy knoll in Dallas) and felt it set the perfect tone for the remaining two hours and 40ish minutes.

Now, Watchmen does have its flaws. I missed the interaction at the newsstand that was in the graphic novel, and I would have liked to see more of the original Minutemen. But I've got to say that without making a five-hour long movie, I'm not sure there was a way to make a better Watchmen movie. The production design is incredible, the effects are absolutely first-rate, the acting is top-notch, and Snyder chose exactly the right songs for crucial moments in the film.

Watchmen is not a film for everyone and it won't connect with audiences looking for the standard superhero genre flick. Watchmen is unflinchingly violent, there's nudity (Dr Manhattan's penis is right there in your face – even if you blink, you won't miss it), raw sex, and there's none of the lighthearted superhero-type moments in this that we've come to expect from major motion picture adaptations of comic books. Watchmen presents a world in which actions have real consequences and they're not necessarily pretty, and if people were in fact superheroes, they'd be warped and in desperate need of some serious therapy. This film's gritty and nasty and you want to wash your hands when you're done watching it. But I'm betting after just one screening of the film, you'll think more about Watchmen than any other comic book/graphic novel-inspired movie you've ever witnessed.

GRADE: A-

Watchmen was directed by Zack Snyder and is rated R for strong graphic violence, sexuality, nudity and language.

Theatrical Release Date: March 6, 2009