Watchmen

Having never read the novel, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I went to see Watchmen. From the commercials, I was certain I’d see a sizeable portion of graphic violence, which was enough to coerce me into going. I was not, however, expecting to see so much of Dr. Manhattan’s radiating package. But hey, it’s my own fault.
Giant blue penis aside, Watchmen was easily one of the most visually stunning films I’ve seen since the Planet Earth series and 300 (which was directed by the same man).
The film is set in an alternate American history: the year is 1985; Nixon is still president and the United States easily won the Vietnam War (with the help of the superhuman Dr. Manhattan). Masked super heroes are commonplace in our society (although none but Manhattan have any real super powers).
Plot wise, this film is difficult to explain. There is a lot going on throughout the movie and quite honestly, I was only really interested in Manhattan because he was easily the coolest character in the film (I’ve never been so inspired by watching a giant blue man with a giant blue penis as he vaporized little Vietnamese Commies).
Even so, the story beings by setting the stage for the events to come: Rorschach, a masked vigilante who has remained active even after the outlawing of supers, is investigating the murder of a colleague. He believes the murder is the first in a series of events being executed to eradicate the heroes.
Meanwhile, Dr. Manhattan, born from a science project gone wrong, is trying to create a solution to the world’s energy problems using his superhuman powers (he is also getting handsie with Silk Spectre II, at the same time because he can split himself if he needs to). Silk Spectre is hurt by Manhattan’s unconceren for the state of the human world; she throws a fit and leaves to stay with Nite Owl II.
Really I was confused by a lot of things in the movie. While well made, I couldn’t help but wonder why Manhattan wasn’t able to see the murder, Silk Spectre leaving, the plot by Ozymandious or several other things. For being all powerful, he was very weak.