Watchmen: Limited Series Blu Ray Review (Warner Bros)
Watchmen is an 2019 superhero drama limited television series that continues the 1987 DC Comics series Watchmen created by Alan Moore (From Hell, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, & Batman: The Killing Joke) & Dave Gibbons (Kingsman & Green Lantern: Emerald Knights). The TV series was created, written, & produced for HBO by Damon Lindelof (The Leftovers, The Hunt, Lost, & Star Trek: Into Darkness). It was directed by Nicole Kassell (The Woodsman), Stephen Williams (Lost), Steph Green (Luke Cage), Andrij Parekh (Succession), David Semel (Lone Star State of Mind), & Frederick E.O. Toye (Westworld). It was written by Cord Jefferson (The Good Place), Jeff Jensen (Tomorrowland), Claire Kiechel (The OA), Stacy Osei-Kuffour (Hunters), Nick Cuse (The Hunt), Lila Byock (Castle Rock), Christal Henry (Gang Related), & Carly Wray (Constantine). It aired from October 20th to December 15th in 2019!!!!
Watchmen takes place 34 years after the events of the comic series. Set in the comic’s alternate history of the 20th century. Vigilantes once seen as heroes have been outlawed due to their violent methods. In 1985, Adrian Veidt (played by: Jeremy Irons from Dead Ringers, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League, & Die Hard with a Vengeance) formerly known as the vigilante Ozymandias, created a fake attack on New York City by a squid-like alien that resulted in millions within New York being killed. Coercing nations to work together against a common threat and to avert a nuclear holocaust. Veidt’s actions disgusted his former companions with Rorschach planning to tell the world of Veidt’s misdeeds. Doctor Manhattan leaves the planet. Both were unaware that Rorschach had sent his journal to be published beforehand before they could stop him. The show takes place in 2019 Tulsa, Oklahoma. A white supremacist group, the Seventh Kavalry inspired by Rorschach’s writings & masked image wage violent war against minorities plus the police that enforce special reparations for victims of racial injustice. On Christmas Eve 2016, during an event that came to be known as the “White Night”, the Kavalry attacked the homes of 40 police officers working for the Tulsa Police Department. From the few who survived, only two stayed with the force: Detective Angela Abar (played by: Regina King from Boyz n the Hood, Poetic Justice, Higher Learning, & Friday) & Police Chief Judd Crawford (played by: Don Johnson from Miami Vice, Vengeance, Django Unchained, & Machete).
Watchmen takes place 34 years after the events of the comic series. Set in the comic’s alternate history of the 20th century. Vigilantes once seen as heroes have been outlawed due to their violent methods. In 1985, Adrian Veidt (played by: Jeremy Irons from Dead Ringers, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League, & Die Hard with a Vengeance) formerly known as the vigilante Ozymandias, created a fake attack on New York City by a squid-like alien that resulted in millions within New York being killed. Coercing nations to work together against a common threat and to avert a nuclear holocaust. Veidt’s actions disgusted his former companions with Rorschach planning to tell the world of Veidt’s misdeeds. Doctor Manhattan leaves the planet. Both were unaware that Rorschach had sent his journal to be published beforehand before they could stop him. The show takes place in 2019 Tulsa, Oklahoma. A white supremacist group, the Seventh Kavalry inspired by Rorschach’s writings & masked image wage violent war against minorities plus the police that enforce special reparations for victims of racial injustice. On Christmas Eve 2016, during an event that came to be known as the “White Night”, the Kavalry attacked the homes of 40 police officers working for the Tulsa Police Department. From the few who survived, only two stayed with the force: Detective Angela Abar (played by: Regina King from Boyz n the Hood, Poetic Justice, Higher Learning, & Friday) & Police Chief Judd Crawford (played by: Don Johnson from Miami Vice, Vengeance, Django Unchained, & Machete). As the police force was rebuilt with officers like Red Scare (played by: Andrew Howard from Bates Motel, Truth or Dare, Taken 3, & I Spit on Your Grave) & Looking Glass (played by: Tim Blake Nelson from The Incredible Hulk, Angel Has Fallen, The Big White, & O Brother, Where Art Thou?), laws were passed that required police to not disclose their profession & to protect their identities while on the job by wearing masks. They have to deal with a variety of characters which includes Will Reeves (played by: Louis Gossett Jr. from Jaws 3, Iron Eagle franchise, The Deep, & The Punisher), Laurie Blake (played by: Jean Smart from 24, Legion, Fargo, & The Accountant), & Joe Keene (played by: James Wolk from Harley Quinn, Goliath, Shameless, & Mad Men). Crawford’s police force attempts to crack down on the Seventh Kavalry. Dealing with all the stress & risk from the job, she gets support from her husband Cal (played by: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II from Candyman, US, Aquaman, & Baywatch). Abar finds herself at the centre of two competing plots to kidnap Doctor Manhattan who has been working with a survivor of the Tulsa massacre all along!!!!
Here’s the episode list for the series. 01. It’s Summer and We’re Running Out of Ice 02. Martial Feats of Comanche Horsemanship 03. She Was Killed by Space Junk 04. If You Don’t Like My Story, Write Your Own 05. Little Fear of Lightning 06. This Extraordinary Being 07. An Almost Religious Awe 08. A God Walks into Abar 09. See How They Fly
Watchmen might be the greatest superhero television show ever made & it’s a shame it’s most likely only lasting one season because of creative differences with the show runner. It’s a great follow up to the 2009 film. The writing & storylines are at a high level for HBO’S Watchmen, it has you fiending for the next episode. I felt this way when I watched it premier every Sunday on HBO. I actually subscribed to the premium channel just for this limited series event. It was my most anticipated TV show & it actually lived up to all the hype. The production design is beautiful & it’s full of variety between all it’s unique characters. It mixes all kinds of different sub-genres & it’s never predicable which is nice. It was cool to see the Minutemen throwback on here. I really enjoyed all the new characters added to the Watchmen universe for this show especially the police officers. Jeremy Irons was perfect casting as the older Adrian Veidt. He commanded the screen as the powerful villain. Irons proved once again, he is one of the best when it comes to playing the bad guy. Don Johnson had a smaller part in this but he made a huge impact right away & always remained a major focus point of the overall story. I’ve been a big fan of Regina King since 1991 & I’ve never seen a performance like this from her before. She is in total control & she’s a bad ass as Sister Night. It has an excellent supporting cast that features more than a few familiar faces like Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Andrew Howard, Louis Gossett Jr., Jean Smart, Tim Blake Nelson, James Wolk, Cheyenne Jackson (American Horror Story), Jovan Adepo (Overlord), & Frances Fisher (Unforgiven). The visual & special FX are on the level of any major motion picture out today. The music is top notch on this from Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross. It can be slow at times but the character development here is worth the wait. When the action & violence hits, it’s very intense. “A God Walks into Abar” was the true highlight when it came to the best episode. A Watchmen favorite returns for that one. If you are only going to check out one new television show this year, this needs to be your choice because nothing comes close to it right now. HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!
Let’s talk about the high definition presentation from Warner Bros! These 1080p (1.78:1) transfers on every episode are stunning. Watchmen is stylish TV show with attention grabbing cinematography & it really stands out from all the other superhero television out there right now. It has a variety of audio options which includes English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French: Dolby Digital 5.1, German: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0, & Japanese: Dolby Digital 2.0 on the release. Watchmen sounds awesome in the home set up. All the dialogue is crystal clear, all the chaos is elevated, & the great music here has a killer boost to it. It’s loaded with various subtitles which includes English SDH, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Korean, Mandarin, Norwegian, & Swedish.
Let’s discuss the special features from Warner Bros! From disc one: “Character Trailers – Sister Night, Blonde Man and Looking Glass” is a little over 3 minutes. It has short interviews with Regina King, Jeremy Irons, & Tim Blake Nelson. They all chat about their characters on the show. “It’s Raining Squids” is almost 2 minutes. It has interviews with show creator Damon Lindelof, producer/directorNicole Kassell, & various members of the cast/crew. They chat about what happened before with the squids. They joke that it happens so much that it went from being terrifying to annoying. “Watchmen: Masked and Dangerous” is a little over 2 minutes. It has interviews with show creator Damon Lindelof, producer/directorNicole Kassell, & various members of the cast/crew. They chat about the differences between with the mask & without it. They talk about how important it is to this universe. “2019 New York Comic Con” is almost 37 minutes. It features Damon Lindelof, Nicole Kassell, Regina King, Jeremy Irons, Jean Smart, Louis Gossett, Jr., Hong Chau, Tim Blake Nelson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, & Dave Gibbons. Damon Lindelof tells a nice story at the beginning of this. Regina King tells how she got first involved & offered the project. The others share similar stories & they go over their history with Watchmen. Some of them talk about their character or scenes they enjoyed worked on for this. Everyone seems very passionate about the show here. Co-creator Dave Gibbons chats about show runner & creative force Damon Lindelof. He talks about when he first met him & his thoughts on his new vision of Watchmen. “Becoming Sister Nigh” is a little over a minute. This is basically the extended interview with Regina King from the character trailer feature from before. “Watchmen: Alternate History” is a little over 2 minutes. It has interviews with show creator Damon Lindelof, producer/directorNicole Kassell, & various members of the cast/crew. They chat about the extended world of Watchmen. They talk about the show & everything that comes with it. They say it’s more than one genre & it always keeps you guessing. From disc two: “Watchmen: Unmasked” is a little over 16 minutes. It has interviews with the cast & crew. They go into great detail about the story, history, events, characters, & other stuff when it comes to Watchmen. They talk about the masks from the show & different people that wear them. “Andrij Parekh on Directing” is a little over a minute. It’s a quick profile & look at one of the directors from the show. “Squid Shelter with Tim Blake Nelson” is a little over 2 minutes. Actor Tim Blake Nelson takes you on a tour & explains one of his favorite locations from the show. “Anatomy of a Fight Scene” is a little over 2 minutes. It has interviews with the cast & crew. They go over the epic Minutemen fight. They show how they made it look like one shot. They go over the stunts from it. From disc three: “Immortal Vigilante – Hooded Justice” is almost 12 minutes. It has interviews with the cast & crew. This was my absolute favorite extra on this whole release. It takes you behind the scenes for the Minutemen episode & it’s characters. I geeked out when I seen this episode originally air & it’s one of the best things about this Watchmen limited series. If you want to know more about it then this is the perfect feature to check out. It’s a detailed look into what heroes inspired the future ones to do what they do now. “Adrian Veidt: The Colossal King” is almost 13 minutes. It has interviews with the crew. They go into great detail about the former hero who became a villain. They chat about the character, Jeremy Irons, & his story in his new Watchmen vision. I wish they had more bonus material like this on the release because this was really good. “Glimpses – The Visual Effects of Watchmen” is a little over 3 minutes. It shows some of the biggest visual fx moments from the show. It has some before & after comparisons for them also. “Notes from the Watchmen Graphic Novel Artist Dave Gibbons” is almost 2 minutes. It shows the co-creator & artist drawing Sister Night. He chats a little bit about the new show & gives his thoughts on it. He goes over about working on comics. “Rorschach Featurette” is almost 2 minutes. It has interviews with the crew. They say the mask is little different & updated now. They chat about the Seventh Cavalry that uses it now. They talk about the terrorist group & their actions here. “Sadiqua Bynum Runs, Jumps and Falls for Sister Night” is a little over a minute. It focuses on Regina King’s stunt double for Watchmen. This release is a must own & it needs to be added to your superhero collection ASAP! It also includes an outer slipbox & a digital code. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!
