It seems the cool thing to do in Watchmen reviews is to be philosophic and introspective. Critics have been digging out their thesauruses for this one, kids. They feel the need to review this like it was Citizen Kane, Casablanca, and Hamlet all rolled up into one tidy movie.

I fell into the trap too. I tried to write a review earlier of the movie and erased it halfway through because I sounded more pompous than James Lipton teaching high school drama. Watchmen, at heart, was a limited run comic book that has been glorified and deified since it was released. It is brilliant and it changed the genre, but it does not belong on the pedestal that some put it on (meaning that it should be mentioned in the same breath as the Bible or Hamlet).

Let me clear up something for you-I love Watchmen. I think the ending, which is so far out of left field that you may not be able to comprehend it the first time or two you read it, is one of the most shocking things I've ever read. I think Rohrshach is one of the most iconic characters in comic book history.

I loved the movie adaptation of Watchmen. It was slavishly recreated on film with marvelous performances by all. Sadly I feel that many may be lost on it's pacing and density. If you start wandering away from the movie at any time, you might not find your way back. You may grow tired of all of the essential branching subplots.

Jackie Earle Haley's performance as Rohrshach deserves an Oscar more than Heath Ledger did for The Dark Knight. He is terrifying, venomous, and the stuff that nightmares are made of. He does this all while being one of the good guys. The Joker would crap himself if he saw Rohrshach coming to interrogate him. His performance is so good that he shines through the mask. When his face and story is finally revealed you see the whole package. He's amazing.

I would be failing to write a good review without mentioning Billy Crudup's minor miracle in making Doc Manhattan likable and mesmerizing while being fully naked and soulless. He's done something special with the role.

Lots of people are going to be divided on this one. Fanboys are going to be falling all over themselves to either love it unconditionally, or hate it based on the changed ending. The ending themes remain the same, it's just the tools used to obtain the end change. Still, it's a huge change that many object to. I have no problem with it, although your mind isn't blown like in the comics.

People are going to complain that nothing really happens. Well, it does and it doesn't. Watchmen is a character study, not Iron Man or Incredible Hulk. Movies like The Incredibles or Mystery Men wouldn't exist without Watchmen. The action scenes are nice, but that's not what the book or the movie are about. Don't go into it expecting huge fight extravaganzas and you'll be fine.

I want to write more, but I feel this review is bloated enough. I loved Watchmen the book and I love Watchmen the movie. I won't hate you if you dislike it, but I will disagree with you if you think Rohrshach is the man. I also won't hate on you if you wax philosophic after seeing the film. Just know that it's been done.