Watchmen
Movie, 2009, Watchmen, Set in 1985
Watchmen is #1 of 25 in release order and #22 of 25 in chronological order in the DC.
The story
In a gritty and alternate 1985, the glory days of costumed vigilantes have been brought to a close by a government crackdown. But after one of the masked veterans is brutally murdered, an investigation into the killer is initiated. The reunited heroes set out to prevent their own destruction, but in doing so they uncover a sinister plot that puts all of humanity in grave danger.
Watchmen recap
In an alternate 1985 where Nixon is still president and costumed heroes have been outlawed, the Comedian, Edward Blake, is thrown from his apartment window. Rorschach, a masked vigilante still working illegally, suspects someone is killing former heroes and warns his old colleagues: Dan Dreiberg, the retired Nite Owl; Laurie Jupiter, the second Silk Spectre; Adrian Veidt, the businessman once called Ozymandias; and Doctor Manhattan, the near-godlike Jon Osterman, who keeps the Cold War in check. After a TV interviewer accuses Manhattan of giving his old associates cancer, he exiles himself to Mars, and the Soviets move on Afghanistan as the Doomsday Clock nears midnight. Laurie leaves Jon and falls for Dan, and the two return to costumed work. Rorschach is framed for murder and jailed, and Dan and Laurie break him out. Laurie learns the Comedian was her real father.
Watchmen ending explained
Rorschach and Nite Owl trace the conspiracy to Veidt, who has framed Manhattan by setting off energy blasts in New York and cities around the world that kill millions, uniting the US and USSR against Manhattan. The heroes agree to keep the secret for the sake of peace, except Rorschach, whom Manhattan kills. Manhattan leaves for another galaxy. Rorschach's journal, mailed before he left, sits in the slush pile of a right-wing newspaper, where a young staffer reaches for it.
Post-credits scenes
No. There is no post-credits scene.
Where to watch Watchmen
Watchmen is streaming on HBO Max in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 7.6/10, Rotten Tomatoes 64%
Where it fits
- Release order: first, before Man of Steel.
- Chronological order: after Lanterns, before Watchmen: Chapter I.
What to watch before Watchmen
Nothing. Watchmen (2009) doesn't continue an earlier version, so it stands on its own.
Cast
- Malin Akerman as Laurie Jupiter / Silk Spectre II
- Patrick Wilson as Dan Dreiberg / Nite Owl II
- Billy Crudup as Jon Osterman / Dr. Manhattan
- Matthew Goode as Adrian Veidt / Ozymandias
- Jackie Earle Haley as Walter Kovacs / Rorschach
- Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Edward Blake / The Comedian
- Carla Gugino as Sally Jupiter / Silk Spectre
- Laura Mennell as Janey Slater
- Matt Frewer as Edgar Jacobi / Moloch the Mystic
- Stephen McHattie as Hollis Mason / Nite Owl
- Rob LaBelle as Wally Weaver
- Gary Houston as John McLaughlin
Directed by Zack Snyder.