Can't believe this is the only thread for the film on TMDB! I came to discuss why the film is as polarizing as it is, because it's a true gem of cinema imho.

I think this is the most beautifully shot superhero film of all time. The cinematography's color grading is something that recent Marvel films (and DC) completely mess up. Marvel uses grays instead of blacks and DC just darkens the whole image to mask the questionable CGI, whilst in WM we get "true black" and it looks fantastic against the colorful suits, Dr. Manhattan etc.

They also use plenty of rain in Watchmen, which is a technique to craft a slightly greater cinematic image. You get streetlights reflecting off the ground and it helps create atmosphere (particularly in the funeral shots). Another thing they make great use of is the music in the film. Now I'll be honest, I'm one of those people that have started to hate hearing actual music for a soundtrack because it's lazy and nostalgically manipulative, so it's a tad hypocritical I know. Anyhow, it works so well within the film like in the credit sequence, or during the "Apocalypse Now" scene, which makes it easier for the audience to digest what's happening because we're familiar with it. I guess it makes the characters in that scene kind of delusional too, because they think it's a film playing in their heads and it's so loud it's drowning out the Hueys, screams and gunfire.

The imagery and themes in this film are probably why I cherish this movie so much: the fact that we are watching a parallel universe of what could of happened. Like JFK being shot by the Comedian or Nixon getting - not only a 2nd - but a 3rd term as president. It shows human nature in it's most primal form. Perhaps you have to be a bit cynical to enjoy WM, I wonder? Some of the things said in this film are actually pointing the finger to our reality and it'd be wrong to ignore that.

I heard someone say that the characters are all personified ideologies dialed to 11 and I think they're correct. Just look at Rorschach's principles compared to Nite Owl's. One of them is a 'psychopath' who's seen it all and the other is this optimist who still keeps faith for everyone.

At the end of the day, I think that WM is a fantastic (not perfect) film, which splits opinions because of it's statement about people being bad in general(?). So what does everybody else think about Watchmen? Why the hate?