Let me first start by saying that I watched the normal version and not the director's cut, so my review is based on that. I have been waiting to watch watchmen for a long time and I finally got the chance. Over the years I have watched most of the comic adaptations that have come out of Hollywood, some great and others not so great. But in almost all cases the story has been understandable. Watchmen is the first movie where I really felt that I should have read the comic to fully understand what was going on.
I found the plot and story to be very complicated. It took me a while to understand what the characters really were; normal people, superheroes or ex-superheroes. Without going into detail, the whole explaining sequence in the beginning was hard to follow, and it did not get that much better later on. The main plot was a bit easier to get, but I was still left with a feeling that something was unexplained and that the characters didn't make much sense.
Technically Watchmen is fantastic with great special effects and other technical details. The Mars scenes are beautiful and Dr. Manhattan looks great. Acting is also decent and all of the main cast do great performances. The score also deserves a nod.
I have to admit I was disappointed in Watchmen, but something tells me it is my own fault for not reading the comic first. I have come to understand that the comic is very hard to adopt into a movie from people that have read it. The movie has all the elements needed for a great experience, except a very hard to understand story and characters. If you are a former Watchmen fan I am positive you will enjoy this. If you are like me where this is the first time you enter the world of Watchmen, the experience might be more varied. 6/10