Watchmen Movie Reviews Are 68 Percent Positive

While there are many headlines reporting that Watchmen movie reviews are mixed, there are only a handful of reviews that have surfaced from actual movie watchers. Because Warner Bros. initially placed an embargo on reporters in the U.S. that had seen advanced screenings of the movie, most of the reviews that have surfaced have been from England and Australia. However, a couple U.S. reviews have leaked out from news sites that either broke the embargo or are now clear and free on the embargo since the movie has opened overseas. Comicbook.com searched online to locate as many Watchmen movie reviews as we could find. We left out reviews written by reporters who were reporting secondhand from what a friend said and only counted reviews written by writers who had actually seen the movie. Comicbook.com was able to locate twenty-five Watchmen movie reviews in all. Of those twenty-five reviews, 68 percent of them could be labeled as positive, 20 percent of them could be labeled as negative, and 12 percent of them were too mixed to clearly label. Unfortunately, of the five negative reviews we found, two of them are from two of the largest entertainment news sites in the U.S. Most of the positive reviews are coming from overseas sites and online comic book news sites. Many newspaper sites are quoting the negative reviews from the Hollywood Reporter and Variety, because those are two of the most well-known U.S. entertainment sites to offer full reviews of the movie. Negative Watchmen Movie Reviews In the Hollywood Reporter, Kirk Honeycutt writes, "Looks like we have the first real flop of 2009." In Variety, Justin Chang writes, "…the film seems to yield to the very superhero cliches it purports to subvert." In News Of The World, Robbie Collins writes, "This 2 -hour wannabe pop culture epic isn't the worst superhero movie ever made but it IS one of the most disappointing." In IGN UK, Orlando Parfitt writes, "This movie is a shallow interpretation of Watchmen, shorn of sophistication or literary density." In New York Magazine, David Eldestein writes, "…this kind of reverence kills what it seeks to preserve. The movie is embalmed." Mixed Watchmen Movie Reviews In The News, Lewis Bazley writes, "those who've never turned a page of Moore in their life will be frequently confused and dislocated from the plot." In JoBlo.com, Jenna Busch writes, "In fact, I'm pretty sure I liked it. I was just disappointed." In Catholic News, Peter W. Sheehan writes, "Although there is a definite visual style to this film, and the movie unusually entertains, it comes in at 160 min. in length." Positive Watchmen Movie Reviews In the Scotsman, Siobhan Synnot writes, "Watchmen is pretty good, and certainly superior to many other graphic novel adaptations in scope and ambition. In the Huffington Post, Mike Ragogna writes, "…for those just watching Watchmen for the Watchmen without any expectations or knowledge of the comic's storyline or historical importance, this really will be a blast." In The Sci Fi Australia Blog, Captain writes, "…seems destined to be a classic of the ilk of Bladerunner, so rich it is with detail, and anti-establishment plotting, character and resolution." In IGN Australia, Patrick Kolan writes, "It's the Watchmen movie you always wanted to see but never expected to get." In 3 News, Kate Rodger writes, "The world is ready for Watchmen, and I'll certainly be lining up to watch the Watchmen again." In the Times Online, Kevin Maher writes, "The film that has emerged, however, is a mesmerising and brutalising experience, and will be, for some at least, more than worth the wait." In Time, Matt Selman writes, "It's a surreal mind-trip the likes of which my 14-year-old self would never have believed. " In Empire Online, Ian Nathan writes, "Zack Snyder clearly gives a toss, creating a smart, stylish, decent adaptation, if low on accessibility for the non-convert." In the London Telegraph, Tom Hoggins writes, "Watchmen is a fascinating movie." In IESB.net, Leo Partible writes, "Like all great art, Snyder's vision poses a new question that opens the door for other filmmakers to explore." In Mania, Rob Vaux writes, "-that it plays in the same league as the best comic book adaptations ever made--speaks volumes about its achievements." In eFluxMedia, Chris Georg writes, "Overall, it remains a promising experience more than worth the wait." In the Mirror, Steve Anglesey writes, "10 reasons you've got to watch Watchmen." In Den of Geek, Michael Leader writes, "It is hard to imagine a better screen representation of this 'unfilmable' graphic novel." In Newsarama, Simon Blaire writes, "The film is good. Really, really good." In Comic Book Resources, Erik Amaya writes, "While it may not offer the same simple delights, Watchmen will leave you thinking about a lot more than its story; which, surprisingly, is just like the book." On Ain't It Cool News, Harvey Knowles writes, "It's just so exciting to be this wrapped up in a film that you can get wrapped up in chatting with friends all night into the next morning and into noon…" Are there any Watchmen movie reviews that we missed? There probably are a bunch that we didn't find. Please post links to any additional Watchmen movie reviews that you come across in the comment section below.