This new animated Watchmen movie trailer looks like the film the live-action version should have been

One of the most important graphic novels of all time finally gets the film it deserves

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’Watchmenis widely regarded as a classic and one of thebest graphic novels of all time– Zack Snyder’s 2009 live-action adaptation? Not so much. It’s one of the few movies I’ve walked out of. As a fan of the original source material, it felt like watching a bad tribute band murder my favorite songs.

So I’m both excited and delighted by the first trailer ofWatchmen: Chapter 1, Warner Bros.' new animated adaptation. It looks like the movie the live-action version should have been, so it’s fair to say that it has the potential to be one of thebest superhero movies.

Like the original, this is not for kids: it’s a dark, dystopian R-rated nightmare. Set in an alternate-history 1980s USA,Watchmenfollows a group of outlawed superheroes who are forced out of mandatory retirement by the murder of one of their own. As we soon discover, these superheroes are not so super – and not so heroic either.

Why Watchmen is worth watching

The idea of a dark, morally conflicted superhero story might not sound so shocking now, but in the 1980s, the comic book seriesWatchmenandBatman: The Dark Knight Returns– which came out at the same time – transformed the genre. AndWatchmenisn’t just a complex story well told, it’s visually stunning too.

The makers ofWatchmen: Chapter 1have clearly strived to preserve that visual inventiveness, and the scenes with Dr Manhattan in particular work so much better as animation than they did in the movie.

It sounds pretty great too, and the adaptation features a stellar voice cast. AsIGNreports, the voices include:

They had me at “Harry Bosch is Rorschach”.

Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.

Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.

I’m excited about this, but I’ll have to wait to watch the whole thing: it won’t be released until August 13. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get aWatchmenfix in the meantime. If you’re in the US,HBO’s superbWatchmenTV show– which was inspired by the graphic novel but told a very different but equally shocking story – is streaming now on Max. Those in the UK, can catch it on Sky or Now, while those in Australia, can stream it on Foxtel Now and Stan.

Watchmen: Chapter 1will be released digitally on 13 August, and on4KUHD and Blu-Ray on 27 August.Watchmen: Chapter 2will follow later this year.

You might also like

Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than a dozen books. Her memoir,Carrie Kills A Man, is on sale now and her next book, about pop music, is out in 2025. She is the singer in Glaswegian rock bandUnquiet Mind.

How to watch Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light FREE online from anywhere

Red One isn’t perfect but it proves we need more action-packed Christmas movies

Phishing attacks surge in 2024 as cybercriminals adopt AI tools and multi-channel tactics