THE PLOT: It’s the mid 1980s, and tension is running high between the Americans and Russians. Costumed heroes with an array of super powers lurk in the shadows to watch over a society riddled with fear and paranoia.

But a deadly conspiracy involving the masked crimefighters is unfolding, which could have far-reaching implications for the future of mankind.

Many years after the so-called “Minutemen” – Captain Metropolis, The Comedian, Dollar Bill, Hooded Justice, Mothman, Nite Owl, The Silhouette and Silk Spectre – guarded humanity, a new team of heroes has taken up the mantle.

The Comedian (Morgan) is the last of the old guard still standing and he is joined by Dr Manhattan (Crudup), Nite Owl II (Wilson), Ozymandias (Goode), Rorschach (Haley) and Silk Spectre II (Akerman).

When one of the team is murdered, the remaining members set out to unravel layers of mystery shrouding the crime, serving up lashings of sex and violence on the way.

THE VERDICT: Comic book aficionados will tell you that Watchmen is the daddy of them all.

But what works on the printed page of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ celebrated graphic novel doesn’t always translate into a top-rate movie.

It’s a brave decision to make an 18 certificate super hero movie which sidelines the genre’s usual teen audience.

And it doesn’t really pay off – this bloody and violent adventure is ponderous, slow, and at 162 minutes it’s also far too long.

Director Zack Snyder, who helmed Greek war drama 300, serves up a couple of decent action set pieces including one particularly good prison break-in, and the computer effects are seamlessly mixed with real action.

But the constant use of slow-motion in the fight scenes does little to lift the pace, and despite the occasional tongue in cheek one-liner, there’s too much navel-gazing and verbal nonsense in the final reel, making heavy going out of what is actually a very simple, straightforward story.

Carl Jones’ rating: 5/10

• Release Date: Friday 6 March 2009
• Certificate: 18
• Runtime: 162mins
• Starring: Patrick Wilson, Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Matthew Goode
• Director: Zack Snyder.

Pictures