9 Comic Book Movies That Divided Critics And Fans
2. Watchmen
Your friend Zack Snyder again, this time directing an adaptation of one of the most acclaimed graphic novels of all time. Watchmen had been trapped in development hell for years, with directors like Terry Gilliam and Paul Greengrass trying and failing to crack it. The book was considered unfilmable by many, but Zack had yet to try.
He made a pretty straight adaptation whilst adding plenty of style, but somehow the subtext got lost along the way; Watchmen had some great performances thanks to Billy Crudup and Jackie Earle Haley, but it didn’t hold very well. Yet, it still got surprisingly strong reviews praising its look, the performances and it’s faithfulness to the source material.
It's when you get to fans of the graphic novel that things get messy; some liked it for the same reasons as the critics, but others felt the comic was untouchable and the film fell way short of reaching the same level of greatness. It inspires spirited discussion today, which is a good legacy in itself.