Any adaptation of the much-celebrated graphic novel (the only such work to appear on Time‘s list of the 100 greatest English-language novels) was bound to elicit varied and contradictory reactions, so it’s of little surprise that Watchmen is generating as much praise as it is derision. Having just read the novel, I can say that it faithfully maintains the novel’s powerful philosophical, psychological, and social themes, even if it feels a bit stiff at times. Snyder’s stylized direction is not as completely empty as it was on 300, but it still has its moments of needless overkill. The actors fill their roles well, although it is only Jackie Earle Haley who truly commands the screen as Rorschach, the most riveting, twisted, and sympathetic of the “costumed avengers.” (Hollywood Jewel 16, Waco, TX)