New Watchmen movie debuts with perfect Rotten Tomatoes score, but there’s a catch

Fifteen years after Zack Snyder’s divisive film, a new Watchmen movie has landed a perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes score… but there’s a couple of things you should know.

It’s 2009, I’m talking about the critical reception to Watchmen. It’s 2020, I’m talking about the critical reception to Watchmen. It’s 2024, I’m talking about the critical reception to Watchmen.

Warner Bros can’t stop adapting Alan Moore’s seminal comic book series (much to the author’s dismay), but its latest on-screen incarnation (directed by Young Justice’s Brandon Vietti) has been met with unanimous praise.

In addition to the new movie’s 100% Rotten Tomatoes score, Watchmen: Chapter 1 has been praised by critics and fans alike as the “best adaptation yet.”

“With impressive animation and a faithful script, Watchmen: Chapter 1 is clearly a labor of love. But while it avoids some of the pitfalls of prior adaptations, it also reveals a few of its own,” IGN wrote.

“Watchmen: Chapter 1 isn’t a perfect adaptation of the comic that redefined superhero stories at the tail end of the 20th century, it’s the closest fans will get to a fully adapted version of Watchmen,” Comic Book Resources also wrote.

There’s just a small catch: it’s an animated movie, and it’s unclear when Chapter 2 will be released.

If you’re unfamiliar with the story, it takes place in an alternate timeline where once-celebrated superheroes either work for the government or moonlight as outlawed vigilantes.

When The Comedian is murdered, Rorschach calls upon his retired crimefighters to find out why he was targeted… and they start to unfurl a bigger, scarier mystery than they ever imagined.

No spoilers here, but Watchmen is a notoriously unwieldy tome, so it makes sense to split it into two parts. Chapter 1 is only 83 minutes long, so the whole thing will likely run close to three hours (similar to Snyder’s director’s cut, the only version worth watching).

How to watch Watchmen: Chapter 1

Watchmen: Chapter 1 is available to buy or rent from Prime Video, Apple TV, and other on-demand platforms now.

You can also pre-order it on Blu-ray ahead of its release on August 27.

In the meantime, you can find out where Watchmen ranks on our list of the best superhero movies of all time.