Huh? Oh, you're wondering about the weird looking title of this post. It's a latin phrase from the Roman poet Juvenal, literally translated to "Who will guard the guards themselves", or as we more commonly translate it, "Who watches the watchmen?".

For those of you who haven't watched or read (I recommend read then watch) Alan Moore's magnum opus, Watchmen, it is a very deep story set in an alternate history where the Cold War hinged on the existence of the superman. Nixon is president, Vietnam was won by the Americans, and the electric car is a common household item, all thanks to Jon Osterman, the only man in the world who has gained true superpowers.

Unfortunately for Jon, this transformation has caused him to lose touch with humanity - he can no longer experience time from a linear perspective, he has lost most of his human emotions, and he can no longer appreciate the difference between life and death. Indeed, it is the unique and unorthodox personalities of the heroes in Watchmen that become the true driving force of the story, which is why so many critics regarded the graphic novel as a seminal work in the deconstruction of the superhero ideal.


As the trailer proudly announces, Watchmen is known as 'the most celebrated graphic novel of all time', as it is the only work from the comic book genre to have won the Hugo Award. Because it is encapsulated as a graphic novel, as opposed to a set of characters with multiple series and affiliations (ie. Batman), a proposed movie of Watchmen was heavily scrutinized by fans since the film rights for the comic were bought waaaaay back in 1986. There also so many details, text, and dialogue in the graphic novel that a film adaption was largely thought unfeasible.

And yet, a roughly 3-hour Watchmen movie is out in theaters as we (or rather, as I) speak. Rotten Tomatoes summarizes the film's critical reception as follows:
"Gritty and visually striking, Watchmen is a faithful adaptation of Alan Moore's graphic novel, but its complex narrative structure may make it difficult for it to appeal to viewers not already familiar with the source material."

As for what I thought about the movie, that will have to wait for another day. This post is already getting too long, and I have work to do. I've got a 7,500 word essay to start working on, which I've chosen to be about vigilantes - and surprise, surprise, references to the Watchmen are definitely gonna show up in it ;)

"The book is always better." ~Richard Corliss, Time Magazine