WATCHMEN {Ultimate} (DVD Review) - 12/1/10

I knew the company behind "Watchmen" would attempt to wring every penny they could out of the public with their usual ploys and they kicked that off with the release of 'Tales Of The Black Freighter' and then strung it out over a year with the 2-disc Motion Comic release, single disc release, the double disc set then followed with the Director's Cut and the ensuing Blu-Ray releases - Knowing full well a FINAL set (Maybe?) was due to be released with the animated footage put back in - So I waited. Along trundles the ULTIMATE Set with 5 discs and it's difficult where to start? For possibly the greatest graphic novel ever it's diversions about time translated to the screen seemed incredibly slow as the story spun out little by little but three and a half hours seemed to fly by? I can't say I finished watching the film elated but more of a sense of disappointment. Swathes of storyline have gone and to me it just did not gel at all plus the change in the ending seemed pointless - The insertion of the animated footage lent nothing to the story really and the animation itself was atrocious. Things did not bode well - But the second disc had the pseudo-documentary 'Under The Hood' on it which watched in conjunction with the 'Watchmen' fills in a number of back points. A large selection of background Featurettes really does put a greater perspective on the whole of the Production process. Disc 3 is a bit of a piss-take as it's a digital copy of the Theatrical Version of the film which expires after a year and only ships with the initial print run. Discs 4 & 5 comprise the complete Animated Motion Comic all 12 chapters spread over 3 hours and it really is like watching the book - This I found a much more rewarding experience. The cover to the boxset is appalling but the outside fold-out and the further inside fold-out is pretty good - This houses the first three discs whilst the Animated Motion Comic comes in a separate 2-disc case. Amongst the hogwash I see everything but Alan Moore who has aspired to stand by his word and avoid all of the Hollywood Hoo-Haa: Nowhere in titles written or otherwise does his name appear apart from a couple of brief mentions in the Making-Offs - Mr Moore I salute you!

POPCORN RATING: