Rating: ****
Review Date: 12/8/24
Cast: Troy Baker, Katee Sackhoff, Adrienne Barbeau, Corey Burton,
Rick D. Wasserman, Titus Welliver
"None of you understand. I'm not locked up in here with you. You're locked up in here with me!"
The Comedian (Rick D. Wasserman) saw something he shouldn't have, and was murdered for it. Rorschach (Titus Welliver) investigated and got a little too close to finding answers, so he was framed for murder and thrown into jail with a bunch of violent criminals who want him dead. America's Superman, Dr. Manhattan, is accused of giving people cancer and exiles himself to Mars. Masked heroes are being targeted and Nite Owl comes out of retirement to try and find a connection between all of his former colleagues. With Dr. Manhattan out of the picture, his girlfriend Laurie Juspeczyk (Katee Sackhoff) goes to Nite Owl for comfort, and the two of them decide to break Rorschach out of jail. With the world on the brink of nuclear war, the stage is set for the final reveal and the future of humankind.
"Watchmen Chapter 2" is a considerable tonal shift from Chapter 1. Whereas the first installment was dominated by Rorschach's investigation, the second half focuses on Dan and Laurie, and their budding relationship. The film remains true to the comic book, and to be honest, I literally had no recollection of how the story ended. None. As the climax played out, I thought to myself "is this really how it all went down?" Afterwards, I had to go back and check the source material. What's funny is that I vividly remember Nite Owl and Rorschach flying to Antarctica and I remember what happened when they left, but there was no memory at all of the showdown with Ozymandias. Weird.
Regardless, the film is still an amazing piece of work, although some of the CGI elements look a bit janky and out of place. The story is more action driven and Rorschach's prison break is a tense and harrowing set piece. The voice acting feels like an improvement over the first part, as Nite Owl quits moping and jumps into the fray, and Laurie's emotions finally come to a head and explode with sexual fury. "Tales Of The Black Freighter" also plays a larger role and its horrifying conclusion mirrors the madness of the real world. However, despite the increased action, stakes, and pacing, I found the world-building and neo-noir aspects of Chapter 1 to be a more enjoyable outing.