Watchmen by Zack Snyder

Anyone who has ever seen a superhero movie, wanted to be a superhero, thought about the word superhero, and or heard words "super" or "hero" in the same vicinity needs to see this movie. Watchmen directed by Zach Snyder of 300 fame is a glorious celebration of the visual medium of film and storytelling. I believe Snyder is one of the people who remembers that while film should tell a story it is also a visual medium for a reason. So with that let us contemplate the entire rain drenched world that the heroes of Watchmen inhabit. Every store front and lot was created by set designers, the owl ship an entirely real object crafted by the set designers, all the costume storage areas, the comedian's apartment, the arctic base at the end, everything was a real set. Very little green screen here. Many like to criticize Snyder's use of the slo-mo but it is truly used with consideration here, the color palette is purposeful and spot on. A visual feast some might consider this movie.
In terms of the story and the characters we see each one of them on their own terms, each character is so skillfully and lovingly crafted into individuals, not like X-men where we only get smatterings of origins and individuality over three films. The story is intact and relevant to today when the country rallies behind a heroic leader like the people of this alternate history rallied around Nixon who won Vietnam with the utilization of Dr. Manhattan. Dr. Manhattan is given perhaps the best part of the movie, his origin story is one of great power and sadness, a man who has become a god no longer relates to the world that he was once so much a part of. Nite Owl is a pudgy man out of work too long who cannot get an erection with a costume on, he is played perfectly by Patrick Wilson and then there is Malin Akerman who plays Laurie aka Silk Spectre is great in her role as a woman defined by her sexuality and her mother. Matthew Goode is good, not spectacular, but good and cold in his role as Ozymandias the world's smartest man. Then there is Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach and Jeffrey Dean Morgan as The Comedian, these two men run the show along with Billy Crudup as Dr. Manhattan. Haley embodies an anger and hurt so deep in his character it is an astounding performance from the oscar nominee and Morgan solidifies his ability to rule the screen every time he is present.
This movie is a movie of extreme intelligence, moments of humor, great action, and a lot of ideas. Who gives these people the power to decide justice, what does being a superhero do to you and your sexuality, what happens to the mistakes me make, are doomed people, what is a miracle, is life such a phenomenon as we think?
I could write so much, but I have tried to filter my barrage of thoughts into something hopefully coherent. This is the best superhero movie ever made, and unlike batman which seems ashamed of its comic origins Watchmen wears it proud only to kill the idea of the superhero. Thank you Zach Snyder.