Opening Credits: Watchmen

BY: Zak Wojnar

Originally published across twelve issues between 1986 and 1987, Alan Moore‘s Watchmen is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most important works of 20th century fiction (and was cited as such by mainstream publications as varied as Time and Entertainment Weekly). Before seminal stories like Watchmen ( as well as Frank Miller‘s The Dark Knight Returns and Neil Gaiman‘s Sandman), comic books were often dismissed as trite, pointless entertainment strictly for kids. When the twelve issues of Watchmen were collected and released as a graphic novel, the best comics began to be seen for what they really are: honest-to-goodness literature which can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the best in any medium.

Director Zack Snyder had made a name for himself with his first two feature films, the remake of Dawn of the Dead and his adaptation of the Frank Miller graphic novel, 300. His adaptation of Watchmen came out in March of 2009, and it was both praised and criticized for its unerring reverence to the source material, right down to often using the original comic book panels as storyboard references.

Thanks to the solid foundation set by the comic, the film version of Watchmen is a visual odyssey through a unique twist on 1980s Americana. The film is set in an alternate history brought forth by the existence of superhero vigilantes and Doctor Manhattan, a being so powerful, he transcends his own fleeting humanity, which becomes a problem over the course of the story. Thanks to him, America succeeds in crushing communist influence in Vietnam, which becomes the 51st US state. Having “won” the Vietnam War, President Richard Nixon repeals the 22nd Amendment and is elected to a third term as President… And then a fourth. And then a fifth.

The alternate history leading up to the primary 1985 setting of the film is covered in numerous flashbacks, but also in the film’s incredible opening titles sequence. Starting in the 1930s and leading all the way up to the 1976 re-election of Nixon, the nearly six-minute sequence features images from the rise of costumed heroes alongside fascism in the United States, all set to the legendary Bob Dylan classic, “The Times They Are A-Changin‘.”

The sequence plays with historical events like the famous image of the Times Square V-J Day Kiss and the assassination of President Kennedy. Here, he’s slain by The Comedian, played by The Walking Dead‘s Jeffrey Dean Morgan; the supposed “smoke” claimed to have been seen by witnesses in real life is depicted in the film as emanating from the character’s signature cigar.

Watchmen was something of a financial disappointment upon its initial release, grossing $185 million worldwide off a budget of $130 million. Despite the heavy marketing push and the prestige of the source material, the film’s R-rating, 1980s setting, and lengthy runtime were all factors in keeping the film from becoming a mainstream success. Nonetheless, the film was a strong performer on home video, where the three-hour director’s cut was seen as a significant improvement over the theatrical version of the movie. His provocative work on the film led directly to Snyder securing a gig rebooting the DC Comics film universe with Man of Steel and the hugely controversial Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Watchmen is a film audiences are still talking about, nearly ten years after its original release. Some hate it, some love it, but everybody has an opinion, and the movie has cemented its status as a superhero epic like no other.