Rorschach's Journal: March 8th 2009: This city is afraid of me. It has reason to, I have seen its true face. The streets are extended gutters and the gutters are full of blood. The whores and politicians look up and shout 'Save us!'

And I whisper

'no'.

Welcome to the end of the Superhero movie as we know it. Zack '300' Snyder has brought the once deemed 'un-filmable' landmark graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons to the big screen and nothing will ever be quite the same.

Watchmen is a behemoth of thought provoking superhero action, breathtaking visual flair and gut churning violence.

I was prepared for bitter disappointment because the original comic boasts such a deep vein of rich intermingled sub plots, fantastical imagery and mind bending intellectual concepts – how could it be possibly be effectively captured in just under three hours of screen time?

But to my delight and amazement Watchmen delivers on the big screen better than I dared hope. The sheer dedication and flawless attention to the source material is admirable, the vivid way that the original pages have literally 'come to life' in jaw dropping high resolution makes this a bona fide visual masterpiece.

For those seeking wham bang no brain action, this isn't going to be for you because whilst there are some excellent action scenes, this is film that requires brainpower for maximum appreciation.

Watchmen is a truly adult themed thriller, set in an alternative 1985 where Richard Nixon has won a third term as president and the Cold War has taken the world to brink of nuclear Armageddon.

After an excellent scene setting credit sequence we witness the murder of The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), a mercenary / hero with dubious morals and a taste for carnage. His death sets one time colleague Rorschach, a masked vigilante (superb turn from Jackie Earle Haley) on the trial of whoever might be looking to execute masked heroes.

You'll need to pay attention to keep up with the twisting plot elements as the storyline delights in pulling the rug from under the viewer. Don't go expecting a simple spoon fed structure or a traditional blockbuster ending, we're in serious end of the world territory here. This is the authoritative Old Testament – a companion to The Dark Knight's New Testament…