We’ve posited the question once, we’ll posit it again? Is “Watchmen” purely for geeks? The Twitter usual suspects, CHUD, Hitflix, etc., are definitely implying it’s a a solid winner with one of them even saying it’s a “revolution” in filmmaking. But that’s to be expected frankly. Partisan Comic-book film fans like comic-book films, but what about the rest of us who — sure have taste that bends certain ways — but aren’t overly in the tank for any particular genre? However…
Reuters says (presumably London reporters that “[London] Critics gave it mixed reviews,” and add Brit crits are “generally casting the movie as classy but no classic.”
However they don’t follow it up with a lot of evidence. In fact they post two positive reviews and then one negative review from not the best source. Britain’s top-selling tabloid (though usually easy lays) weekly News of the World, says, “This two-and-a-half-hour wannabe pop culture epic isn’t the worst superhero movie ever made … but it is one of the most spirit-crushingly disappointing.” But that’s about the only really negative report. The London Times is generally positive, the Huffington Post is generally positive and Moviehole is very positive (though again, partisan folks).
So does Reuter’s U.K. correspondents have it in for “Watchmen” or are they bad at presenting evidence? Weird. If you’re going to report it, report it right or don’t at all. Reuters are usually factual and a cut above. The only thing we can add to this is another U.K.-based Hollywood Elsewhere reader has wrote in with a lukewarm review.