I really disagree with the take that the Watchmen movie glorifies the characters

So I really like the movie, I think it does a good job translating some very challenging source material. It’s got its flaws, but I think overall it’s an entertaining movie.

I do see a lot of people claim it misses the point of the book, specifically in how the heroes are portrayed, but I think that’s a little unfair.

In my opinion, the heroes are still very much portrayed as incredibly flawed individuals. Rorschach is still a homophobic psychopath (I’ve seen a lot of people say that was cut out of the movie, but he definitely still says bigoted stuff), the Comedian is still a douche, Dr Manhattan is increasingly apathetic, and Nite Owl has to fight crime just to get hard rather than out of the goodness of his heart.

I think a lot of it comes down to how people perceive Snyders style in the movie. The main argument is that the way he frames action and the camera makes the heroes look too badass. I can kind of see that criticism, but it doesn’t change what kind of people they are. Just because Rorschach has a cool shot in the rain doesn’t make him any less of a nut job.

As for the action, I feel like it’s deliberately shot in an exaggerated violent way to make the characters look even more irresponsible and messy, like in the alleyway mugging. I feel like it makes Silk Spectre and Nite Owl not look very heroic to see them getting excited over the prospect of breaking bones out of peoples arms. It may be shot in a cool way, but it also demonstrates how that lifestyle might seem intoxicating for the characters