Watchmen

This long-awaited adaptation of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons's seminal comic-book mini-series is less faithful than totally obsessive - a fanboy's love letter to a complex, adult work that deconstructed the American superhero myth on its original publication in 1986. Lifting whole frames from the source material, director Zack Snyder (300, Man of Steel) delivers a dark, violent epic set in an alternative 1980s in which America was victorious in Vietnam, Nixon remains president and masked crime-fighters have been outlawed by legislation. It's here that brutal and obsessive mystery man Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) investigates the murder of former "mask" The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and unravels a complex conspiracy involving quantum superman Dr Manhattan (Billy Crudup). Hyper-stylised visuals capture the noir-like seediness of Moore's world brilliantly, with the opening credits a tour-de-force scene-setter for the events that follow. Those unfamiliar with the work may be completely bewildered, but stick with it - this is a bold and uncompromising take on one of the genre's sacred cows that stands up to repeat viewings.