Watchmen (2009)
Mystery, Action, Science Fiction • 2h 43m
Overview
In a gritty and alternate 1985, the glory days of costumed vigilantes have been brought to a close by a government crackdown. But after one of the masked veterans is brutally murdered, an investigation into the killer is initiated. The reunited heroes set out to prevent their own destruction, but in doing so they uncover a sinister plot that puts all of humanity in grave danger.
Director: Zack Snyder
Cast: Malin Åkerman, Patrick Wilson, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Carla Gugino, Laura Mennell, Matt Frewer, Stephen McHattie, Rob LaBelle, Gary Houston, James M. Connor, Mary Ann Burger, John Shaw, Robert Wisden, Jerry Wasserman, Don Thompson, Frank Novak, Sean Allan, Garry Chalk, Stephanie Belding, Michael Kopsa, William S. Taylor, Chris Burns, Malcolm Scott, Danny Wattley, Nhi Do, Walter Addison, David MacKay, Keith Martin Gordey, Fulvio Cecere, Ted Cole, Mark Acheson, John Destry, Chris Gauthier, L. Harvey Gold, Jay Brazeau, Jesse Reid, Manoj Sood, Dan Payne, Niall Matter, Apollonia Vanova, Glenn Ennis, Darryl Scheelar, Clint Carleton, Brett Stimely, Carrie Genzel, Greg Travis, Greg Armstrong-Morris, Andrew Colthart, Bruce Crawford, Sal Sortino, Eli Snyder, Lori Watt, Tony Bardach, John Kobylka, Carmen Lavigne, J.R. Killigrew, Steven Stojkovic, Martin Reiss, Frank Cassini, John R. Taylor, Tara Frederick, Daryl Shuttleworth, Jaryd Heydrick, Ron Chartier, Carly Bentall, Matt Drake, Haley Guiel, Sonya Salomaa, Tyler McClendon, Salli Saffioti, Neil Schell, Michael Eklund, Deborah Finkel, Louis Chirillo, Marsha Regis, Patrick Sabongui, John Tench, Santo Lombardo, Jason Schombing, Darren Shahlavi, Marshall Virtue, Colin Lawrence, Chris Weber, Alessandro Juliani, Alison Araya, Sahar Biniaz, Matthew Harrison, Bernadeta Wrobel, Youri Obryvtchenko, Heidi Iro, Kit Noon, Parm Soor, Cristina Menz, Lynn Colliar, Tony Ali, Katie Bennison, Ian Farthing, Calvin Lee, Alexander Mandra, Isabelle Champeau, Ashley O'Connell, Mark Gash, Suzanne E. Smith, Agam Darshi, Tom McBeath, Kevin McNulty, Mark Docherty, Clay St. Thomas, Dale Wolfe, Ken Tremblett, Dawn Chubai, Manuelita Kinsey, Tamara Stanners, Sahara Davis, Dave Hospes, Greig Hospes, Ali Dunn, Jeffrey Frieler, Kurt Evans, Sylvesta Stuart, Terence Kelly, Mi-Jung Lee, Ted Friend, Tiffany Burns, Michael Adamthwaite, Danny Woodburn, Zack Snyder, Clay Enos
Director: Zack Snyder
Director: Zack Snyder
Director: Zack Snyder
Director: Zack Snyder
Regular AR: 2016 WB 4K Blu-ray
IMAX Version: 2021 WB 4K Blu-ray
Regular AR: 2016 WB 4K Blu-ray
IMAX Version: 2021 WB 4K Blu-ray
Regular AR: 2016 WB 4K Blu-ray
IMAX Version: 2021 WB 4K Blu-ray
Regular AR: 2016 WB 4K Blu-ray
IMAX Version: 2021 WB 4K Blu-ray
Director: Zack Snyder
Director: Zack Snyder
Director: Zack Snyder
Scream Factory 4K Blu-ray
Scream Factory 4K Blu-ray
Director: Zack Snyder
Scream Factory 4K Blu-ray
Scream Factory 4K Blu-ray
International Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray
International Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray > US Paramount 4K Blu-ray for the US Cut.
International Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray, is significantly better than the US Paramount 4K Blu-ray (even with FEL Baked in and Dolby Vision), with more grain retention and detail
SDR Comparisons: International Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray vs US Paramount 4K Blu-ray: https://slow.pics/c/TEPHtKjl
HDR Comparisons: International Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray vs US Paramount 4K Blu-ray: https://slow.pics/c/hIFe11Hx
Comparisons in SDR using L8 Trim from CM v4.0 (both UHDs can use CM v4.0): Remux vs USA UHD: https://slow.pics/c/mkrhVtpl
The International Cut, which contains alternate, more violent shots in the final act, hasn't been released on home video to date.
International Cut contains alternate, more violent shots in the final act.
International Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray
International Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray > US Paramount 4K Blu-ray for the US Cut.
International Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray, is significantly better than the US Paramount 4K Blu-ray (even with FEL Baked in and Dolby Vision), with more grain retention and detail
SDR Comparisons: International Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray vs US Paramount 4K Blu-ray: https://slow.pics/c/TEPHtKjl
HDR Comparisons: International Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray vs US Paramount 4K Blu-ray: https://slow.pics/c/hIFe11Hx
Comparisons in SDR using L8 Trim from CM v4.0 (both UHDs can use CM v4.0): Remux vs USA UHD: https://slow.pics/c/mkrhVtpl
The International Cut, which contains alternate, more violent shots in the final act, hasn't been released on home video to date.
International Cut contains alternate, more violent shots in the final act.
1991 Warner Bros LaserDisc (for original mono track)
1996 Warner Bros 25th Anniversary LaserDisc has isolated music and effects track (incorrectly labeled "music minus vocals") not present on any other release
1991 Warner Bros LaserDisc (for original mono track)
1996 Warner Bros 25th Anniversary LaserDisc has isolated music and effects track (incorrectly labeled "music minus vocals") not present on any other release
Director: John Waters
Director: John Waters
Director: Mike Hodges
Director: Mike Hodges
Director: Nicholas Ray
Director: Nicholas Ray
Director: Bob Clark
Director: Bob Clark
Director: Martin Scorsese
2024 Second Sight 4K Blu-ray
2024 Second Sight 4K Blu-ray
Director: Martin Scorsese
2024 Second Sight 4K Blu-ray
2024 Second Sight 4K Blu-ray
Director: Chuck Russell
Director: Chuck Russell
More Mystery on Blu-ray
Director: Orson Welles
MoC 4K Blu-ray and Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray are similar
Director: Orson Welles
MoC 4K Blu-ray and Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray are similar
Director: Wes Craven
France M6 Video 4K Blu-ray
France M6 Video - Geoff D review.
Lionsgate 4K Blu-ray disappointing - Avoid. Terrible release. Another Kino-grade encode with a huge DV layer. The Lionsgate Limited Steelbook has a different disc with exclusive bonus discs and apparently another poor encode but they also messed up the DV metadata and made that disc unwatchable with DV enabled.
US releases for the original audio
Pay per view version audio is on the UK Entertainment in Video Blu-ray and the France M6 Video 4K Blu-ray
Lionsgate Limited 4K Blu-ray has exclusive extras
Director: Wes Craven
France M6 Video 4K Blu-ray
France M6 Video - Geoff D review.
Lionsgate 4K Blu-ray disappointing - Avoid. Terrible release. Another Kino-grade encode with a huge DV layer. The Lionsgate Limited Steelbook has a different disc with exclusive bonus discs and apparently another poor encode but they also messed up the DV metadata and made that disc unwatchable with DV enabled.
US releases for the original audio
Pay per view version audio is on the UK Entertainment in Video Blu-ray and the France M6 Video 4K Blu-ray
Lionsgate Limited 4K Blu-ray has exclusive extras
Director: Paul Feig
France 4K Blu-ray > Italy Eagle Pictures > US Lionsgate - caps
credits are in French though
Director: Paul Feig
France 4K Blu-ray > Italy Eagle Pictures > US Lionsgate - caps
credits are in French though
Director: Michael Apted
Original matrixed Dolby Stereo: 2003 Sony/Columbia NTSC DVD 2.0
5.1 remix: 2024 Sony Blu-ray
The 5.1 track on the UHD is a remix originally included on the 2024 Blu-ray, but missing the LFE track. The UHD 2.0 track is a downmix of the faulty 5.1, severely lacking bass.
The digital track on the earlier LaserDisc is most likely the same as DVD, minus the lossy compression.
Director: Michael Apted
Original matrixed Dolby Stereo: 2003 Sony/Columbia NTSC DVD 2.0
5.1 remix: 2024 Sony Blu-ray
The 5.1 track on the UHD is a remix originally included on the 2024 Blu-ray, but missing the LFE track. The UHD 2.0 track is a downmix of the faulty 5.1, severely lacking bass.
The digital track on the earlier LaserDisc is most likely the same as DVD, minus the lossy compression.
Director: David Lynch
Criterion 4K Blu-ray or Germany Plaion 4K Blu-ray - subtle difference in encoding to the Criterion in encoding, trading blows in different shots, with Plaion taking a slight edge with less highlight blocking
1993 MGM LaserDisc/2000 Region 1 MGM DVD
Criterion's 2.0 sounds muffled due to noise reduction and EQ.
Plaion's 2.0 lacks bass and has a very bright EQ, more resembling the 5.1 remix. Plaion’s 2.0 doesn't have any filtering unlike the Criterion, see https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=23831289&postcount=110
Director: David Lynch
Criterion 4K Blu-ray or Germany Plaion 4K Blu-ray - subtle difference in encoding to the Criterion in encoding, trading blows in different shots, with Plaion taking a slight edge with less highlight blocking
1993 MGM LaserDisc/2000 Region 1 MGM DVD
Criterion's 2.0 sounds muffled due to noise reduction and EQ.
Plaion's 2.0 lacks bass and has a very bright EQ, more resembling the 5.1 remix. Plaion’s 2.0 doesn't have any filtering unlike the Criterion, see https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=23831289&postcount=110
Director: David Lynch
Criterion 4K Blu-ray is closer to the original DVDs than the 2015 Criterion release, not sure about whether the StudioCanal 4K is like the Criterion 4K/original DVD
Criterion 4K Blu-ray has FEL Dolby Vision, StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray has MEL
Director: David Lynch
Criterion 4K Blu-ray is closer to the original DVDs than the 2015 Criterion release, not sure about whether the StudioCanal 4K is like the Criterion 4K/original DVD
Criterion 4K Blu-ray has FEL Dolby Vision, StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray has MEL
Director: George A. Romero
Mono: 35mm scan, old Shout! Factory and Australia Umbrella Blu-ray sounds better than the rest of the discs, but has noise reduction
Stereo: Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray has a transfer of the 1986 Japan LaserDisc Stereo
Director: George A. Romero
Mono: 35mm scan, old Shout! Factory and Australia Umbrella Blu-ray sounds better than the rest of the discs, but has noise reduction
Stereo: Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray has a transfer of the 1986 Japan LaserDisc Stereo
Director: Tod Browning
Director: Tod Browning
Director: Wayne Wang
Director: Wayne Wang
Director: Robert Benton
Warner Archive Blu-ray 4K restoration from Original Camera Negative
Director: Robert Benton
Warner Archive Blu-ray 4K restoration from Original Camera Negative
Edit History
10/22/2025
Format
Added
UHD Blu-ray
Added
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly Release
Added
Theatrical: Some of the International Paramount BDs
Director's Cut: US WB or International Paramount BD?
Ultimate Cut: US WB or International Paramount UHD?
Added
Theatrical: Some of the International Paramount BDs
Director's Cut: US WB or International Paramount BD?
Ultimate Cut: US WB or International Paramount UHD?
Best Video Release
Added
Theatrical: Some of the International Paramount BDs
Director's Cut: US WB or International Paramount BD?
Ultimate Cut: US WB or International Paramount UHD? (Paramount UHD has Dolby Vision but different colors compared to the WB)
Added
Theatrical: Some of the International Paramount BDs
Director's Cut: US WB or International Paramount BD?
Ultimate Cut: US WB or International Paramount UHD? (Paramount UHD has Dolby Vision but different colors compared to the WB)
Blu-ray.com
Added
https://www.blu-ray.com/Watchmen/19899/#Releases
Added
https://www.blu-ray.com/Watchmen/19899/#Releases
caps-a-holic
Added
https://caps-a-holic.com/c_list.php?c=4641
Added
https://caps-a-holic.com/c_list.php?c=4641
DVDBeaver
Added
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews46/watchmen_blu-ray.htm
Added
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews46/watchmen_blu-ray.htm
