There is not a single thing about "Watchmen" that is anything less than grandiose, whether you're simply talking about its running time (164 minutes) or discussing the long, multi-generational list of characters. Then of course there's the fact that it is based on the much-celebrated graphic novel by the same title, a novel I suspect 90 percent of the folks reading this have never read. Part of me wishes I was in that group, but I read the novel in the days leading up to the film's release. Thus, it's impossible for me to judge the movie without immediately comparing it to the pages written by Alan Moore (Moore, by the way, has been rather open about his disdain for this movie) and illustrated by Dave Gibbons.

Perhaps the best way to begin with "Watchmen" is to correct a common misconception about the story's characters. Typically, "Watchmen" is described as a story about retired superheroes. When one of them, The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), is murdered, another superhero named Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) begins his own investigation into things; Rorschach, who speaks in choppy sentences and is generally considered crazy even by his fellow superheroes, is convinced there's a "mask killer" looking to take out ex-superheroes.

The misconception is this: they are not really superheroes. They play superheros, fighting crime ala Batman during the night. They dress up like superheroes, and certainly if you're a DC Comic fan you'll notice some obvious inspirations for the costumes. But without their spandex, these superheroes are just your everyday folk. There are no superpowers.

The only exception to that rule is Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup), because he can quite literally do whatever he pleases. But I suppose that is to be expected when the man puts himself back together from scratch after he gets atomized. He's the naked blue one, in case you were wondering.

Just put an asterisk on the word superhero.

Most of "Watchmen" takes place in 1985, although it is very different from the 1985 we existed in. Nixon (Robert Wisden) is still president, having managed to get rid of the term limits. He also has a ridiculously large nose. In fact, it's in this alternate 1985 I found some of the novel's - and the film's - most interesting concepts. Moore suggested that Nixon was behind the assassination of John F. Kennedy; screenwriters David Hayter and Alex Tse do more than suggest.

If you have read the novel, you'll notice there are missing subplots. You'll also notice that by the end of the movie, these missing subplots have resulted in a different ending. For me, the changes Hayter and Tse made are not outrageous. They at least tried to stay mostly true to the original story and after all, even with a few missing pieces the thing is almost three hours long.

On the other hand, some of director Zack Snyder's best work is in shots such as the opening, when he has essentially taken a camera and connected each frame of Gibbons' artwork. It is Snyder, by the way, that makes "Watchmen" work. "300" was extremely impressive when he brought that graphic novel to the big screen; "Watchmen," if anything, is even more visually tantalizing. Snyder knows how to shoot comic-style fights, he knows how to find the right mix of slow motion and regular speed, and he is definitely not shy about blood and sex. Yes, both are important elements in the graphic novel.

My main complaint with "Watchmen"? Dr. Manhattan's ubiquitous package. Put on some shorts, Pal!