What is the iRankMovies score for Watchmen?

Name: Watchmen
Director: Zack Snyder
Genre: action, mystery, science-fiction
Released: 2009
Duration: 2 h 43 min
Rating: 7.6

Watchmen has an iRankMovies score of 68.5/100, based on a weighted combination of IMDb (×3.0), Rotten Tomatoes (×2.0), Metacritic (×1.5), and TMDb (×1.0).

Watchmen (2009)

Justice is coming to all of us. No matter what we do.

Release:2009

Runtime:2h 43m

Country:United States

Director:Zack Snyder

Language:English

Genre

ActionMysteryScience Fiction

See the best action movies →

Keywords

Usa PresidentNuclear WarMass MurderSecret IdentityNarrationSoviet UnionMelancholyRetirement

iRank69

Watchmen rating: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic

IMDb7.6/10· 609K votes

Rotten Tomatoes64%

Metacritic56%

TMDb7.354/10· 10K votes

With 64% on Rotten Tomatoes, backed by 7.6/10 on IMDb and 56/100 on Metacritic, critical reception of this film has been mixed.

About Watchmen

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.

Cast of Watchmen

Malin Akerman
as Laurie Jupiter / Silk Spectre II
Patrick Wilson
as Dan Dreiberg / Nite Owl II
Billy Crudup
as Jon Osterman / Dr. Manhattan
Matthew Goode
as Adrian Veidt / Ozymandias
Jackie Earle Haley
as Walter Kovacs / Rorschach
Jeffrey Dean Morgan
as Edward Blake / The Comedian
Carla Gugino
as Sally Jupiter / Silk Spectre
Laura Mennell
as Janey Slater
Matt Frewer
as Edgar Jacobi / Moloch the Mystic
Stephen McHattie
as Hollis Mason / Nite Owl
Rob LaBelle
as Wally Weaver
Gary Houston
as John McLaughlin

Watchmen facts

Budget: $130M
Box office: $185.3M

Our take on Watchmen

Zack Snyder's 2009 adaptation drops us into a grim alternate 1985 where costumed vigilantes have been outlawed after a government crackdown. When one of the masked veterans is brutally murdered, the investigation pulls the scattered heroes back together, and their search uncovers a sinister plot that threatens all of humanity. Denser and more morally tangled than a standard superhero picture, it treats its caped figures as flawed, aging people wrestling with power and consequence. The tone runs dark and deliberate. It rewards viewers who want their comic-book stories layered with mystery, political unease and philosophical weight rather than easy heroics, and works best for those who like their science-fiction demanding.

Ranked by the iRankMovies editorial teamUpdated August 2026Methodology Data sources

Audience opinions

What the audience liked

•Ambitious superhero deconstruction explores moral ambiguity and geopolitical intrigue
•Stylish direction with deliberate visual storytelling adapts complex source material
•Intricate narrative structure builds conspiracy mythology across multiple storylines

What the audience disliked

•Dense plotting and exposition overload makes narrative challenging to fully digest
•Some philosophical themes overshadow character development and emotional stakes