Well, me, for starters. 
As one who read it originally as a comic limited series (and NOT as a graphic novel) the movie stayed very true to the series. A dark, cold war era, conspiracy story not for the faint at heart. Many prudish Americans will be (and are) critical of the violence and sexual content. It is R rated. Children should not be allowed to see it. Adults should be able to handle it. Those who can’t should keep their complaints to themselves.
I don’t mean to sound flippant but you are warned! Watchmen has received an “R” rating from the MPAA, for graphic violence, sexuality, nudity and language. Some of that involves (*gasp*) the naked front of a man! Don’t be fooled because he’s blue! He’s still a naked man and that seems to frighten some people.
Moving on, the changes from the comic were minor, and the revised ending fits. It didn’t need to be changed but does work with the revision.
This is not really a superhero movie, though the main characters are superheroes. It is a cold war conspiracy movie and a morality tale about those who have chosen to protect us. That wording is deliberate as those who we choose to protect us first choose to take that mantle upon themselves. At 2 hours and 45 minutes the story takes time to build. You need to watch awhile to start picking up what’s going on. If you’re looking for a standard superhero movie full of constant action, you’re looking in the wrong place.
There are a couple of very nice action scenes to break things up a little bit. However, this is the thinking man’s superhero movie. It’s about something deeper than just getting special powers putting on some tights and fighting crime. It’s really about the responsibility of making that decision and deciding to go beyond just beating up criminals and actually trying to save the world.
Overall, I give it 4.5 stars. It’s not perfect, but I think the best adaptation of the comics that a fan could hope for.
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