‘Watchmen: An HBO Limited Series’ Blu-ray review

HBO’s episodic extension of writer Alan Moore’s and artist Dave Gibbons’ seminal mature superhero comic book mini-series from 1987 arrived late last year, much to the acclaim of critics and fans.

Now available on Blu-ray in a three-disc set, Watchmen: An HBO Limited Series (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, Rated TV-MA, 1.78:1 aspect ratio, 527 minutes, $44.98) delivers all nine, one-hour shows concocted from “Lost” and “The Leftovers” creator Damon Lindelof.

The fresh and equally nostalgic take on a classic tale of power corrupts offers an America manipulated by vigilantes, racists, stalkers, megalomaniacs, super-powered entities, a god and even President Robert Redford.

Set in the year 2019, 34 years after an interdimensional squid killed half of the population in New York City, the shows introduce viewers to a Tulsa, Oklahoma, police force wearing yellow masks to conceal their identity to protect against retaliation from a persistent group called the Seventh Kavalry.

These racist anarchists are known for their devotion to deceased hero Rorschach and for the slaughter of law enforcement personnel on the “White Knight” and near genocide of a town in the “Black Wall Street Massacre.”

When the chief of police, Judd Crawford (Don Johnson), is found hanged, a murder mystery plays out that will encompass many of the heroes and their enemies as well as reveal new truths and origins in the Watchmen universe.

Blended into the story are new heroes such as Angela Abar aka Sister Night (Regina King), Wade Tillman aka Looking Glass (Tim Blake Nelson) and now older favorites from the comics including FBI Agent Laurie Blake aka Silk Spectre (Jean Smart) and Adrian Veidt aka Ozymandias (Jeremy Irons) and Dr. Manhattan.

Fans will drop their jaws while watching scenes such as Mr. Veidt, using expendable clones to perform a twisted theatrical production of the origin of Dr. Manhattan or finding out the truth behind the legendary Minutemen’s enforcer and first hero, Hooded Justice.

The show’s rich development will completely mesmerize as its care in production and story detail brings passionate reverence to the adapted source and its engaging expansion.

Unfortunately, Mr. Lindelof was apparently at a loss for new ideas and unable to come up with a second season for the show after exhausting his load in what he considered to be a completed story arc.

Hopefully, more episodes happen with a format more akin to HBO’s anthology crime drama “True Detective” as new creators in love with the Watchmen universe pick up the mantle and are asked to interpret a colorful alternate history of the 20^th century.

Best extras: What looks like a bountiful supply of bonus content peppered across all discs breaks down to 17 sometimes too-short featurettes (around five minutes).

The character profiles are worth a look as well as watching Mr. Gibbons draw Sister Night, but there is some meat to the extras, found in a quartet of segments.

First, a 36-minute panel discussion at the 2019 New York Comic Con offers Mr. Lindelof, director Nicole Kassel, Mr. Gibbons and main members of the cast as they stress reverence to the source material while offering some insight to the show as a smitten audience fawns over their every word. Mr. Irons is, by far, the comedic star of the panel.

Next, a 16-minute item introduces the themes of the show from mainly Mr. Lindelof as he touches on racism in America, why heroes and villains wear masks, the merging of real and alternate history, and reminding us to always be skeptical of those in authority.

Finally, a pair of 12-minute spotlights on Hooded Justice and Ozymandias features interviews from the actors and plenty of Mr. Gibbons’ art from the original comics.