Watchmen (2009)

The July 2008 US teaser sets its moving-comic-book images to the slower Smashing Pumpkins song The Beginning Is the End Is the Beginning. As a short piece, its beauty and menace do not need to explain the alternate history immediately. The theatrical film's literal staging and substantial exposition make a different demand, even where its images remain powerful. This is the contentious choice for viewers who find the compressed atmosphere more persuasive than the full adaptation.