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

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.
Watchmen keeps every mind human — it fights its subject at zero distance. The story fights on E8/E9/E12 of the E0–E14 reality ladder, compressing power, authority, war, surveillance, ideology.
Films fighting at the same level of reality, about the same things.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)E8/E12 · rare rung · authority, power
Valkyrie (2008)E8/E12 · rare rung · authority, power
Hercules (2014)E8/E12 · rare rung · authority, power
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)E8/E12 · rare rung · authority, power
Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms (2023)E8/E12 · rare rung · authority, power
Chimes at Midnight (1965)E8/E12 · rare rung · authority, powerThe same preoccupations examined at another scale — one mind versus a nation.
Ultraviolet (2006)E4/E11 · rare rung · authority, power
Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)E11/E14 · rare rung · power, surveillance
Arthur 3: The War of the Two Worlds (2010)E6/E11 · rare rung · power, war
Skylines (2020)E6/E13 · rare rung · power, war
Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)E11/E13 · rare rung · power, war
Return to Oz (1985)E10/E13 · rare rung · authority, powerOther films that change a standing rule of their world — ranked first by those bending it at the same rung.
Southland Tales (2007)alters at E0 · same rung · loose
Avengers: Endgame (2019)alters at E0 · same rung · loose
Doctor Strange (2016)alters at E0 · same rung · rigorous
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)alters at E0 · same rung · loose
Last Action Hero (1993)alters at E0 · same rung · loose
Don't Worry Darling (2022)alters at E0 · same rung · loose