This week's new movie releases - March 6, 2009

It's a very quiet week, and the only wide release to open Friday is Zack Snyder's anticipated big-screen adaptation of "Watchmen." Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Carla Gugino, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Patrick Wilson star. Let's take a closer look:

WATCHMEN

Synopsis: Watchmen is set in an alternate 1985 America in which costumed superheroes are part of the fabric of everyday society, and the "Doomsday Clock" - which charts the USA's tension with the Soviet Union - is permanently set at five minutes to midnight. When one of his former colleagues is murdered, the washed-up but no less determined masked vigilante Rorschach sets out to uncover a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes.

First thoughts: I admit I never read the graphic novel the film is based on, but I am utterly excited to experience "Watchmen" in theaters this weekend. The many reviews I glimpsed at over the past week were very mixed, with some praising the film for so many reasons while others were rather negative. What I've seen of the film so far really impressed me, so I'll definitely walk into my screening with high expectations.