I love Watchmen. Despite how stylistic it can be at times (Zac Snyder makes some great visuals but the slow mo can come off empty at times) the story on the while is much more detailed than other superhero fare (and by that I mean the green lanterns and fantastic fours of the world)
Rorschach is a great character and Jackie Earle Hayley nailed it. I may also be causing Alan Moore great heartache as well by saying this but the changes they made to the ending worked a treat as well: it made the story arc feel a bit more complete.
Anyways, love it! Snyder is best when adapting others material as it gives him a bit more focus than when he makes his own content. Cough sucker punch cough.
What you said about the creator being super stylistic and the story being there for empty. I feel it can make the movies come off as pretentious. Although I do prefer movies with good visuals. Because when movie makers neglect that visual aspect off film making I think they are throwing out a very crutial and important part off film making... Cause films cater to what you see, hear, feel inside, the visuals right there is not in most forums off story telling. So why not use to the stories advantage? He does make a lot off comic books come alive in his work, he now has a major geek/nerd following cause off this... that is a big following!
I never saw the theatrical version, but I bought the DVD of the super-duper extended cut (I believe it runs somewhere between 5 and 6 hours). I really enjoyed it.
I do not like it when they cut out awesome scenes! then again they need to cater to marketing and cenima needs etc!