Just from people I know, a lot of them who had never read the book liked it way more than those who have. There is a strong thriller/mystery aspect to
Watchmen if you don't know the plot beforehand, which anyone who read the book would. So then it's more about the execution. (I thought the acting and pacing was really bad and that hurt it more than anything else.) Similar to
V for Vendetta.
My parents liked it fairly well, and the only other superhero one they've seemed to like in recent years was
Winter Soldier. Even if they had no clue who any of the characters were. They thought
The Avengers was incoherent nonsense*.

Also, that's a nice thread title.
spoiler (click to show/hide)
*It was.
