Is anyone interested in Watching the Watchmen?
Review: Tales of the Black Freighter/Under the Hood
During the initial Watchmen hype (even before the movie was fully cast) there was some talk about having the "Tales of the Black Freighter" narrative as part of the film. Of course, most readers of this site will remember that this is the "comic within a comic" device that Alan Moore used to comment on the "real" narrative of the Watchmen. This signaled that director and alpha-fanboy Zach Snyder would give comic fans a 360 degree cinematic look at the great and beloved graphic novel.
And now, almost a month after the film's release? Well, for now the film is hardly a disaster, but it appears to be a real disappointment as far as the fans go and the US box office. Monday Morning Quarterbacking seems to be along the lines that the film was too faithful to the book; a refrain with virtually no precedent in the area of comic book film adaptations.
So, just a few weeks into the film's release fans find themselves with one more artifact from the production which is the straight-to-DVD "Tales of the Black Freighter/Under the Hood" (Warner Home Video). These two features complete the experience of the film (or, are supposed to complete the experience of the film) by adding some of the collateral narratives of the Watchmen graphic novel into the film experience as a whole. The question is at this point, does anyone really care?
"The Tales of the Black Freighter" is a surprise misfire. The animation is serviceable, but not nearly as grand or baroque as the story requires. There was much about this story in the Watchmen that would have made a good animated film, but (as with the Watchmen movie) something got simply lost in the translation. Gerard Butler's narration is a dud as well. Also, without the film to provide needed context, the story doesn't have any traction on its own (a huge problem). It would have been much more interesting to have made a live action short with Butler. There is no indication that this was a possibility, but it is hard to believe that it did not cross the mind of Snyder, et al.
The documentary about "Under the Hood" is a real surprise, however. The feature is done in the style of a late 70s local news program with a journalist interviewing Hollis Mason (the first Nite Owl) about his autobiography "Under the Hood" which was a memoir and expose about the birth of the superhero movement by one of the early participants. Stephen McHattie (who played the role in the film version) is especially good at the back and fourth between the interviewer and himself. The construction of archival footage and props is very expert and effective.
The documentary also manages to put across some of Moore's ideas in a more efficient way than the nearly 3 hour film did. The idea that the second generation of superheroes were neurotic and even deranged; the idea that celebrity and commerce were a stronger motivators for superhero deeds than a sense of justice and the odd sexual nature of dressing up in costume and role playing. (Look for a Chanel like commercial advertising Veidt Nostalgia perfume).
The disc also has a by the number documentary on the making of the film which is a throwaway.
Right now, it seems puzzling why WB would release this disc after the film's release. Maybe they thought it would give the film a push into late March and early April? Clearly, had they known that the film would be off the radar so quickly they would have released TBF at the same time (if not before) the film's March 6th release to maximize the interest even for a moment.
To answer the question does anyone really care about this disc one must say for now, no. However, it is a certainty that when the Watchmen is released on DVD that these discs will be part of the "Special Edition" packaging at some point. At that point, these features will likely add something to the experience for the viewer. It might even be an interesting notion to try to edit these narratives into the film itself in the same way that "Under the Hood" and "Freighter" are part of the fabric of the literary Watchmen story. Until then, we must content ourselves with a fragmented cinematic Watchmen experience...
the hidden s...
Is anyone interested in Watching the Watchmen?
Review: Tales of the Black Freighter/Under the Hood
During the initial Watchmen hype (even before the movie was fully cast) there was some talk about having the "Tales of the Black Freighter" narrative as part of the film. Of course, most readers of this site will remember that this is the "comic within a comic" device that Alan Moore used to comment on the "real" narrative of the Watchmen. This signaled that director and alpha-fanboy Zach Snyder would give comic fans a 360 degree cinematic look at the great and beloved graphic novel.
And now, almost a month after the film's release? Well, for now the film is hardly a disaster, but it appears to be a real disappointment as far as the fans go and the US box office. Monday Morning Quarterbacking seems to be along the lines that the film was too faithful to the book; a refrain with virtually no precedent in the area of comic book film adaptations.
So, just a few weeks into the film's release fans find themselves with one more artifact from the production which is the straight-to-DVD "Tales of the Black Freighter/Under the Hood" (Warner Home Video). These two features complete the experience of the film (or, are supposed to complete the experience of the film) by adding some of the collateral narratives of the Watchmen graphic novel into the film experience as a whole. The question is at this point, does anyone really care?
"The Tales of the Black Freighter" is a surprise misfire. The animation is serviceable, but not nearly as grand or baroque as the story requires. There was much about this story in the Watchmen that would have made a good animated film, but (as with the Watchmen movie) something got simply lost in the translation. Gerard Butler's narration is a dud as well. Also, without the film to provide needed context, the story doesn't have any traction on its own (a huge problem). It would have been much more interesting to have made a live action short with Butler. There is no indication that this was a possibility, but it is hard to believe that it did not cross the mind of Snyder, et al.
The documentary about "Under the Hood" is a real surprise, however. The feature is done in the style of a late 70s local news program with a journalist interviewing Hollis Mason (the first Nite Owl) about his autobiography "Under the Hood" which was a memoir and expose about the birth of the superhero movement by one of the early participants. Stephen McHattie (who played the role in the film version) is especially good at the back and fourth between the interviewer and himself. The construction of archival footage and props is very expert and effective.
The documentary also manages to put across some of Moore's ideas in a more efficient way than the nearly 3 hour film did. The idea that the second generation of superheroes were neurotic and even deranged; the idea that celebrity and commerce were a stronger motivators for superhero deeds than a sense of justice and the odd sexual nature of dressing up in costume and role playing. (Look for a Chanel like commercial advertising Veidt Nostalgia perfume).
The disc also has a by the number documentary on the making of the film which is a throwaway.
Right now, it seems puzzling why WB would release this disc after the film's release. Maybe they thought it would give the film a push into late March and early April? Clearly, had they known that the film would be off the radar so quickly they would have released TBF at the same time (if not before) the film's March 6th release to maximize the interest even for a moment.
To answer the question does anyone really care about this disc one must say for now, no. However, it is a certainty that when the Watchmen is released on DVD that these discs will be part of the "Special Edition" packaging at some point. At that point, these features will likely add something to the experience for the viewer. It might even be an interesting notion to try to edit these narratives into the film itself in the same way that "Under the Hood" and "Freighter" are part of the fabric of the literary Watchmen story. Until then, we must content ourselves with a fragmented cinematic Watchmen experience...
the hidden s...
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