Swank-mo-tron: So, Clang! Boom! Steam! and I were given the privilege to watch the forthcoming Tales of the Black Freighter & Under the Hood cartoon and documentary (respectively) which hits DVD stores Tuesday.  We decided to pull a little mini round table and discuss the DVD.  First, why don’t we talk about “Tales of the Black Freighter“, since it’s being billed as the main event.  I thought the animation was a little wonky to start with, but once I got into it, I really got into it.  It was quite faithful to the source material (which is something we should expect from these guys by now) in all areas but one.  They had Gerard Butler sort of come right out and explain the moral of the story in the Watchmen context.  At first I had a bit of a problem with this, but then I realized that at the point that this has to stand alone away from the juxtaposition of Watchmen proper, they pretty much had no other choice.

What did you think Clang!?

Clang! Boom! Steam!: For die hard fans of the comic book series, Tales of the Black Freighter was likely the most missed element of the Watchmen adaptation – or maybe it was the element most bitched about before the film was released.

Though I believe it’s omission from a theatrical release was prudent, I was both giddy and grateful to see TOTBF released on a separate bonus dvd.

Certainly as graphic and bleak as the original comic book within a comic book, Tales of the Black Freighter indeed hold it’s own as a stand alone piece of entertainment, while bits of subtle innuendo relate back to themes back explored in Watchmen proper.  In its cinematic form, the story’s outcome seemed a bit more predictable though this could have been due to it’s originally segmented pieces being pasted together. Sure, some of the animation was a bit uneven and some minor script alterations painted a more direct picture, but to a forgivable extent in my opinion.  As with Watchmen, I really enjoyed this adaptation and appreciated the dedicated team behind it. They didn’t have to include all this extra stuff and I’m sure it was a tough sell to get the studio to pony up the cash to pull it off – try to show some gratitude.

All said, Tales of the Black Freighter was as good as I hoped, but I’d say “Under the Hood” is the DVD’s greatest selling point by far. More on that later.

Swank-mo-tron: Speaking of “Under the Hood” I have to say I was surprised at how well they aped an early 80s sort of PBS documentary feel with “The Culpepper Minute”.  And I’m grateful that there was more Carla Gugino and more of the Sillhouette.  This really felt like what a PBS interview documentary about Hollis Mason’s book would be like.  Possibly my favorite part though?  When cameramen try to corner The Comedian for an interview.

Clang! Boom! Steam!: I must say, Under the Hood, or “The Culpepper Minute” is what really makes this DVD worthy of a spot in your collection. As many bots well know, I am a huge nerd for comic book resource guides and the like, so the faux history lesson/documentary was right up my alley.

As with the incerdible opening credits sequence of Watchmen proper, I loved becoming better aquainted treated with the New Minutemen and the rise of the short lived craze of masked crimefighting.

I’m not sure tha same can be said for Tales of the Black Freighter, but Under the Hood serves as a great primer for those who have not seen the movie or read the book. Hopefully it’s release will help give it a bit of a boost at the box office after its rapid fall from the top of the box office.  One thing is certain, it got me amped up enough to pay for a second viewing.

Swank-mo-tron: In closing, my last question is this:  Is this worth owning, knowing full well that this material is going to be available on the super-loaded versions of the film sure to come out soon enough?

I’m not sure.

Click here to order it on Amazon.