There are hidden reserves to The Mindscape of Alan Moore in the form of a second DVD, filled with interviews of Moore's collaborators. Ample screen-time is given to the likes of Watchmen artist Dave Gibbons, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen artist Kevin O'Neill, and V for Vendetta artist David Lloyd. THIS is the material that really taps into the true form of Moore as an artist and a man. A better promotion for the two-DVD collection would be a title like, "Alan Moore: An Extraordinary Gentlemen," with a subtitle like, "Insights on Alan Moore from his co-conspirators PLUS a fan-inspired short feature: The Mindscape of Alan Moore. It's not that director Vylenz's The Mindscape of Alan Moore is a bad production; on the contrary, it is probably some of the better amateur film you're likely to see. It's just that when the expectation is created that you'll be watching a documentary about Alan Moore and you instead get some audio/video snippets of Moore encased by overly long sequences of amateur film tricks and amateur re-enactments from feature films based on Moore's works, you're left a bit flat.
This would have been a work of more impact had the director, DeZ Vylenz, found a way to combine the interviews with Moore's collaborators, Moore speaking about himself, and the artistic embellishments. Moore is obviously a big thinker, and his perspective on society, religion, sex, and politics makes for fascinating listening. Vylenz wanted to use film to enhance the static interviews conducted in Moore's home, which is a nice artistic vision. Instead, Vylenz's treatment overwhelms the viewer and pulls attention away from Moore. The best moments are listening to Moore read his work and talk about his development as an artist. The golden moments like these comprise about 20 minutes of the whole, and are burdened by Vylenz's refusal or inability to get out of his own way. It's an interesting viewing experience that will be worthwhile for huge fans of Moore, but even casual fans of Moore's work will love the second DVD containing artist interviews.
