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List Price: $19.94 | | Label: Sony Pictures
Salesrank: 3396
Released: June 26, 2001 |
| Our Price: $10.92 |
| Used Price: $4.69 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Kevin Smith is a conundrum of a filmmaker: he's a writer with brilliant, clever ideas who can't set up a simple shot to save his life. It was fine back when Smith was making low-budget films like Clerks and Chasing Amy, both of which had an amiable, grungy feel to them, but now that he's a rising director who's attracting top talent and tackling bigger themes, it might behoove him to polish his filmmaking. That's the main problem with Dogma--it's an ambitious, funny, aggressively intelligent film about modern-day religion, but while Smith's writing has matured significantly (anyone who thinks he's not topnotch should take a look at Chasing Amy), his direction hasn't. It's too bad, because Dogma is ripe for near-classic status in its theological satire, which is hardly as blasphemous as the protests that greeted the movie would lead you to believe.
Two banished angels (Ben Affleck and Matt Damon) have discovered a loophole that would allow them back into heaven; problem is, they'd destroy civilization in the process by proving God fallible. It's up to Bethany (Linda Fiorentino), a lapsed Catholic who works in an abortion clinic, to save the day, with some help from two so-called prophets (Smith and Jason Mewes, as their perennial characters Jay and Silent Bob), the heretofore unknown 13th apostle (Chris Rock), and a sexy, heavenly muse (the sublime Salma Hayek, who almost single-handedly steals the film). In some ways Dogma is a shaggy dog of a road movie--which hits a comic peak when Affleck and Fiorentino banter drunkenly on a train to New Jersey, not realizing they're mortal enemies--and segues into a comedy-action flick as the vengeful angels (who have a taste for blood) try to make their way into heaven. Smith's cast is exceptional--with Fiorentino lending a sardonic gravity to the proceedings, and Jason Lee smirking evilly as the horned devil Azrael--and the film shuffles good-naturedly to its climax (featuring Alanis Morissette as a beatifically silent God), but it just looks so unrelentingly... subpar. Credit Smith with being a daring writer but a less-than-stellar director. --Mark Englehart
Dogma (Special Edition) Reviews:
Scurilous satire. You've got to believe 
2008-09-05 - I've seen this a number of times and find something new to laugh at almost every time I watch. It's superb satire -- but not for most folk who won't like playing around with religion and showing a female God who roars. The cast is letter perfect inlcluding George Carlin and Allan Rachman (the Voice of God). But caution for those who are true blievers it could be most upsetting. For others it's a remarkable change of pace from he usual mundane stuff that comes out of Hollywood.
Hits the Nail on the HEAD!!!
2008-08-25 - I almost didn't watch this movie when it came on TV because of the scenario: 2 angels must be stopped before they destroy the world. I ain't Oprah and I ain't into no angels. But, I DID watch it and it was GREAT! This movie reflects my EXACT view of "the religion thing". It's a fantastic movie and anyone who's thought about the subject of religion and is honest about it will love it too. Only thing - probably should shoo the kids out of the room. The language used ain't no "Thee" and "Thou".
-5 stars 
2008-08-01 - This is a film utterly without redemption of any sort. I don't mean because it ridicules religious themes. I love 'The Life of Brian'. I mean this film has a horribly bad story, with horribly bad acting, and horribly unfunny jokes. It's simply pathetic. I could not believe I let myself sit through it. I was just in a stake of shock at the stink of the thing. It's not that the language or situations offended me, per se--I do think SuperBad is hilarious. I mean that, by any standard of a work of art or commerce, the quality is very poor. Really, as bad as it gets. You never forget that these are actors pretending while they plod through some very tedious dialogue and hackneyed plot points. I could go item by item over each crummy riff, but why bother? Ok: here's one, just to make a point. "Anyone know how to make a holy bartender?" Has there ever been humor more lame than this? How did this film get funded? How did they recruit the actors--some of whom have been involved in some fine films? Everyone who appeared in this film besmirched themselves. Humor is older than religion itself. Archeologists have collected jokes from ancient Sumeria. The oldest recorded joke from England is: "What hangs at a man's thigh and wants to poke the hole that it's often poked before? Answer: A key."
This movie is so unfunny that it does not even rise to the level of that ancient bar. Just because they claim it was intended to be funny doesn't make it so--and don't tell me I'm taking it too seriously--bad jokes are serious by definition.
Great Film
2008-07-20 - Love this Film from start to finish. I am of course a HUGE Kevin Smith fan. But this give a very good and unique look at religion and faith. A very good funny comedy. BTW the Blu-ray disk looks great. And sound is awesome as well.
Numero Uno
2008-06-30 - Thanks to Kevin Smith and a lot of acting talent, this movie is number 1 on my movie list: my all-time favorite. Eventually, I'm sure I'll have every movie that Smith has created. His dialogue is so far above everyone else, that alone should recommend any movie this man does.
I fell in love with Clerks and Clerks II, but this! First off, how much better than Alan Rickman as one of the stars can you get? Followed by Matt Damon as "Loki" and Ben Afflick as "Bartleby", then of course Jay & Silent Bob doing their usual schtick (not great actors, but totally amusing are Jay and partner). The little demons were a bit scary -- vicious children generally are. I love George Carlin as a stand-up commedian, but as an actor, I can do without him. Linda Fiorentino played the last Zion, or last living person related to Jesus, who is understandably reluctant to go on this crusade against the two fallen angels. The storyline holds together, the characters are fun and the film itself a definate attention holder.
By the way, I also really like the loyalty Kevin Smith shows to the people he works with: if you watch closely you'll see the two "Clerks" somewhere here.
I'd recommend buying, borrowing, renting, whatever it takes for you to see this movie. If you're easily offended via religion or if you have no sense of humor about religion, perhaps this isn't the one for you. Otherwise, enjoy.
