Dogma
Written and Directed by: Kevin Smith
Starring: Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Chris Rock

Dogma has gotten a lot of interesting reactions from people. When the movie was still in the works it was rumoured to be highly controversial because of the religious content it contained. When the movie finally came out, a lot of people criticized it for the crass humour and the inside jokes that are typical of Kevin Smith’s movies. Still, some people found it very amusing, especially a slightly older audience than might be expected for a Kevin Smith film. People who had grown up with the Catholic religion as being a very important part of their family life found Smith’s parody to be right on the mark. Needless to say there was a lot of hype around this movie, at least in my mind. I’m a big Kevin Smith fan, and I was definitely excited about it, but I wasn’t really sure what to expect. As it turns out, I was not disappointed. The movie was funny, entertaining, and unique. But I wouldn’t go so far as to say it was flawless.

Dogma is Kevin Smith’s first attempt at an action-oriented movie. For the most part the movie is fast-paced and works as an action movie, but I found that there were a couple of scenes where the dialogue was a little too long-winded, and the plot was put on hold while the characters debated various religious perspectives. I think sometimes Smith tries just a little too hard to get his ideas across. There always seems to be a lot going on in this movie. The plot can be complex at times, and the characters are constantly shooting dialogue back and forth. Every now and then I found myself having trouble keeping up with it all. I can only imagine what it would be like for someone who knows nothing about the Catholic religion or someone who wasn’t a Kevin Smith fan.

Another small problem with the movie is the cheese factor. I like cheesy movies, but again Dogma tries to do too much at once. As much as Smith insists that the movie not serious at all, I think he does have some ideas and messages he wants to get across, and they come across awkwardly when it’s mixed with all this ridiculous humour. The poop monster seemed a little unnecessary although I think Kevin Smith is particularly attached to it. Whenever people questioned his morals he would always just say “The movie’s supposed to be funny! Come on, you can’t take a movie with a giant poop monster seriously!” Well, I guess you can’t argue with him there. Unfortunately, I think on some levels he did want the movie to be taken seriously, and it gets lost in all the cheese.

I really enjoyed Jason Lee and his character in this movie. It was amusing to see him as a bad guy. Basically all he had to do was open his mouth and I was already laughing. I guess this is one of those inside jokes that only Kevin Smith fans will truly appreciate. I thought Matt Damon and Ben Affleck were really good too. However, Silent Bob and Jay didn’t seem quite as amusing to me as they did in past movies. I mean, it’s great to see some non-actors acting in a big budget movie like this, but I think having Jay and Silent Bob as main characters in the story might have weakened the movie a bit. Their smart ass quips are funny but too much of a good thing

When it comes right down to it though, this is a fun comedy that has it all.There’s simple slapstick humour, there’s Jay and Silent Bob dick and fart jokes, and there’s more refined and witty satire. There’s action and adventure.I think this is a movie that just about anyone can get into. Except maybe the artsy-fartsy people who dig the flush-the-toilet movies. But they are always exceptions to the rule, aren’t they?

So could Dogma be a mainstream hit? Well seeing as I’m writing this review way after the fact, I already know that it hasn’t. But considering the hype, and the fact that it has some star power with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, I am surprised it wasn’t more successful. I think this movie demands a bit too much from the audience to be a mainstream hit though. Some people will get lost in the religious mumbo-jumbo and basically just end up being bored.

Regardless, I would recommend that you go check out Dogma if you haven’t already see it, and hell, if you’ve already see it, then see it again! It’ll probably make you laugh, and who knows, you might even get something out of it too. — Sean

Around the Web: