Director: Kevin Smith
Dogma (1999) explodes onto our screens with gratuitous violence, interesting monologues and great ideas. The cast is the biggest and best that Director Kevin Smith (Chasing Amy and Clerks) had ever worked with, and initially he made it work. However great the plot ideas, the cast and the violence was at the start, by the half way point I was totally bored, and even fell asleep at one point. By the end I was glad that the movie was just that: at an end.
Dogma is a drama/comedy following abortion clinic worker Bethany (Linda Fiorentino), who is called upon to save the whole of humanity from extinction by the ploy of two fallen angels, Loki (Matt Damon) and Bartleby (Ben Affleck), who are trying to exploit a loophole in a new Catholic dogma to re-enter heaven. As God is supposed to be infallible, if he (or she) was proved wrong by letting the aforementioned angels back into heaven, humanity would cease to exist. Sound plausible? I thought not. However Kevin Smith nearly pulls the wool over our eyes... that is until he, like a talented, yet annoying child, allows his inevitable 'silly' side to take over.
The opening exchanges are entertaining and set the film up well. Damon and Affleck have a great, believable chemistry as the fallen angels. Their initial monologues are well acted and convincing, stylish even. Added to their penchant for blood curdling violence, I could almost smell the scent of Tarantino, especially so in the boardroom scene where they act out their blood spilling vengeance with aplomb. Alan Rickman, scarily appearing through a mist of smoke and fire, gives an as ever great performance as Metatron (The voice of God), who fills in Bethany on the quest she is about to take. I groaned when Chris Rock fell naked from the sky, but I was pleasantly surprised. He may have played himself but the part worked. Meanwhile Fiorentino was reasonable but nothing more as the supposed saviour of the world.
Arguably Dogma is a religious film, and I was pleased to see the film raise some interesting ecclesiastical points. Do we even need religion to appreciate God? Must we be attend church to be guaranteed a place in the promised land? Bartleby taunts the followers of the Catholic Church, informing them that their God has grown weary of their tainted religion. It was all going so well...
Press the silly button! The avenues that Kevin Smith takes Dogma down are just preposterous. When a 'shit' demon made an appearance, yes you read correctly, a demon made from excrement, literally toilet humour, this set the appalling tone for the second half. The plot could have gone anywhere, yet bludgeoned on clumsily to the final church scene where we now wearily have to endure a dire splurge of more blood and guts. The chemistry so apt between Damon and Affleck inexplicably disappears replaced by a murderous Bartleby and a drunken Loki. The ending is far too long and self indulgent, which made me prey for this mess to be over and done with.
Such a frustrating, annoying pity that at some points Dogma was exciting, well made and raised a debate on important issues. From this high point, the movie falls spectularly from intelligence to toilet humour at the turn of a script page. A bit like a professor suddenly preferring poo poo jokes to his research. Avoid.
IMDB.com rating: 7.4 (151,891 votes)
Supermegahybrid rating: 5
Arguably Dogma is a religious film, and I was pleased to see the film raise some interesting ecclesiastical points. Do we even need religion to appreciate God? Must we be attend church to be guaranteed a place in the promised land? Bartleby taunts the followers of the Catholic Church, informing them that their God has grown weary of their tainted religion. It was all going so well...
Press the silly button! The avenues that Kevin Smith takes Dogma down are just preposterous. When a 'shit' demon made an appearance, yes you read correctly, a demon made from excrement, literally toilet humour, this set the appalling tone for the second half. The plot could have gone anywhere, yet bludgeoned on clumsily to the final church scene where we now wearily have to endure a dire splurge of more blood and guts. The chemistry so apt between Damon and Affleck inexplicably disappears replaced by a murderous Bartleby and a drunken Loki. The ending is far too long and self indulgent, which made me prey for this mess to be over and done with.
Such a frustrating, annoying pity that at some points Dogma was exciting, well made and raised a debate on important issues. From this high point, the movie falls spectularly from intelligence to toilet humour at the turn of a script page. A bit like a professor suddenly preferring poo poo jokes to his research. Avoid.
IMDB.com rating: 7.4 (151,891 votes)
Supermegahybrid rating: 5
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