galfridus

I just finished running through the reviews of Dogma on Amazon. Interesting to read why people didn’t like it. It seems that most of them thought it wasn’t funny enough (there weren’t enough dick-sucking jokes ala Clerks and too much attention to discussing… religious dogma).

It disappopints me when I read things like “as a PhD.” and then the reviewer explains how he didn’t get it. One, the reviewer needs to grow up and stop touting his doctorate and, two, needs to stop looking at things through the academic lens. Yes, some movies and films are designed to be looked at in that critical light. Others, like Dogma, wear their message on their sleeves and are very open about it. Still others (like Snatch) even tell you, a couple of times, not “to think about it.”

Dogma is a strong movie. Don’t compare it to Life of Brian (that was a political movie, not a religious one). One has to pay attention to what is being talked about (especially to what Rufus and the Metatron say) and then you’ll understand what Smith is saying. The movie isn’t great art (it’s good), but it also isn’t some sort of Satanist, heathen movie designed to drag your kids to Hell. This is a movie designed to make you think about your spirituality (not your religion, as those two things are typically two separate things) and your faith. it comes down to: critcally questioning things handed down to you by authority means you’re taking an interest, but it doesn’t mean that you are buying everything said.

I would have to imagine She approves.