Rating: 
Summary: u n b a l a n c e d
Review: I thought this movie would've been great, if only two things had been different : MORE JANEANE, WAY LESS JAY. I've always thoroughly enjoyed Jay's hilarious viewpoints, not realizing it's a SMALL-DOSE-OF-JAY thing for me ... it distracts me enough to ruin the film
Rating:
Summary: not serious satire
Review: This is a very irreverent movie. It makes fun of Catholic dogma and I cannot imagine a fervent Catholic not being insulted by it. On the other hand Christ in the New Testament does not appear to care much about dogma, whereas it seems that the ones who crucified him were very dogmatic indeed. So maybe it is a good thing to make fun at Christian dogma, much of it clearly created by imperfect men that other imperfect men like to call infallible, holy and whatnot.Personally I did not like the movie too much. Successful satire must be excessive to a specific degree; this one seems mostly to be off the mark. The prophet who doesn't speak is too bland, the 13th apostle too one-sided. The only character I liked just so for being funny enough, absurd enough, and grave enough, is "Metatron" the angel who speaks God's voice. Even God herself appears in the movie but I found that a fun loving God who inflicts terrible punishment to bad angels to be rather disjoined. Other scenes, like the one where an angel has his wings shorn off by submachine fire, are just plain stupid. Violence, by the way, is aplenty in this movie (including the recipe for mixing the "holy bartender" drink), but I think this nicely mirrors the fact that the Bible is also full of violent scenes. "Dogma" means "established opinion" and "tenet put forth as authorative without adequate grounds". Maybe we do need good satire to make us reflect on how meaningless much of Catholic Church dogma is, but this movie ultimately fails because its writer tries hard to have clever dialogue while making certain no one will take the movie seriously. It is just fun and crazy but good satire is serious business. All in all a memorable movie that I recommend seeing unless you fear eternal damnation for doing so.
Rating: 
Summary: Great movie, but the DVD lacks.
Review: This is another great film for Kevin Smith: funny, powerful and thought-provoking. I just think they should have gotten another company to make the DVD. All the other films on DVD are loaded with special features like commentary, behind-the-scenes films, and so on. All Dogma had was a trailer and a cast list. Big whoop. I suggest you save your money until they release some kind of Director's Cut edition or something like that. This movie was highly controversial; that fact that they don't treat it that way is an insult to the creators.
Rating: 
Summary: Stinks On Ice
Review: Dogma was among the most tedious and boring films released last year. Especially disappointing were the performances of Damon and Affleck, who brought to mind spoiled Hollywood actors who got together with friends "to put on a show." It appeared that they never took the film, the script or their roles seriously. The script is so talky and lackluster that the story becomes extremely difficult to sit through. Linda Fiorento, Selma Hayek and Chris Rock brought the only spark of sizzle to this dog of a film. These guys are overrated. They waste talent, ideas, money and, worst of all, their audience's time and mental energy. If, while watching this movie, you kind of feel like some Hollywood suites are privately laughing at you behind your back for actually wasting more than 10 minutes of your life on this horrible impersonation of a independent film, you are not alone. The spin doctors positioned this movie well -- focusing on the bravery of Smith in attacking Catholicism (they obviously knew this movie offered little else in terms of merit). The Catholics are easy targets, though. Overall, this film is so bad it stinks on ice.
Rating:
Summary: ponderous and puerile
Review: this movie is boring, boring, boring. smith's flat satire lacks subtlety and grace and is redeemed (relatively speaking) only by its moments of ridiculous humor - a feces demon, horny jay, screeching chris rock et al. the damn thing isn't even offensive, except in the sense i paid for the rental. cheap shot? worthy target.
Rating: 
Summary: A Supernatural Hit!
Review: This is one original script! It makes you think while it makes you laugh. The director is a genius and the cast is one of a kind. Even though the film criticized the catholic relgion, a lot of the stuff they said was true. And what I like about the film is that they did not question the existence of God; it talked about faith and how we lose it. The movie is extremely funny; I was laughing out loud throughout the whole thing. I'm sure that God has a sense of humor, and I'm sure he'd laugh if he saw this. Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Linda Fiorentino, and Chris Rock were all great. But the real treat in this film was the beautiful Salma Hayek; she practically stole the spotlight. Indeed, a controversial film, but the important thing to remember is this: it is just a film. A must-see!
Rating: 
Summary: Dogmatic Smith Takes his Shots.
Review: Smith's latest installment continues several arcs introducedand developed in Clerks and Chasing Amy (Rick Derris' sexual prownessamong them). The cameos from Smith cast alums are wonderful and the script is crisp and witty, even if a bit preachy at moments. (Pun intended). FYI, this was written by Smith BEFORE Clerks, perhaps explaining why the references to Clerks and Amy seem strained at times. ... the current release is unremarkable in terms of additional content. END
Rating:
Summary: Catholic review
Review: Catholicism, WOW! One of the best and most though provoking movies I have seen in a decade. A huge fan of Kevin Smith and a Catholic myself I was intrigued by the chance to see what Kevin was up to that had upset so many people. As it turns out, he only impressed me beyond my already high expectations of his work. Upsetting? On the contrary, I found it relieving that we could finally take a lighthearted look at the Catholic faith and what surrounds it. The Jewish religion has been taking jabs at itself in Hollywood for 40 years, and it's great to see Kevin taking things not so seriously and writing a script that was funny, thoughtful, and keeping within the constraints of the Catholic dogma. And the lesson in the end was not one of lost faith or destruction. It was about a God that loved his/her people with a condition that only the creator could. The faith is intact, the world is still revolving, and the muse has done a thorough job entertaining me once again. God bless her! A huge list of characters including a high angel, two prophets, a muse, a demon, three of his minions, two fallen angels, a Cardinal, and the 13th apostle, make this a menagerie of colorful concepts all woven together in the engaging idea the two angels can get back to heaven by clipping their wings and walking through the doors of a cathedral. The movie works from character to character through complicated religious jargon that had me completely lost throughout the first viewing, but that is the point. The comedic value of the film comes from God, the bible, and mankind having such a complicated relationship that a simple solution to anything is not possible. The film centers around a loophole within the dogma that, if enacted, would disprove God was infallible and would destroy existence. This plot proved to be one of the most intelligent scripts I have ever seen written for film. It challenged you, made you think, and made you laugh. The only people I could see that would have a problem with this film are the people who would not enjoy a Kevin Smith film in the first place. If foul language offends you, you won't like this movie. If your favorite film of the decade was Home Alone, you won't like this movie. If you slept through Being John Malcovick, you won't like this movie. Everyone else should thoroughly enjoy it. Oh yes, Jay and Silent Bob are still as funny as ever.
Rating:
Summary: Cutting-Edge Theology in a Pop-Culture Package
Review: If there's no such thing as a coincidence, then God herself must have chosen today for me to view this film--after I'd spent the past few months embroiled in various (usually) light-hearted debates about issues of gender, justice, and dogma within the staff of the church I serve, "Dogma" simultaneously refreshed and challenged me theologically. But don't let that rather scholastic review keep you from seeing this picture. Anyone who's ever put half a thought into the relationship between humans and God, between theology and spirituality, between "church" and worship--and, I have a hunch, most people who could care less--will absorb just what they need from the script, while being wildly entertained by some of today's freshest, most engaging character actors. Affleck and Damon, of course, play angelic "buddies" as though they were born to; Fiorentino's cynical, pro-choice, Catholic scion is so believable as to make the whole film rest on her genuineness. Even Chris Rock, not usually noted for depth of character, adds a certain no-nonsense sincerity to the film's wake-up call to the Church. My one criticism of "Dogma"--enough to lower my rating from 5 stars to 4--is scriptwriter Kevin Smith's obsession with the "F" word. At least he diversifies it--it's used at various times as a verb, as a noun, and as an adjective. But still, comedic value notwithstanding, just how many times DOES an angel have to swear before the shock value wears off and we get bored with it? Still, this one goes on my wish list. Can't wait to share it with my classmates in seminary!
Rating:
Summary: Dogma is less than divine
Review: Kevin Smith is a really great director but he falls short in this flick. If you're a big Smith fan like I am then you'll be ok. The cast is good and the jokes are worth a few laughs. The original film was three hours plus which was cut down yet the film still seems a bit long. Smith seems reluctant to make the film serious or into an all out comedy. If you have to have it wait [until] the deluxe version DVD comes out since this version doesn't have much of anything.
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