Kevin Smith has finally lost the plot. The director of the fantastic Clerks', the woeful Mallrats' and the wonderful Chasing Amy' proves in Dogma' that he is not nearly as talented as his debut feature would suggest. Two fallen angels, Loki and Bartleby, are trying get back into heaven via a cathedral in Red Bank, New Jersey. But this is only if Bethany, with the aid of Jay and Silent Bob, cannot stop them first.
The best thing that can be said about Dogma' is that it looks like everyone had a great time making it. However, it is rarely fun to watch. After the initially amusing first twenty minutes, the lofty subject matter soon takes over, yet Smith fails to change the film's tone accordingly. Jay's constant sexual banter and the knowing film references soon become tiresome, whilst the actors are either bored or confused by the events that surround them. Smith, who is not a visual director, seems uneasy shooting anything other then long monologues, and as a result the new special effects and scope framing that he has to play with go to waste. The larger budget looks as though it has been spent on casting rather then good ideas and the up-shot of this is that an encounter with a s**t monster' and the wacky' boardroom massacre become two examples of many dismal attempts at comedy. The fight at the end, for example, is crying for some action, yet Smith breaks all the tension by resorting to yet more crude, irritating dialogue. The insinuation the Jesus was black and that God is a woman hardly seem original concepts these days yet Smith treats them as though they are ground breaking. The questioning of religious faith seems to be what this film is all about, but you're more likely to question why spent money watching the film in the first place. Hopeless.
The best thing that can be said about Dogma' is that it looks like everyone had a great time making it. However, it is rarely fun to watch. After the initially amusing first twenty minutes, the lofty subject matter soon takes over, yet Smith fails to change the film's tone accordingly. Jay's constant sexual banter and the knowing film references soon become tiresome, whilst the actors are either bored or confused by the events that surround them. Smith, who is not a visual director, seems uneasy shooting anything other then long monologues, and as a result the new special effects and scope framing that he has to play with go to waste. The larger budget looks as though it has been spent on casting rather then good ideas and the up-shot of this is that an encounter with a s**t monster' and the wacky' boardroom massacre become two examples of many dismal attempts at comedy. The fight at the end, for example, is crying for some action, yet Smith breaks all the tension by resorting to yet more crude, irritating dialogue. The insinuation the Jesus was black and that God is a woman hardly seem original concepts these days yet Smith treats them as though they are ground breaking. The questioning of religious faith seems to be what this film is all about, but you're more likely to question why spent money watching the film in the first place. Hopeless.
Tell Your Friends