Dogma (1999)

Dogma (1999)

6/10

Starring

Ben Affleck

Matt Damon

Linda Fiorentino

 

 

Directed by Kevin Smith

Dogma is a comedic religious movie that takes blasphemy by the tail and spins it as much as it can. The whole idea of this film might make any religious person uncomfortable, but the concept and some of the ideas behind it are worth cheering for.

Kevin Smith, to me, hasn’t been one of the best filmmakers out there. In fact, he wouldn’t even make my list of average filmmakers. He’s found a way to make movies with what seems like minimal effort, and for that, I appreciate some of his work while disliking the rest.
Dogma, however, has a great cast that comes together to make the movie memorable. The downside? The comedy sometimes falls flat, and the movie has an uneven flow that’s hard to ignore. That said, the acting by the cast is solid, with everyone seeming highly committed to their roles.

The story follows two fallen angels who’ve grown tired of life on Earth. They’re on Earth for the same reason Lucifer was cast out: they rebelled. But unlike Lucifer, who tried to overthrow God, these angels were simply disobedient. Their names are Bartleby (Ben Affleck) and Loki (Matt Damon), and they’ve been banished to Wisconsin for insubordination.
After more than a millennium on Earth, they receive a message that gives them an idea of how to get back into heaven.

The biggest problem with their plan is that by returning to heaven, they’d undo something God has already done. Since God is infallible, undoing His work would make all of existence cease to exist. But these angels don’t care—they just want to get back to heaven, no matter the cost.

God’s presence is unknown, so He isn’t around to stop these two from rendering existence nonexistent. To prevent this, Metatron (a seraph and the voice of God, played by Alan Rickman) approaches Bethany and tells her she’s been chosen to save the universe. Her only allies are a prophetic duo: Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith).
Joining their quest are Rufus (Chris Rock), the forgotten thirteenth Apostle, and Serendipity (Salma Hayek), a muse.

They must stop the angels while facing opposition from Azrael (Jason Lee). The movie is full of funny twists and turns, and explaining them would turn this review into a spoiler fest. If you enjoy crazy fantasy ideas about religion and blasphemy doesn’t bother you, this is a movie worth watching.