One of director Kevin Smith's better films, "Dogma" stars Linda Fiorentino as an abortion clinic worker who finds herself locked in a bizarre adventure featuring Jesus Christ's black disciple (Chris Rock) and two renegade angels (Ben Affleck and Matt Damon). The always disgruntled Alan Rickman co-stars as an always disgruntled henchman of Christ.
Like Quentin Tarantino, Smith's films are packed with monologues, rambling conversations and incessant nods to pop-culture. Unlike Tarantino, Smith's films languish in the warm memory of teenage adventures, college humour and bizarre penis jokes. In "Dogma" these traits are elevated by some superficial but heartfelt attempts to grapple with theological issues (Smith is a devout Catholic). If the film ultimately fails as satire, it nevertheless works well as an odd slacker-movie. Affleck and Damon are devilishly riveting as a couple of murderous supernatural beings, and Smith regular Jason Mewes, a real life stoner, is hilarious as a foul mouthed dope-fiend. As Christian mythology is inherently nonsensical, "Dogma" can't help but be anything but reactionary. Smith's Christ may be a woman (Alanis Morisette) whose principles are antithetical to the corrupt organisations set up in her name, but her "mysterious ways" are still totally nuts.
8/10 - Like him or loathe him, Kevin Smith was one of the more distinct voices of 1990s popcorn cinema.
Like Quentin Tarantino, Smith's films are packed with monologues, rambling conversations and incessant nods to pop-culture. Unlike Tarantino, Smith's films languish in the warm memory of teenage adventures, college humour and bizarre penis jokes. In "Dogma" these traits are elevated by some superficial but heartfelt attempts to grapple with theological issues (Smith is a devout Catholic). If the film ultimately fails as satire, it nevertheless works well as an odd slacker-movie. Affleck and Damon are devilishly riveting as a couple of murderous supernatural beings, and Smith regular Jason Mewes, a real life stoner, is hilarious as a foul mouthed dope-fiend. As Christian mythology is inherently nonsensical, "Dogma" can't help but be anything but reactionary. Smith's Christ may be a woman (Alanis Morisette) whose principles are antithetical to the corrupt organisations set up in her name, but her "mysterious ways" are still totally nuts.
8/10 - Like him or loathe him, Kevin Smith was one of the more distinct voices of 1990s popcorn cinema.