Dogma (1999)

Wonderful character development!

an ambitious but ultimately ineffective debut endeavor.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

I would have said this was an 11 when it first came out but now I'm just bitter Salma doesn't release the krakens. I hate it when R-rated movies don't have naked babes. WTF is the point? This has a great cast, outstanding eye candy, some FX AND the humor is sinfully delicious. This is an awesome movie, Smith is a genius. I can watch this every 2 - 3 years.

Dogma (1999)Perfection 13 September 2017More than a few times I had the misfortune to see and review movies with so many flaws that I gave up on reviewing them because it would end up a novel of epic proportions. But here's one completely opposite. This movie I could praise for hours without danger of being left with no material. I saw it many times and I'll see it many times more. And every time I get excited like the first, cause this movie is simply perfect. Everything from opening credits and font to ending credits is just right. Kevin Smith is, in my opinion, one of the most original and creative writers and directors of our time. The story is perfect, at the same time exciting and relaxing, intelligent and silly, full of positive energy, satire and humour, with genius dialogues. Movie gathers many top actors, musicians and stand-up comedians, and all of them, in spite of relatively low budget, decided to participate in this project with all their hearts and gave amazing performances. List of actors itself is reason enough to see this film. A movie that holds strong messages and depth behind the screen of silly comedy.10/10The movie caused controversy and disapproval because it appears to make fun of faith, but it's just at first glance. Smith himself is a believer and his intention was not to make a mockery of faith, but to use funny approach to bring it closer to younger generations that are repelled by the rigidity of Church, and at the same time to hit negative aspects of Catholic dogma with some good satire. That's why it is important to see this movie without prejudice, so you don't end up caught in a trap of misunderstanding and hating or loving it for wrong reasons.George Carlin, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Linda Fiorentino, Jason Lee, Alan Rickman, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Chris Rock, Salma Hayek, Alanis Morissette

"Dogma" is the sort of movie that major studios rarely take a chance on. Poking fun at religion often ends up drawing the wrong kind of publicity. However, back in 1999, Kevin Smith had enough clout to assemble an impressive cast to bring to life this irreverent comedy/fantasy adventure.The story concerns a couple of fallen angels (Matt Damon & Ben Affleck) who discover a loophole that'll allow them to re-enter Heaven. Little do they know that this comes with the unfortunate side effect of negating existence as we know it. Luckily for us, forces for good (including an angel, a muse and the 13th apostle) have enlisted the aid of some unlikely heroes in a quest to save mankind.The cast of "Dogma" is more star-studded than most of Kevin Smith's movies. Buddies Damon & Affleck were among Hollywood's top young stars at the time, so getting them involved was something of a coup. However, the story was expansive enough that there was plenty of opportunity for others to shine as well. Linda Fiorentino plays the story's central character while Alan Rickman, Chris Rock & Salma Hayek offer divine assistance. George Carlin also makes a memorable appearance as a cardinal aiming to reinvigorate the Catholic church. Alumni from past Kevin Smith movies include Jason Lee, Jason Mewes, Smith himself and, in smaller roles, Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson & Ethan Suplee.Smith's script features his usual knack for dialogue and pop culture references but, to me, it seems to be a bit heavy on exposition at times. That being said, having seen the many deleted/extended scenes, it's clear that considerable effort was put into cutting the movie down to a reasonable length. Meanwhile, Smith's direction is consistently well handled and the special effects are decent enough for this relatively low budget production. Musically, there are a few memorable moments but mostly the focus is elsewhere.All in all, "Dogma" is an interesting and original movie, though perhaps lacking a bit in satiric bite. On the other hand, the light tone is probably for the best since it makes the movie less offensive than it could have been. I don't know if Smith really has much to say in the end but it does make for an entertaining couple of hours.

"Dogma" is a comedy from the creator Kevin Smith (1999), a director that tends to create genre cult films that often displays plots with supernatural themes, and grotesque characters.In "Dogma" Smith criticize organized religion, primarily the Catholic faith, while presenting new biblical characters like the denied Christ's apostles Rufus that was not mentioned in the New Testament because he is a black man (Chris Rock). But "Dogma" does more than inventing new mythology. It seems to also include an important discussion on issues of gender as it presents images of women that challenge the existing order, and 'men' and 'Women' that actually don't have any sex organs and their gender identity is in doubt. This discussion is not unusual to science- fiction and fantasy movies and TV shows today (especially the works of creators like Joss Whedon), but in my opinion this was quite innovative in the year in which the film was made.The muse and other supernatural beings in the film are portrayed as sexless (except Rufus). The Two angels and God's voice don't have sexual organs. The angel Loki (Damon) even complains about his inability to masturbate and Metatron (the God's voice) says that in heaven the act of sex is considered a joke.The revolutionary aspect of the film is expressed most notably in God character. Throughout the film, a discussion is being held between the characters whether God is male or female when every time he/she "are" treated differently. God as he / she is represented in the film as a creature that combines the two genders and rises above them so it does not really matter what is the truth and the ongoing discussion in the movie as it is presented by Smith is futile and ridiculous..The film passes the Bechdel test. It presents a number of main women characters who talk among themselves even though for most of the film the main character (who is a woman) speaks primarily with male characters.