Review of Dogma (1999) by Tim S — 09 Dec 2011

Kevin Smith followed his indie success Chasing Amy with Dogma, a chance to not only take a stab at Christianity, but also to honor it. The film really stands out in his body of work and isn't his typical fare.

It's sort of whimsical and Wizard of Oz-ish, but also very much sounds like something he's had a hand in. As far as content and storyline goes, it's unique among the features he's done before or since.

Visually, it looks phenomenal. Shot in widescreen, we're treated to some very nice camera work and some wonderul visuals. As far as the cast goes, everyone shines - particularly Alan Rickman. I believe that his performance along with the lovely score of Howard Shore elevated the film well above the level of a typical low brow comedy.

Ben Affleck, Linda Fiorentino and Jason Mewes also give excellent solid performances. The only downside was that the film just wasn't the vision Kevin ultimately had in mind. Not that I'm insinuating that any changes would improve the film, but it's a shame that he didn't get to make the film he set out to make in the first place.

I'm sure he doesn't see it that way, and it could've been either better or worse, but we'll never know. What he was able to achieve is not to be overlooked in the least. I really enjoy Dogma, and I'm happy that he got to make it at all.