Review of Zeitgeist: The Movie (2007) by Ruairí C — 03 Jun 2014

A controversial and thought-provoking documentary that sets out to challenge three of the established institutions dominating our contemporary culture: Religion, war and finance.

While the points raised are provocative and compelling, the film suffers from a lack of coherence and references to validate its claims. Presented in three separate sections, each topic is concisely dissected according to the film's agenda however there is a feeling that each institution deserves its own dedicated film for a full and thorough investigation. This is where Zeitgeist really suffers: with only a(n often obnoxious) narrator and some sporadic archive audio for support, the arguments made could be quickly dismissed as propaganda. The inclusion of interviews with experts or authorities on the topics discussed might add credence to the points made.

Also, while there is no arguing that religion, war and finance are major contributors to the shape of our culture, the film fails to tie them together in a convincing manner: there is absolutely no introduction to the film outside of a brief video history of life, no statement of intent. Although this is marginally rectified by an earnest conclusion, the film feels meandering for a spell.

These issues aside, there is no denying that the information presented in the film - authenticity aside - and it's overall message is too compelling to ignore. Viewers should feel inspired to follow up with some independent investigation and/or debate.