Dogma enlightens

Dogma is Kevin Smith's best work yet. I did not find it to be blasphemous at all, and I think the whole feel-good message about Christianty that this movie portrays could be what our world needs anyway!

Dogma is about 2 fallen angels, Loki and Bartolby, played by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, respectively. After nearly 2,000 years of exile on earth, these 2 angels decide that they want to 'go home' (go back to heaven). They find a way to do so through a loophole in the Catholic dogma. The only problem is this: If they exploit this loophole then it will prove that God was wrong about something, and doing so would negate all creation, i.e. end the world.

The person chosen to save them, Bethany (played very well by Linda Fiorentino), is an abortion doctor who has lost her faith. She is visited by an angel (played by Die Hard's Alan Rickman) and he tells her of her mission and says she will meet 2 prophets who will guide her. These 2 prophets turn out to be the infamous Jay and Silent Bob who make their best entrance yet. The problem is, Jay and Silent Bob don't know that they are prophets, but it all falls in place. On their trip, they meet Chris Rock, the 13th Apostle, who claims to have been left out of the Bible because of racial prejudice.

As you might imagine, this has some VERY colorful characters and equally colorful language, although Dogma is the least profane of all of Smith's films. Dogma is not nearly as funny as Mallrats or Clerks, and much more serious than Chasing Amy. It features actors from all the previous movies, and has plenty of comedy, but this is a great faith movie. It makes some interesting points of faith, organized religon, and Christianity as a whole.

The cinematography is excellent, and so are the special effects and makeup. The soundtrack to this film is also very well done.

When Bethany finally meets God, she asks the question "Why are we here?". God's 'answer' is perfect. You'll just have to see for yourself.