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Dogma Special Edition
Hollyfeld, here. Although I am a fan of all of Kevin Smith's films, until recently I was far more a fan of Dogma's screenplay than I was of the film itself. Having acquired over the internet the fabled early draft of this film, I proceeded to love and cherish it over and over again... I suppose, in retrospect, that I was over-prepared for a film that I could never see. Dogma cut out some of my favorite parts from the script, and comes across as an overly talky epic. Thank Alanis for this DVD.
After viewing this two-disc set (three times, I might add), Dogma has quickly risen through the ranks to become one of my favorite Jay and Silent Bob films, although Clerks and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back still vie for number 1. Although certainly a very conversational theological epic, it becomes increasingly evident through repeated viewings that the ideas being conveyed by Smith in this film are such that they could not be adequately explained through anything but meaningful communication. For that, it is forgiven. Similarly, I have also gained additional appreciation for the performances in Dogma, particularly those of Ben Affleck and Kevin Smith, who achieve what are probably their best performances herein.
All in all, Dogma is a truly excellent film that I regret not giving its due upon its first release. I would personally like to thank the makers of this DVD for making this clear to me.
Video: 8/10
For a while now there have been constant complaints that Smith's films, while typically excellently written, look like crap. Although Mallrats certainly would have benefited from a more mainstream (i.e. good) visual style, the rest of his films really aren't that bad. The black and white, "Hey look, they're at the counter again" visuals of Clerks are appropriate to the film's subject matter and low-budget charm, and the straight forward telling of a straight-forward story in Chasing Amy works just fine. Dogma, however, is something of a mixed bag, but again, repeated viewings make it less so.
Once more, Dogma, even though it contains action scenes and visual effects, is very much a movie about characters and conversations, and Smith's direction reflects that. Although typical epic moviemaking is filled with gigantic crowd scenes and dynamic visuals, Smith seems far more interested in just showing the actors... act. Upon closer inspection, one can indeed see the filmmaker growing as a visual storyteller with this film, using stretches, long shots, and (gasp!) different angles, but overall it really is a complex story, simply but effectively told.
That said, the transfer on this disc is typically top-notch, though the impact is lessened somewhat by the film's persistently grey color scheme. Colors usually fail to pop out for no other reason than that there are no particularly strong colors to speak of for most of the film. But in general, it looks great.
Audio: 8/10
Although Dogma is more accomplished in the sound department than any of Smith's previous films, this disc is not one that will put a strain on your speakers. The music is fine, effectively utilizing all the channels, and the sound/sound effects are good, but ultimately, although highly effective and never a bother, there is simply nothing to scream about.
Extras: 9/10
You would be wise to whip out the second disc in this set faster than Walt Flanagan's dog, especially if you've seen the film already. Included are a wealth of excised footage from the film, all of which is either immensely entertaining because it's truly good (the infamous "Fat Albert Sequence," or Jason Lee's brilliant monologue from the third act), or because it's truly bad (see Ben and Matt's excised scene entitled, "Why Kevin Smith Hates Ad-Libbing"). Also pleasurable in this set are the introductions - Smith wisely chooses to spend his time introducing the cut footage rather than give commentary during the scenes themselves, a practice I despise (if for no other reason than because some cut scenes are very short, leaving no room for adequate commentary). The introductions are both insightful, as when Smith and Vincent Pereira explain why they were cut ("This one was Affleck's fault," is a personal fave), or just goofing around with his wife and kid. Also fun on the second disc are the outtakes, featuring some wonderful footage of Matt Damon making up Star Wars references to stick in the train sequence (some of which, I felt, should have been kept in).
As usual for a Kevin Smith film, the commentary track for Dogma is also hilarious, although I am pleased that for this film, the View Askewers decided to do two tracks: one with the cast and crew, with everyone just goofing around and having a good time, and a second with just Smith, Pereira (View Askew's historian), and Scott Mosier, Smith's producer, storyboarder and co-editor. Although the second track is not as entertaining as the first, Smith proves that he can do both kinds of commentaries - funny and informative. Those actually interested in the craft of moviemaking will be interested in the second track, those who simply want to be entertained will prefer the first. The content on these tracks is largely responsible for my increased appreciation of the actual film, which is nice, and what these tracks should be here for in the first place. Also included on both discs are some amusing Easter Eggs, including a particularly funny advertisement for Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash, Smith's comic book store in Red Bank, New Jersey.
There are some minor flaws with the extras and menus: For starters, it takes too long for the menus to pop up. Although an amusingly themed menu for a film is often a nice touch, for those of us who would really just like to get to the damned film (especially if we've seen the disc more than once) they can often simply be a nuisance. Navigating the menus can occasionally be more difficult than it needs to be, too. Another problem I had, although it may be a result of the DVD-Rom I was using to play the disc, was the picture-in-picture option for the cast and crew commentary track. After the first two picture-in-picture segments, selecting the feature simply made the film freeze up. Again, this may simply be my player, but I would be aware of it if I were you.
Overall: 9/10
Though not Smith's best film (close, though), this is certainly the "must own" DVD of his pantheon. Buy it, damn it.
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