Religulous
(2008/Lionsgate DVD)
Picture: C+
Sound: C+ Extras: B- Documentary: B
Extremism in religion has always been a problem, but that does not
mean that all religion is bad. However,
this has been worse lately and as politics in the U.S. took a hard Right, so
did religion overseas. Part of this is
about a reaction to Vietnam, part to certain political and corporate interests
endorsing anything that helps them keep money and power on the cheap and part
of it is developments overseas like the rise of Islamic extremism. Enter Borat
director Larry Charles and controversial comedian Bill Maher with Religulous (2008), a dark bold look at
religion on the edge.
Maher is
well known for being disgusted with The Religious Right and all of their enablers,
but has never taken his ideas as outright as they are here, going around the
world to interview people with fringe opinions about the world and life only
from those on the outside of mainstream religion. That is a bit slanted, yet he is also trying
to make a pro-Atheist point that one has the right to be so no mater who might
intimidate them. Also, he shows the
problems with denial in these extreme cases, even when he passes off religion
as mere fairy tale. That brings his good
arguments in the realm of a sort of Stalinism/Fascism where his total rejection
of religion beyond the extremes invites the kind of repression and worse of
anyone with faith that drove millions to come to the U.S. and make the country
to begin with.
Despite
his also-dangerous missing of that point, he does not cover the resent history
of extreme religion, instead going for dark satire to allow the person’s
interviewed to show themselves for better and especially for worse. There is no doubt that most of the people
interviewed were carefully picked and in may cases, are disturbing individuals,
but even when Maher and Charles fail to be as thorough as I would have liked,
make a serious argument against religious extremism literally destroying the
world. Especially as of late, it has
shown that tendency, they are correct in that argument and even an Obama
Administration does not end the disturbing trend, just gets it somewhat out of
government where it absolutely does not belong.
Even when
you disagree with, are shocked by or even offended by Religulous (if you happen to land up being), the lack of dialogue
on the subject is as dangerous as anything Maher brings up and that is its true
value. Prior to 1979, some aspects of
this would have been harder to buy, but the world has changed for the worst in
the respect of radical religion and that part of the discussion needs to stay
on the table and continue to be debated beyond this release.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image has motion blur throughout and that is
the nature of the shoot, but editing helps and it is not hard to sit
through. There are also good shots here
and there. The
Dolby Digital 5.1 sound tries to spread the sound around, but is limited by the
fidelity of the location recording, which is mixed overall but not bad. Extras include deleted scenes, Maher
monologues from around the world (often on the subject of this release) and
feature length audio commentary by Maher and Charles.
- Nicholas Sheffo
