“Do you go around drenching everyone that comes into your room with flame-retardent chemicals?  No wonder you’re still single.”

Natalie’s rating: Dogma at 25: A nostalgic re-release review — Does the crown jewel of my college VHS collection still hold up?

Natalie’s rating: Back in my college days, when my dorm room smelled like mac & cheese and regret, Dogma was the crown jewel of my VHS collection. Nestled alongside Clerks, Mallrats, and Chasing Amy — all proudly purchased, not pirated — Kevin Smith’s 1999 religious satire was my holy grail.

Starring Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and a divine Alanis Morissette, this View Askew movie was my go-to for late-night debates with buddies over pizza and cheap beer. It was bold, blasphemous, and oh-so-quotable.

Now, as Dogma hits its 25th anniversary with a theatrical re-release in June 2025 (and a Kevin Smith tour kicking off April 20th!), I’m dusting off that VHS, popping it into my ancient player, and asking the big question: does this cult classic still hold up? Spoiler: it’s a messy, glorious yes—and a cranky, critical no.

The Making: A Miracle Fumbled by Mickey Mouse

Dogma’s birth story is wilder than a Mooby’s drive-thru brawl. Smith wrote it before Clerks hit big, promising “Jay and Silent Bob will return in Dogma” in that 1994 indie’s credits.

But funding a $10 million religious satire about angels and poop demons? Good luck. Studios laughed him off. After Mallrats flopped and Chasing Amy proved his chops, Miramax (then under Disney) greenlit it. Cue the dream cast — Affleck and Damon fresh off Good Will Hunting, Alan Rickman riding Die Hard cred, and a pre-Frida Salma Hayek. Smith was living the indie-kid fantasy, directing his friends and idols in a script that roasted Catholicism while secretly hugging it.

Then the shit hit the fan, literally and figuratively. The Catholic League caught wind of the premise — angels exploiting dogma, God as a woman — and lost their minds. Protests loomed, and Disney, terrified of picket lines at the Magic Kingdom, bailed. Miramax heads Harvey and Bob Weinstein stepped in, personally buying the film to save it from oblivion. Smith later called it “My movie about angels owned by the devil himself,” a jab at Harvey’s iron grip.

Released November 12, 1999, Dogma dodged the boycott bullet, raking in $43.9 million, Smith’s biggest hit. Critics were split: Roger Ebert gave it 3.5 stars, praising its “spirit,” while others sniffed at the crudeness.

The DVD Drought: Weinstein’s Greedy Purgatory

Here’s where my VHS bragging rights peaked. Dogma became a unicorn after Sony’s initial VHS and DVD drop in 2000 (plus a rare Blu-Ray release in 2008). It simply vanished. But why? The answer: Harvey Weinstein. When Miramax split from Disney, the Weinsteins hoarded Dogma’s rights in their personal vault, letting licenses lapse as streaming wasn’t a thing yet.

Post-2017, with Harvey’s fall, no one dared touch it. Smith refused to fork over the $5 million Harvey demanded, fuming in 2022 that “He’s holding it hostage.” Used DVDs of Dogma hit $50, Blu-rays soared higher, and YouTube bootlegs multiplied. It was a travesty. A cult hit shouldn’t be a black-market relic, and Harvey’s greed locked it in limbo.

The Review: A Holy Mess that Still Hits (Mostly)

Rewatching Dogma in 2025 is like revisiting a favorite Blockbuster rental — scratched but sentimental, with a few scenes you fast-forward through.

The plot’s a heavenly hot mess: Fallen angels Bartleby (Affleck) and Loki (Damon) have been exiled to Wisconsin (hell’s waiting room) but find a Catholic loophole to sneak back into heaven. Problem is, doing so will unravel existence.

Bethany (Linda Fiorentino), a jaded abortion clinic worker, gets roped in by God’s snarky Metatron (Alan Rickman), and is eventually joined by stoners Jay and Silent Bob (Jason Mewes and Smith), a wisecracking Apostle Rufus (Chris Rock), a stripper muse named Serendipity (Salma Hayek),all while being followed by an angel of death named Azrael (Jason Lee).

It’s a cosmic comedy of errors, and I’m still a sucker for it. The good stuff still sings. Smith’s dialogue — those rapid-fire, pop-culture-soaked monologues — crackles like it did in ’99. Jay has lines that are still very quotable (“Beautiful, naked, big-t**ted women don’t just fall out of the sky, you know!”) while Lee’s turn as Azrael blends slimy menace with a devilish charm.

Rickman’s Metatron griping about humans is perfection, while Rock’s Rufus schooling us on Jesus’ real vibe feels fresher than ever. Affleck and Damon bicker like an old married couple, their post-Good Will Hunting charm intact, and Morissette’s God flipping the script at the end? Goosebumps.

Smith’s ambition — mashing faith, farts, and Mooby’s fries — still dazzles.

But let’s be real: Dogma stumbles. The pacing’s a slog at times and it feels like Smith couldn’t decide if he was making a sermon or a stoner comedy. The 128-minute runtime drags like a sermon on a hangover Sunday. Too many tangents, not enough cuts. Fiorentino’s Bethany also is a charisma void; her “chosen one” bit flops, and she vibes with no one. The CGI (Golgothan shit demon, I’m glaring at you) looks like a Playstation 1 cutscene. And some gags, like Jay’s relentless perv routine, feel stuck in 1999’s edgy-for-the-sake-of-it muck.

Back in college, I laughed at the sheer audacity; now, I wince at the dated edge. It’s not that it’s offensive — it’s just trying so hard to be. Still, the heart shines through: Smith’s love for underdogs and his knack for blending faith with fart jokes keep it endearing. Does it hold up? Mostly, yeah. It’s a time capsule of late ’90s irreverence that still lands more punches than it misses.

The 2025 Comeback: A Second Coming for the Faithful

So why is Dogma storming theaters in 2025? Thank Iconic Events, the saviors who bought it from Weinstein’s clutches. Smith was ecstatic upon hearing the news, saying, “God bless Iconic Events for granting my fourth (and perhaps best) film a religious re-release!”

Starting April 20th (Easter Sunday, nice touch), he’s touring 25 cities — LA, NYC, Chicago, even his Smodcastle Cinemas in Jersey — before a wide 4K remastered release on June 5th. It’s a victory lap for a film he fought to reclaim, a middle finger to Harvey, and a gift to fans like me who’ve nursed fuzzy tapes for decades.

Plus, Smith’s hinting at sequels or possible TV spin offs. It’s coming back because the View Askewniverse faithful demanded it, and with Clerks III proving Smith’s still got juice, the timing’s perfect.

Does it hold up enough to justify this? Hell yes, for the nostalgia alone. That ’90s vibe — laughing at George Carlin’s Cardinal Glick, and endlessly quoting it every night till dawn — floods back with every frame.

The 4K polish might soften that Golgothan’s pixelated stink, and Smith’s Q&As promise juicy behind-the-scenes dirt that I crave.

As long as you understand it’s not flawless. The cracks show more now: Fiorentino’s stiffness, the bloat, the try-hard bits. Still, I’ll be there, popcorn in hand, cheering a film that dared to ask big questions with a smirk. Dogma’s a relic of my youth, a flawed masterpiece that doesn’t need to be perfect to feel like home. Here’s to 25 years — and maybe 25 more.

Justin’s rating: Downshifting to first gear at 95 mph.

Justin’s review: We return to the land of Kevin Smith (Clerks, Mallrats), and it’s comfortably like going back to a very strange hometown and some friendly foul-mouthed inhabitants. This time, we’re in for a bit of religious satire, bloody action, and more classic Things You’ll Never See In Any Other Movie.

Welcome to Dogma, a savagely funny look at Catholicism in specific and organized religion in general. Two fallen angels, Loki (Matt “Apples” Damon) and Bartleby (Ben “Animal Crackers” Affleck), have found a loophole in Catholic dogma that would allow them back into heaven. Small problem — doing so would negate the infallibility of God and wipe out all existence.

Thus, a seraphim named Metatron (Alan “With A Spoon!” Rickman) assigned abortion clinic worker Bethany (Linda “Linda” Fiorentino) to stop them. Along the way, Bethany is helped out by the 13th Apostle (Chris “I Have No Reason To Be In A Lethal Weapon Movie” Rock), an ex-muse (Salma “Hoo-Boy!” Hayek), and our favorite pair of wanna-be prophets, Jay and Silent Bob (Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith). In fact, this is starting to resemble a cast list more than a review, but I shall boldly struggle on.

Whether you’re going to be offended by the film depends on your ability to have a sense of humor. Some lobbies are giving them out as promotional items when you buy Dogma tickets. Does it poke fun of Christian tradition? Yes. Does some of its theology seem like it comes from a third grader’s perception of religion? Oh yes. But does it make some really interesting points about Christianity while not going so far over the line as to send your local clergy into comas? I will allow for a tentative “yes.” I’m not personally speaking for the entire Christian populace, but I think that if you can get some measure of truth out of a film, then it’s worth seeing.

Peppered through this movie are commentaries on corporate greed, adultery, and monsters made liberally out of poop. Dogma is more of a mix of genres than Smith’s previous trilogy. It has a lot of comedic moments, but it really isn’t all comedy. There’s a bit of drama, a smattering of action, a splattering of gore (ever want to see an angel’s wings get blown off?), and a heavy dose of fantasy and special effects. And I’m not ashamed to say that the acting has come a long way from Clerks‘ long-stilted dialogue. The cast do rather impressive performances, despite that no one actor hogs all of the screen time. In fact, the only characters I thought grew dull during the film were Damon and Affleck.

Let us celebrate another fine entry into the ViewAskew universe. Dogma is both way ahead and way behind of its time, and it certainly deserves every accolade tossed in its direction.

Andie’s rating: Only of the funniest, coolest movies ever.

Andie’s review: Well, awhile back I wanted to review all of Kevin Smith’s movies, because I love them all, but, like, every mutant and his brother has reviewed them, so I decided not to jump on the band wagon. But then I saw Dogma and couldn’t let this one go. This movie made me laugh so hard, yet it also had some really great ideas about faith. I think they should show this at confirmation retreats, but it probably wouldn’t fly.

Anyway, I think I know why the Catholics are so up in arms about this movie. It’s because they only got a little ways into it. They got as far as George Carlin as Cardinal Glick and the retiring of the crucifix and the unveiling of the new “Buddy Christ” statue and probably stroked out. If they only would’ve gotten a little farther into it, they would’ve discovered that Dogma isn’t dissing faith, it’s explaining it. And it has some awesome ideas, like how as long as you have faith, it doesn’t matter what denomination you are. And how the humans don’t realize how lucky they are to have what they have.

I really can’t say enough about this movie, I saw it twice in the theaters. I was glad to see more of Jay and Silent Bob, especially because I think Jay is hot and I thought Matt Damon and Ben Affleck were great, especially Ben Affleck’s parking garage rant. I also thought Chris Rock was hilarious. Overall, fantastic flick, everybody should see it.

PoolMan’s rating: Kevin Smith strikes again!

PoolMan’s review: Okay, make room, good movie coming through! While Dogma has the unfortunate burden of being the movie that made the phrase “Kevin Smith Trilogy” a misnomer, it’s outstanding, man!

First things first. I am now, more than ever, convinced that all the watchdog groups who sprung up and cursed poor Kevin Smith for writing Dogma never, EVER saw it before they complained. Not once. Let me see if I can sum it up for you (to borrow from an abridged script I read): “God is just, loving and all-powerful, humans are prone to mistakes, faith is a blessing, and the name of God shouldn’t be used to justify murders or wars.” Did you notice anything offensive in there? Didn’t really think so.

Okay, okay, there’s a seven-foot tall poop demon. That was maybe a little uncalled for (and a little too easily defeated), but otherwise, this movie has everything going for it. There is some really good humour, both light and dark, a good amount of plot, some darned entertaining characters, and some truly thought provoking moments. What more do you want?

One more thing. I was SO skeptical about Ms. Morisette’s inclusion in the role of God before I saw Dogma. I have to admit, having seen it, I was actually kind of moved by her simple performance. One tends to forget that perhaps even the Almighty might enjoy smiling and standing on her head. That was really pleasant for me, and I enjoyed it a lot.

Cast aside all doubt, and catch up on your Dogma.