Seeing the world for what it is, and not through a filter, as society would like.

Sunday, February 8, 2015

Movie Review - Expelled

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed Review
            Ben Stein’s movie, Expelled, is a documentary promoting one thing: there is a ‘wall’ in our society today that is taking away our freedom. That one is free to express their opinions as long as they are on the right side of the wall. After watching the film, I was still skeptical as to whether or not there is, in actuality, a ‘wall’. I needed look no further than the reviews on the movie. On iMDb, a website I love, and use very much, the movie got a 3.7/10 user review (an EXCEEDINGLY low number considering some horrifically bad movies get 6’s and 7’s), and a 13/100 from critics. When I saw the ratings, I laughed out loud. As I started to read the reviews, it became very clear to me: Expelled is on the wrong side of the ‘wall’.
            The reviews of the movie completely blow the entire thesis of the movie out of proportion, and twist it so it seems to be an anti-freedom movie. A particular review by Vadim Rizov, entitled “Ben Stein, Propagandist’ (read the full review here: http://www.villagevoice.com/2008-04-15/film/tracking-6/) states, “His thesis: Teaching Darwinian evolution but ignoring intelligent design in America's public schools and universities is the biggest threat to American freedom today—bigger, presumably, than Al Qaeda, Iraq, and the recession combined.” After reading this review, I thought, ‘It didn’t seem like that was the thesis to me,’ so I re-watched the movie. This review was so far from correct, it is almost mind boggling that the website hasn’t removed it. Nowhere in the entire movie is Al Qaeda, Iraq, or the recession even motioned, much less portrayed as not important. Also, not teaching Intelligent Design was not what Stein claimed was threatening our freedom today. He merely used not allowing the STUDY of Intelligent Design as an EXAMPLE to promote his true thesis: that the people leading Science today will not even allow discussion about what they don’t like, or don’t want. At the end of his review, the author, once again, stretches the movie, claiming that the movie says Intelligent Design’s “...scientific opponents, meanwhile, are potential Communists and Nazis.” That’s not what the movie says. Stein clearly states in his movie that he is NOT saying that all Darwinists are Nazi’s,  “nobody is saying that” he says.

            While the Internet is riddled with extremely violent reviews, that merely prove Ben Steins point, one particular website caught my attention. Yes, that’s right, there is an entire website devoted to crashing down on Ben Stein, called expelledexposed.com. The website claims that “…this movie is not a documentary at all, but ANTI-science propaganda aimed at creating the appearance of controversy where there is none.” That’s not what I got from the movie. The movie gave extremely clear examples of people losing their job because they mentioned the possibility of Intelligent Design. The review is right in some sense: that there is no controversy. But the reason there is no controversy is because those on the ‘right side of the wall’ won’t allow any arguments come up from the ‘wrong side of the wall’.
            So after all this, what do you think? Let me know...

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I have recently finished writing a review on the 2001 novel Nickel and Dimed. Stay tuned for that review and more on other books to come.

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Armstrong Simms