"Dogma: 25th Anniversary" Trailer: Kevin Smith’s Controversial Comedy Returns to Theaters in 4K Remaster
Smith’s darkly comedic supernatural adventure about faith, religion, and purpose hits theaters again this June, with special Q&A screenings hosted by the filmmaker himself.
Back in November of 1999, filmmaker Kevin Smith, known for Clerks and Mallrats, released what many would argue is the best film he ever made, Dogma. Despite our love for Smith’s Chasing Amy, we might have to agree with that. It’s certainly Smith at his peak, in his prime—his apex.
The film, despite being stacked with an all-star cast led by Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Chris Rock, George Carlin, Alan Rickman, Salma Hayek, Linda Fiorentino, and others, was also perhaps Smith’s most controversial. Several religious demonstrators actively protested the movie’s release, given its provocative themes and satire of religion, making it a lightning rod for both praise and criticism.
Dogma is a darkly comedic supernatural adventure that flips religious worship on its head. Smith, who was raised in a Catholic household, took what he was taught and infused it with his signature dark sense of bathroom humor, applying it to known spiritual characters and religious mythology. The result is a provocative, at times sacrilegious, journey of faith and finding one’s purpose, while exploring the absurdities and contradictions of organized religion.
The movie is also very '90s. Meaning, the humor is crass and shamelessly tasteless. Smith’s dialogue might come off as verbose and rambling. The plot is loose at times. It’s a bit of a shaggy dog story, but with a good enough payoff that works for the most part. And anyone raised on ‘90s films would understand how benign Dogma is, despite its provocation.
Kevin Smith is a unique talent, a filmmaker with a modicum of visual flair and a keen ear for dialogue. However, his conversational writing style can sometimes come off as a bit of verbal diarrhea. But despite these quirks and the occasional detractor, Smith has, over the decades, built a successful career by galvanizing a loyal fanbase—one that would follow him to the ends of the Earth at this point.
And no matter how you feel about his films, Kevin Smith is a lot of fun to listen to. There’s just something so genuine about him that you can’t help but relate to his love of films, comic books, and all things geek culture. His enthusiasm is infectious, and his passion for the things he loves makes him easy to connect with.
So, when Smith announced last year that he finally regained the rights to Dogma after believing it would never happen since Harvey Weinstein had held onto it since its original theatrical release, we were extremely happy to hear it. After all, Smith once publicly stated that Dogma was about two angels, yet it was owned by “the devil himself.” So, it’s just good to hear that the movie is now owned by its own almighty creator. (Snooch to the Nooch!)
Now Smith has given a new update. It seems Dogma has been remastered in 4K for an upcoming theatrical re-release. Celebrating the movie’s 25th anniversary, Dogma will return to theaters across the U.S. and Canada starting on June 5th.
Smith is also planning to go on tour across the country in major cities for special Q&A screenings starting things off on Easter Sunday, naturally.
This is what Smith wrote on Instagram:
Bless me, Father - for I have cinema!
I’m ecclesiastically ecstatic to announce that DOGMA is getting a religious re-release on JUNE 5th in theaters all across the U.S. and Canada! In conjunction with @iconiceventsnow, we’re celebrating the 25th anniversary of my fourth (and perhaps best) film by bringing it back to the big screen for mass consumption! The brilliant kids at @wearebond killed it with the new poster and the new trailer (at my @youtube page), both of which make our old adventure feel like a much more modern movie!
But before the June 5th opening, I’m gonna accompany the flick to twenty @amctheaters across America for a Q&A screening series that kicks off on Easter Sunday! Blessed are they who come in the name of the tour when I bring #Dogma to Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Seattle, Minneapolis, Chicago, Kansas City, Dallas, Houston, Boston, NYC, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Tampa and Orlando, before wrapping up at @smodcastlecinemas in New Jersey - the sacred state where the movie is set! (If you don’t see your state represented, don’t worry: we’ll be adding stops to the tour in advance of the June 5th opening!) Get tickets at DogmaMovie.com!
Thank you to everyone who kept the faith all these years; you’ve sustained me during the long crusade to resurrect my movie! Praise the Lord and pass the popcorn for the second coming of Dogma!
