Critics’ Jeers and Cheers for “Expelled”
Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008
There’s lots of buzz out there over the Ben Stein documentary that’s proving to be the little engine that could. In ‘Expelled’ Explodes into Top 10 Box Office, Christian Post correspondent Alexander J. Sheffrin writes:
“Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed,” the pro-intelligent design documentary featuring actor Ben Stein, made history this weekend as it propelled full speed into the top 10 box office. It opened as the widest and one of the most commercially successful releases for any documentary film.
In an impressive opening weekend, the film debuted at No. 9 at the box office, earning a respectable $3.2 million while only appearing on 1,052 screens.
Michael Foust of the Baptist Press in Land: ‘Expelled’ a must-see movie reports that Dr. Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission is giving the film a “thumbs up”
“Expelled is a wonderful movie,” Land said on the April 17 broadcast of “For Faith and Family” in which he interviewed Stein. “I think it should be required viewing for anyone who wants to understand what is going on and what is at stake in the debate over worldviews in this society. This is one of these times when you can vote with your pocketbook. You can vote with your economic franchise, and Hollywood will listen when they see the dollar signs,” he said.
But not everyone is so enthusiastic. In Expelled Critics: So Bored They Can’t See Straight, Martin Cothran of Evolution News & Views has this to say:
“Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed” is effective in its presentation of its views. It is by turns funny, ominous, clever, illuminating, and entertaining, which is more than you can say about some of the reviews of this movie which are merely hostile. Apparently their strategy is to convince people that the movie is not very good, something they have spilled a lot of ink trying to do.
If you slog through the comments from critics and keep your eye peeled, you can find an occasional criticism that, right or wrong, actually belongs in a movie review. One of these rare specimens is the charge that the film is “boring.” C’mon. Unless you fall within the category of totally ignorant of the issue of evolution and uncaring (in which case you didn’t buy a ticket to go see the movie in the first place), you’re going to be mad–either at the Darwinists’ ideological cartel, or at the producers for making the movie. You’re either going to be cheering Ben Stein on or gnawing on knuckles in frustration. But bored? No way.
In fact, one wonders how such a boring film can elicit such hostility. Peter McWilliams once defined boredom as “hostility without enthusiasm.” But these people are not only hostile, they are enthusiastic in their hostility. If they’re bored, they sure are worked up about it.
The negative reviews of Expelled are primarily written by people who disagree with the film’s central contention, just as the positive reviews are largely from people who agree with it. When it comes to a film like this, there is little room for objectivity. Darwinists aren’t going to give this film a positive review any more than a conservative would give a positive review to a Michael Moore film. If you agree with it you like it, if you don’t you don’t. It’s pretty simple.
