What’s It About
Two fallen angels who were ejected from paradise find themselves banned in Wisconsin. They are now headed for New Jersey, where they find a loophole that can get them back into heaven. The only catch is that it will destroy humanity. A group bands together to stop them.
MOVIESinMO REVIEW
Dogma is like having an in-depth conversation with that argumentative friend of yours. Loud, ugly, a bit of genius (at times), and too proud for its own good, this has to be one of the worst held onto by Harvey Weinstein while waiting for its chance to be released on home video, but it finally was released on December 12th (2025) as a Lionsgate 4K disc….and it definitely deserved a better fate than being trapped in purgatory! It is ironic that a movie where the plot involves being booted from heaven can also be described as being imprisoned in distribution hell!
So let’s talk about what Kevin Smith actually made here, and whether it still holds up in 2026.
Back in 1999, critics didn’t know what to do with this film. It screened at Cannes and dropped in November of that year to massive controversy, with the Catholic League calling it blasphemy and organized protests reportedly leading to death threats against Smith himself. All of that noise almost drowned out the actual conversation about the movie. Films like End of Days and Stigma, which were openly anti-Catholic, got way less heat, yet Dogma, which was actually made by a practicing Catholic, became the protest target of the year. That tells you something about how protest culture works. People react to the idea of a thing before they even sit down to experience it. Roger Ebert rated this movie three and a half stars, honestly and fairly, because he understands what Smith is trying to do. Most of the other reviewers were too busy clutching their pearls to realize that there is an underlying warmth to the shockingly filthy humor. Generally, reviewers found it to be “uneven but thoughtful”, a satire that manages to treat its subjects both respectfully and irreverently. That middle-ground assessment still holds true; if anything, it is more true today than it was when it was first made. Now, from where I sit as a Black critic, I have to address the elephant, or rather, the apostle in the room. Chris Rock plays Rufus, the self-described 13th apostle who claims to have been left out of the Bible because he’s Black, and who also insists that Jesus was Black. In 1999, that joke landed mostly as a punchline for white audiences and a “finally somebody said it” moment for a lot of Black viewers. Today, it reads differently. Rufus is funny. Chris Rock is effortlessly charismatic, and he genuinely steals scenes from a cast full of ringers. But Rufus is also the only Black character in the whole movie with any meaningful screen time, and his entire purpose is to show up, drop wisdom, crack jokes about being erased from history, and then disappear. He’s a plot device dressed in fly clothing. At the time in 1999, it was groundbreaking to see a Black man making jokes about the whitewashing of the Bible, especially within a distribution model this large, yet today (2026) we’ve had so many discussions on the subject of representation that we’re able to agree that while having one intelligent and funny Black character to help the audience through a White lead’s journey into spirituality is cool, we really don’t want to see anymore of that again. While it isn’t hurtful or evil in its intent, it feels restrictive. And we see the limitation clearly now in a way many audiences didn’t then. The film’s actual plot is more fun than people remember. Two fallen angels, Bartleby (Ben Affleck) and Loki (Matt Damon), find a loophole in Catholic doctrine that would let them get back into heaven, but the catch is that doing so would unmake all of existence. A lapsed Catholic named Bethany is recruited by a heavenly messenger to stop them. Jay and Silent Bob come along for reasons that are mostly Jay looking for women and Silent Bob being Silent Bob. What makes this work is that Smith genuinely believes in something. The biggest shock for audiences expecting pure blasphemy was that Dogma turned out to be a love letter to Smith’s Catholic faith. He is not trying to tear the Church apart. He is trying to separate the institution from the belief, the bureaucracy from the spiritual. That is a real and honest conversation, and it still resonates today, maybe more so, given how many people have walked away from organized religion in the decades since, while still holding onto some idea of God, spirit, or something bigger than themselves. The core of the film argues that faith itself is good, but that institutional religion, the rules, the hierarchy, and the exclusion are where things go wrong. That is not a radical idea in 2026. It’s practically mainstream. Which is both a sign that Smith was ahead of his time and a reason why the film doesn’t hit quite as hard today. The controversial fuel has burned off. What’s left is a genuinely earnest, somewhat bloated comedy that has more heart than most of the studio films released the same year.
Would today’s audiences like it?
Honestly? Yes and no, and it depends on who walks in the door. Gen Z audiences who grew up watching fast-paced, tightly edited content may struggle with the pacing. Some of the CGI, particularly the so-called “shit demon,” looks like a PlayStation 1 cutscene, and Jay’s constant crude commentary about women is the kind of humor that made certain people howl in 1999 and makes those same people cringe now. The word “retard” is used as a put-down, and there are a handful of moments that feel casually homophobic in the way a lot of late-90s comedies were, not hateful by the standards of the time, but awkward by the standards of today. That said, the ideas still spark. The conversation about why people feel spiritually abandoned by the institutions that were supposed to nurture them? That’s not dated at all. The idea that a Black man was written out of sacred history because his presence made the gatekeepers uncomfortable? That is painfully current. The suggestion that God might show up looking nothing like what you expected? That still has the power to unsettle and delight in equal measure. The Weinstein situation deserves its own paragraph. Smith himself once called Dogma “my movie about angels owned by the devil himself,” a direct jab at Harvey Weinstein’s grip on the film. For years, this movie was essentially locked away because of the personal ownership Harvey and Bob Weinstein held over the rights. Iconic Events acquired the rights and gave it a 25th anniversary theatrical run in 2025, and then Lionsgate released the 4K steelbook in December 2025. That the movie survived all of that says something about its stubborn staying power. The bottom line: Dogma is flawed, funny, and surprisingly sincere. It has aged the way a lot of late-90s films have — some parts golden, some parts cracked. As a Black critic, I appreciate that it dared to put a Black apostle on screen and let him say what many of us have thought. I just wish the film had done more with him. The 4K release is sharp, and if you’ve never seen it, now is the time. If you have seen it, go back with fresh eyes. Not because it’s perfect, but because movies that actually try to say something, even imperfectly, deserve to be in the conversation. So thank you, Kevin Smith, it was worth every minute of that long wait to get it back.
Our Rating – A Years Later 6.5
Why It’s (was) Gone
There’s a real simple answer – Harvey Weinstein. Back when Kevin Smith was a new director, he just wanted to make movies. A thing he still loves to do today. And those movies were great. Clerks (1994), Mallrats (1995), and Chasing Amy (1997). Those were produced via Miramax, a Disney-owned company. So, when Dogma was released in 1999, the church (and Disney), lost their freaking minds, and after many protests, letters, and death threats, Disney said NO. That’s where Weinstein comes in. He bought the rights from Disney, and the film got released. Fast-forward to 2018, and we saw Harvey get accused, arrested, and convicted in February 2020, sentenced to 23 years in prison. Needless to say, everything with his name will be extremely difficult to obtain. Especially if he personally bought the rights to it, like Dogma. But if you really want it, check eBay, Mercari, or Amazon. I’m sure someone will sell you a copy of their copy for $100, or the real thing for $200.
No Longer Buried
In late 2024, Kevin Smith officially announced that he had regained control of his 1999 cult classic, Dogma. This ended a decades-long “hostage” situation where the film’s rights were personally held by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, making it nearly impossible to stream or purchase legally for years.
The breakthrough occurred when a third-party company (a hedge fund) purchased the rights from the Weinsteins and subsequently reached out to Smith to collaborate on the film’s future.
## The Timeline of the Struggle
The path to reclaiming Dogma was famously contentious:
- The Weinstein Era: Because Disney (Miramax’s parent company at the time) was uncomfortable with the film’s religious themes, the Weinsteins bought the rights personally.
- The Stalemate: For years, Smith tried to buy the film back, even offering up to $1 million. He was consistently rejected, and he eventually refused to participate in any Dogma projects while the Weinsteins still stood to profit from them.
- The 2024 Breakthrough: Smith confirmed in October 2024 that a new company had acquired the rights and was eager to work with him. This allowed Smith to finally move forward without any connection to his former producers.
## The “Dogma: Resurrected” 25th Anniversary (2025)
To celebrate the film’s 25th anniversary, Smith launched a massive campaign in 2025 to bring the movie back to the public:
- 4K Restoration: The film underwent a full 4K digital restoration.
- Theatrical Tour: A live tour titled “Dogma: Resurrected” kicked off on Easter Sunday (April 20), 2025, in Los Angeles. Smith toured 25 cities, hosting live Q&As after screenings.
- Physical & Digital Release: Lionsgate officially released the 25th Anniversary 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray (including a limited edition Steelbook) on December 9, 2025. This marked the first time the movie was available on home video in over 15 years.
## Future Projects: Dogma 2 and More
With the legal hurdles cleared, Smith has pivotally shifted toward expanding the Dogma universe:
- The Sequel: Smith has confirmed he is writing a Dogma sequel. He has stated that the project is “absolutely” happening and intends for it to be a high-caliber production he hopes to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival (aiming for 2028).
- Cast Expectations: Smith has been vocal that a sequel depends on the return of Ben Affleck (Bartleby) and Matt Damon (Loki), expressing confidence that they will appear in more than just a cameo.
- TV Series: There have been ongoing discussions about a potential television expansion to explore the lore of the 13th Apostle and the “Buddy Christ” universe.
The 25th-anniversary 4K release of Dogma (released in December 2025) was designed as a “thank you” to fans who waited over a decade for a legitimate way to own the film. Depending on which edition you pick up—the standard Lionsgate release or the deluxe Umbrella Entertainment set—the features vary from new documentaries to archival “Easter Eggs.”
## New & Exclusive 4K Content
These features were produced specifically for the 2025 restoration and were not found on the original 1999 DVD or 2008 Blu-ray:
- 2025 Introduction: A new 2-minute intro where Kevin Smith discusses the film’s “hostage” history and his love for physical media.
- “Revelations: Making Dogma”: A massive, 83-minute documentary featuring new and vintage interviews with the cast (Affleck, Damon, Hayek) and crew.
- “Establishing Shot” Featurette: A 5-minute look at the film’s cinematography with DP Robert Yeoman.
- Dogma Q&A: A 26-minute segment filmed during the 2025 “Resurrected” theatrical tour.
- “More Sermons from the Mount”: 15 minutes of additional stories and outtakes specifically focusing on the casting of George Carlin.
## Archival “View Askew” Classics
Fans of the original DVD will recognize these legendary (and often chaotic) bonus features:
- Cast Audio Commentary: Featuring Kevin Smith, Ben Affleck, Jason Lee, Jason Mewes, and Scott Mosier. Note: The 2025 version has been slightly edited to remove some of the more infamous disparaging comments about the production.
- “Judge Not: In Defense of Dogma”: The 2001 documentary exploring the religious controversy surrounding the film’s release.
- Deleted Scenes (97 minutes): 16 extended or cut scenes, each with a video introduction by Smith and the crew.
- The “Video Hijinks”: On the Blu-ray disc, you can watch the cast commentary with “hijinks” enabled, showing the group in the recording booth.
- Easter Eggs: Including the hilarious “How Kevin Directs” vs. “How Jay Thinks Kevin Directs” shorts featuring Jay and Silent Bob action figures.
## Physical Collectibles (Steelbook & Umbrella Editions)
If you are looking for the “ultimate” version, the specialized editions include:
| Feature | Lionsgate Steelbook | Umbrella “End is Nigh” Bundle |
| Packaging | Custom Steelbook art by BOND | Buddy Christ “Stained Glass” Rigid Case |
| Booklet | 16-page “Revelations of the Easily Offended” | 100+ page Hardback Book |
| Bonus Items | Digital Code | A3 Poster, 8 Art Cards, Enamel Pins, Beanie |
| Signed? | No | 16-page “Revelations of the Easily Offended.” |