Expelled! ja arvostelut

Expelled!-elokuva on selvinnyt ensi-iltaan asti. Viikonlopun aikana ilmestyy varmasti monta harrastelijoiden kirjoittamaa arvostelua. Niitä odotellessa voi tarkistaa minkälaiset arvosanat Expelled! on saanut muualla:

Jeesus Kristuksen voimaan uskova Reasons to Believe-verkkosivu ei ole niellyt elokuvan sanomaa kakimatta. He eivät ole kirjoittaneet kokonaista arvostelua, vaan varovaisen arvion, sillä heidän asiantuntijansa eivät ole vielä nähneet lopullista versiota.
Nyt he ovat nähneet sen:

If science-minded skeptics indeed represent a mission field, then we should not come out shooting. EXPELLED seems to do just that. While an entertaining movie, its main thrust runs counter to RTB's mission of seeking to engage scientists in the scientific arena. Consequently, any endorsement of EXPELLED by RTB hinders our ability to spread the Gospel message to those we hope to reach.

Therefore, we ask all chapter members and volunteers to refrain from endorsing EXPELLED in any official way. This request does not extend to your personal interactions-only to any actions taken in association with or on behalf of Reasons to Believe.

Auts.

Chicago Tribune antoi Expelled!-elokuvalle yhden tähden ja haukkuu tekijöiden etiikan:

"Expelled" relies on the viewer's inability or unwillingness to wrestle with a complex corner of science, double-talking its way toward a "must be a miracle" solution to anything that science may not claim to have an answer for. Dismiss that for having no basis in fact, and you're infringing on "academic freedom."

That's not it at all, Ben. And really, when academia, the courts, the opinions of the educated have all weighed in on this subject on that "other side," who's the real monkey in this "debate"?

Ehkä Colorado Springs Independent-lehti tarjoaa enemmän tukea?

It's nuttiness right from the opening moments of Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. Images of Nazi atrocities and the terrors of life behind the Berlin Wall are smugly deployed in an attempt to editorialize away basic scientific fact. In a saner universe, you could scoff at Stein and not give his nonsense another thought. But we don't live in that universe. We live here, where the religious insecurity of a scientifically illiterate populace is being twisted by people who certainly know better.

Ehkä StarTribune on objektiivisempi, vaikka antoi vain ½ tähteä neljästä:

A hard-core, fundamentalist bit of right-wing propaganda, "Expelled" slyly appropriates its style from liberal and left-wing sources, sending Ben Stein out to do deadpan interviews of a grab-bag of experts and wack jobs, while intercutting old movies, new animation and newsreel footage.

Typical of all propaganda, it also distorts language. The narration talks of "Darwinism" -- not evolution -- to make it sound like a dangerously secular cult; creationism is replaced by the more scientific-sounding "intelligent design." After an hour and a half, my faith in Darwin was shaken because, judging by what was on screen, we haven't evolved one blessed bit.

RottenTomatoes-sivusto antaa parhaillaan 8%-arvosanaa. Edit: 7%. Edit: 6%. Edit: 5%.

New York Times on asiallisella linjalla:

One of the sleaziest documentaries to arrive in a very long time, “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed” is a conspiracy-theory rant masquerading as investigative inquiry.

Yhdysvaltojen epävirallinen Raamattu, eli TV-Guide on myös arvostellut elokuvan (1½/4):

But surely the film's greatest offense is the utter shamelessness with which it exploits the Holocaust, veering far off topic for a side trip to Nazi killing centers at Hadamar and Dachau in an attempt to tar Darwin with the old "Evolution led directly to eugenics and the Final Solution" brush. The camera's slow tracking shots through the death camps are followed by a similar creepy crawl through Down House, where Darwin wrote On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. None of this has anything to do with the validity of evolutionary theory or intelligent design, and only serves to point up how any theory can be used to justify evil ends.

CanMag on skeptinen Expelled!:n sisältämiä väitteitä kohtaan.

E-Online.com osaa kiteyttää kaiken olennaisen:

Review in a Hurry: A flunkout of a documentary, this features Ben Stein—still best known for his monotone "Anyone...anyone?"—advocating creationism, er, intelligent design, in science classrooms. Stein's credibility is blown on this poorly constructed diatribe, and you'd be smart to save your bucks.

Mutta E-Online näkee elokuvassa jotain hyvääkin:

The 180—a Second Opinion: If this preposterous flick stifles Stein's career, perhaps we'll finally be spared the Ferris Bueller shtick he's been milking for two decades.

Varmasti sekaan mahtuu myös ylistäviä arvosteluja. Ehkä jopa Answers in Genesiksen ja Discovery Instituten ulkopuolelta.