Review: 'Expelled' is crass creationist double speak

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed    PG     

            Ben Stein returns to the movies in this oddball documentary about the nature of intelligent design versus the scientific world narrowly portrayed through a dozen opposing sources of prominence in science and in religion. Clearly Mr. Stein's agenda is to uphold the theory of an intelligent creator, (God perhaps) over the Darwinian model that everything just happened in the world and in life by chance. The narrative draws strange conclusions in mixing the fascism of groups like Nazi Germany circa the second World War, with the Darwin of the 19th century, even though neither are really related. Darwin would have objected to eugenics and fascism, but he is misquoted liberally in the movie. Protestants will like some of the movie for fostering some affection for a creator behind the whole universe, but bitter ex scientists and occasional trumped creationists probably weren't the best people to interview. The story only explores a fraction of the science versus creationism model and doesn't have a balanced bone anywhere. Stein almost goes so far as to claim Darwin would have liked concentration camps and ethnic cleansing, which is false. So far as Darwin was concerned, he would have thought such things were very bad. A fact is a well established opinion and a theory is a provable opinion, but sometimes a theory is not provable. The movie is mired in a very right wing agenda. Being a middle of the road Protestant who believes God does exist and that also he made it possible for Darwin's theories and for science to live in harmony with certain faiths, I found the story rather boring, irritating and visceral. It was kind of like sitting in a debate class where the professor knew full well what he had in mind and beat the students with his agenda all semester. It felt like sitting in a room for a whole semester and it was only 2 hours. Had they really wanted to test the science versus intelligent design model, they would have done a double blind research experiment with hundreds of people and sourced out what the leaders of these groups really thought. Human nature isn't black and white. Most folks are somewhere in between on this. Only the really far right or far left claim they're right. Until God returns, they will continue to debate. Before tat time, it shouldn't surprise anyone that some scientists have agendas that may lead to their subordinates being fired for no credible reason. That's just the way it is. It's not a conspiracy for once. Stein should know better. Not buying that even though Ben Stein is rich and a genius that I have to listen to him lecture me for hours. 

     Review by Adam Browne