So, its fairly well produced, it looks good (certainly comparable to other documentaries out there.) All of the technical aspects of the film are in order. Nothing truly stands out as exceptional, but everything is very much professional.
From an approach perspective, it really is more of a documentary than most "documentaries" in that, the main character (Matt Walsh) is asking questions to try and understand the opposing opinion. Most "Documentaries" have a side and then only interview supporting perspectives of the thesis. In this case, Walsh actually interviews the opposing side a lot. For that reason alone, this a more honest documentary. Now, fair-is-fair, I don't like the subject of documentaries to be the documentarian. I believe that would classify it as more journalistic or activist (a-la, Moore or Spurlock.) But it is a common documentary style.
That said, I guess we get into the meat of it and why people love it or hate it. As before mentioned, there is a lot of exchanges with opposing view points, and those view points did not make strong arguments. Did Walsh interview the actual leading experts on the subjects? Maybe, maybe not. They do have considerable credibility, but Walsh himself is by no means an expert in the field, so even if the people he's interviewing are not the leaders, it's not like it's an unfair fight.
I think if you're for or against this subject matter, it's probably a good film to watch. It's always good to know what the opposing arguments are, but for some reason this topic people get very passionate about. From a purely creative standpoint, I think it's great, not exceptional, but if you like documentaries, it's going to be one of the best ones this year.
From an approach perspective, it really is more of a documentary than most "documentaries" in that, the main character (Matt Walsh) is asking questions to try and understand the opposing opinion. Most "Documentaries" have a side and then only interview supporting perspectives of the thesis. In this case, Walsh actually interviews the opposing side a lot. For that reason alone, this a more honest documentary. Now, fair-is-fair, I don't like the subject of documentaries to be the documentarian. I believe that would classify it as more journalistic or activist (a-la, Moore or Spurlock.) But it is a common documentary style.
That said, I guess we get into the meat of it and why people love it or hate it. As before mentioned, there is a lot of exchanges with opposing view points, and those view points did not make strong arguments. Did Walsh interview the actual leading experts on the subjects? Maybe, maybe not. They do have considerable credibility, but Walsh himself is by no means an expert in the field, so even if the people he's interviewing are not the leaders, it's not like it's an unfair fight.
I think if you're for or against this subject matter, it's probably a good film to watch. It's always good to know what the opposing arguments are, but for some reason this topic people get very passionate about. From a purely creative standpoint, I think it's great, not exceptional, but if you like documentaries, it's going to be one of the best ones this year.