Dean Haglund became something of a poster boy for conspiracy theories through his role as Langly in The X-Files and its spin off, The Lone Gunmen. Unlike any of his co-stars from the shows, Dean, an improv, stand-up comedian as well as actor, is the only one who still actively "investigates" conspiracy theories and the quest for truth, which is what this documentary is all about: Dean's quest to find out if there is any truth behind the conspiracy theories. This is a huge topic to cover in a single doc, or to arrive at any definitive answer. To a certain extent, this film only addresses the more popular conspiracy theories as Dean interviews lots of "experts" in the different fields, nearly all of whom, coincidentally, have something to sell, and some of whom are clearly a few cents short of a dollar, but they all given a forum to express their ideas.
Given his occupation as a stand-up comedian, Dean is a gentle interviewer and allows his subjects to speak openly and without interruption so they possibly reveal more than they would under closer scrutiny. While most of the film's investigation looks at outward manifestations of the quest for the "Truth", thankfully some people do point out that the real search is an inward journey. Unfortunately, this idea is often lost amongst all the other talk.
For anyone who has questions about what is going on in the world around them, and doesn't buy into the version we are sold by the mass media, this film is a perfect primer that covers most of the more interesting topics in a cohesive overview. There is no shortage of docs that go into more depth on the any of the subjects, but there is plenty here to pique one's interest and to seek these other films out, many of which are available on general DVD release.
Some people complain that at 141 minutes it is too long, but there are plenty of fiction features that exceed that and give you nothing more than flashy visuals and no substance. This is a veritable smorgasbord of information that is easy to digest but will probably leave you craving more - or at least it should for anyone with an enquiring mind.
To its credit, the film doesn't go in with any preconceived agenda it is trying to push, it simply asks the questions and listens to the answers and leaves the viewer to make their own decisions. it even presents conflicting ideas on the same subject. Such impartiality is very refreshing in this type of doc and should be seen as a strength and not a weakness.
Given his occupation as a stand-up comedian, Dean is a gentle interviewer and allows his subjects to speak openly and without interruption so they possibly reveal more than they would under closer scrutiny. While most of the film's investigation looks at outward manifestations of the quest for the "Truth", thankfully some people do point out that the real search is an inward journey. Unfortunately, this idea is often lost amongst all the other talk.
For anyone who has questions about what is going on in the world around them, and doesn't buy into the version we are sold by the mass media, this film is a perfect primer that covers most of the more interesting topics in a cohesive overview. There is no shortage of docs that go into more depth on the any of the subjects, but there is plenty here to pique one's interest and to seek these other films out, many of which are available on general DVD release.
Some people complain that at 141 minutes it is too long, but there are plenty of fiction features that exceed that and give you nothing more than flashy visuals and no substance. This is a veritable smorgasbord of information that is easy to digest but will probably leave you craving more - or at least it should for anyone with an enquiring mind.
To its credit, the film doesn't go in with any preconceived agenda it is trying to push, it simply asks the questions and listens to the answers and leaves the viewer to make their own decisions. it even presents conflicting ideas on the same subject. Such impartiality is very refreshing in this type of doc and should be seen as a strength and not a weakness.