Tying together a hodge podge of ideas -- ranging from quantum physics, to biochemistry, to spiritual discovery -- discussed in parallel with a loosely structured dramatic narrative, it's... a barrage. It is definitely a film designed to make you think, as well as entertain.

I like some of the possibilities it presents: that by taking science to its absolute limits as defined in quantum mechanics, even those of us most jaded by the indoctrinations of modern empiricism might find ways to rediscover magic in our everyday lives; that genuine transformation can be brought about through mental means; that our typical conception of reality is but a dim glimpse of the vastness that can exist if we would only allow it. There's a lot to contemplate.

The style employs elements of a documentary, but it does not strictly adhere to that format any more than Fahrenheit 9/11. Like Michael Moore's work, this film prefers to go on a spree of wild jaunts, venturing from one tangent to another, veering between fact, fiction, metaphorical illustration, and everything in between; it has the effect of creating a mental splattering on the viewer. A fun one, at that. (Unlike Michael Moore, however, this film has very little political content, if any.)

At a few points, the interviewees do make direct criticisms of Christianity and other dogma-based religions. Those who dislike hearing such critiques of their faiths may dislike parts of this movie. Personally, I think the comments were warranted, and the film would have been intellectually incomplete without them, since it makes ideas about spirituality one of its central themes. (But since I long ago discarded Christianity for myself, I'll admit that I have my own biases in that regard, and I tend to agree with the viewpoints put forth in the film.)

I liked it. Not quite as much as Waking Life, but it's definitely a worthy film that falls into a similar vein. Those looking for cold, hard, formally educational content will be disappointed, as might anyone who wants more depth on some of the topics. Some of the ideas would warrant entire books to explain in detail, but are brushed over in 5-second flashes. Fasten your seltbelts.

Occassionally, there are also some gaps of vapidity, which almost seemed like momentary pandering to the "dumbed down Hollywood" stereotype. The extended wedding dance sequence comes to mind. I would have much prefered that a bit more time been spent explicating some of the neat concepts, instead of watching CGI blobs sing and dance for a protracted period of time.

But these are minor quibbles. The film undertakes a hugely ambitious span of material, and successfully manages to condense it into something fun, digestable, and meaningful. For this, I applaud it.