The What the Bleep Do We Know!? phenomenon just won't go away. Most people enjoy it, and for the most part I do too. LIME's Balance editor has already sung its praises, but with the remixed sequel out now in some cities I feel compelled by civic duty to chime in and explain what the bleep is wrong with the original flick (and what the remake gets right).

It's not the goofy, after school special style narrative. That kind of schlock is an acquired taste I often enjoy.

I'm also not particularly bothered by the film's dubious ties to the kooky Ramtha sect (although her monologues in the film are tedious).

And finally, I am long time fan of the film's subject matter—the snap-crackle-pop of quantum physics mixing with the new age. Awhile back, I even attended a conference in Tuscon, AZ, called Towards A Scientific Foundation for Consciousness, where I met a couple of the “scientist experts” featured in What The Bleep. So I’m familiar with the terrain and its hazzards.

The problem rests with the presentation, and the films’ bedazzling editing techniques which, while much improved in the second film, are disingenuous and manipulative. They disrespect the viewer and the interviewees (see Popular Science) by failing to provide proper introductions. Who are they? What are their qualifications? Why should we trust them? Worse yet, these “experts” (some are, some are not) bleep on screen for only a few seconds, entirely out of context.

The movie parades physicists and other poser pundits, edited together in a kaleidoscopic mashup of buzzwords and popular new age concepts which overstimulate the viewer. It allegedly shows you the way out. But it effectively does just the opposite.

Thankfully the new mix is a better movie. For the first hour or so, the talking heads are given a little more time to breathe. The speakers are allowed the time to finish sentences and complete thoughts. (Unfortunately we still don't know who they are.) It is a cleaner, sharper introduction to pop quantum physics. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

But as the movie shifts focus from explaining quantum physics into the self-help sermons, we say goodbye to the scientists and hello to the mired narrative and a cast of know-it-all talking heads. My advice is to skip the wedding sequences entirely and return for the closing remix. It ends with a great animated sequence, “Dr. Quantum in Flatland,” which encapsulates the classic text, Flatland, and its illustration of another dimension.

That said, for a completely underrated movie that explores similar themes, try Mindwalk. The cinematography is excellent and it speaks for itself rather than dazzling the viewer with a spectacle of special effects.

[nod to The Stranger]