Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief 2015

Christy Lemire, ChristyLemire.com: While he doesn't really uncover much that's new in "Going Clear," the way he's collected and assembled testimonials, documents and archival footage creates a cumulative effect that's chilling. Read more

Kyle Smith, New York Post: It doesn't add a lot to what was known about the church, but it puts it all in a compact format that hits Scientology squarely in the thetans. Read more

Scott Foundas, Variety: Alex Gibney shakes the Scientology tree in his crackling film version of Lawrence Wright's nonfiction bestseller. Read more

Joanne Ostrow, Denver Post: There is little breaking news in Going Clear, but the film is eye-opening for those who haven't seen past reports. Read more

Melissa Maerz, Entertainment Weekly: If Going Clear were a Hollywood thriller, I'd complain that it's too over-the-top. But this is real life, which is mind-blowing, and as a documentary, it's disturbingly good. Read more

Leslie Felperin, Hollywood Reporter: This impeccably assembled and argued film represents a brave, timely intervention into debates around the organization that have been simmering for some time. Read more

Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times: There is order and selection, of course - to say that this is storytelling is not to impugn its parts - but much of what he has to show you is remarkable in or out of this context. Read more

Verne Gay, Newsday: Going Clear is a heat-seeking missile that doesn't take long to find the heat. Read more

Vicki Hyman, Newark Star-Ledger: Even if you are familiar with the contours of the controversy over Scientology, Gibney's documentary... is worth watching, particularly for the personal stories of former members. Read more

Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: [A] searing, scalpel-sharp documentary ... Read more

Manohla Dargis, New York Times: A lively and watchable documentary if not an especially enlightening one. Read more

David Wiegand, San Francisco Chronicle: Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief... is at times jaw-dropping, scary, unnerving, even disturbingly funny. Read more

Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail: Gibney ... has a gift for showing the workings of complex social systems, and he lays things out clearly and in a well-aced fashion ... Read more

John Doyle, Globe and Mail: It's not a sense of outrage that viewers are left with. It's sadness. Read more

Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out: For a group with property assets in the billions, it's a major piece of the puzzle, revealing a critical failing: For a religion with so much to give, why do they do so little for so few? Read more

Liz Braun, Toronto Sun: You couldn't call Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief entertaining, exactly, but it is absolutely riveting. Read more

Alan Scherstuhl, Village Voice: A fleet and surefooted account of Scientology's origins, Hubbard's years at sea escaping U.S. taxes, and the misery and harassment faced by the church's apostates. Read more

Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine/Vulture: The cult is right to be scared. Going Clear is spectacular stuff. Literally. Read more

Hank Stuever, Washington Post: Director Alex Gibney's hauntingly effective Going Clear... suggests only trouble ahead for the frequently criticized and always strange Church of Scientology. Read more

Nancy DeWolf Smith, Wall Street Journal: Whether you come away seeing Scientology as a cult that ensnares vulnerable people or as a faith of self-empowerment, the film leaves a terrible taste of too much information. This must be its point, but take heed just the same. Read more

Sarah Rodman, Boston Globe: By focusing on the powerful and damning stories of the church's most destructive practices, including the forced "disconnection" of members from family and friends, Gibney has made a forceful and memorable case. Read more