What the Bleep!?: Down the Rabbit Hole

"What the Bleep!?: Down the Rabbit Hole" is not quite a sequel, and not quite a director's cut of the original "What the Bleep Do We Know!?". "Down the Rabbit Hole" features new commentary and narration from its panel of interviewees, and new animations featuring Dr. Quantum (who was briefly mentioned in the first movie). However, it is hard to call this a sequel, since an only slightly abbreviated version of the Marlee Matlin storyline from the first version is shown again here. This film would have been fantastic had it introduced new narrative footage and left the old footage in the first film. (Thus a 6 out of 10, and not 8 or 9.)

"Down the Rabbit Hole" elaborates on a few of the quantum theories mentioned in the first film, namely the role of the observer in reality, our limits of perception, the influence of intention, and the connectivity of matter. If the ideas from the first film piqued your interest, "Down the Rabbit Hole" will make a wonderful addendum.

I would recommend seeing "What the Bleep Do We Know!?", and then watching "Down the Rabbit Hole" a few weeks later. The commentary is engaging throughout the movie (no small task at 2.5 hours long), but sitting through the scenes carried over from the first film gets tedious. I think one would easily be lost without seeing the first version, though. The commentary in "Down the Rabbit Hole" is 90% new, and hits the ground running.

Overall, both "Bleep" movies are wonderful and thought provoking, and I enjoyed the ideas presented in the commentary.

This sequel to the first film about quantum physics is full of fascinating tidbits but lacks the cohesive feeling of the original "What the Bleep" film.

Watching "Down the Rabbit Hole" feels a bit like reading the footnotes to the first film. Some parts of the film are directly lifted from the first film and give the sense of reading a kind of textbook summary/reminder of previously covered theories to contextualize some of the new ideas discussed. In other cases, identical footage is used to illustrate slightly different ideas.

There is also much new footage and discussion, much of it apparently footage that was cut from the first film. There is definitely more emphasis on the religio-spiritual aspects/impacts of quantum theory, especially around the idea that we are all interconnected in a vast web of energy. This is simply one aspect of the world of quantum physics whether it proves/disproves one's personal religious/spiritual vision or not. (In other words, disagreeing personally with some of the ideas in "Down the Rabbit Hole" doesn't make it a bad film although it's lack of cohesion might.) An interesting continuation but definitely not as compelling as the first film.

With the polarization of the human race between Religion and Science, this movie (so I thought) did a good job in expressing a view that, if nothing else, opens some minds on both sides. To my horror, by reading some of these posts, it seems that the science community is becoming more and more close minded by totally disproving topics that don't align with their beliefs. I do not know how this movie was advertised, but I wasn't anticipating a science class. I will admit there were at least one self-serving unnecessary opinion in this movie that kind of turned me off, but overall I thought it did a good job of making the average person think in a way they never have and that is always a good thing.

I actually liked this movie very much, even though there are lots of things to be disliked. The first time I saw it, I thought that it was jaw-dropping. Then after that I researched some of the claims and unfortunately it seems that some of the things presented as truth are not true at all. And yes, I'm also very cautious with people who claim that they are a medium and there is one medium in this film...

But next to that there are a lot of interesting things said in this film by some very intelligent people. So my advise is to not take everything too seriously and to draw your own conclusions about the things said in this film. Don't let the false claims and the medium distract you from the interesting stuff this movie has to offer.

The point of this film is not the science nor the philosophy but really that science IS philosophy. Mankind will never be able to explain all the why's of human existence. When it thinks that it has it will have to contend with the "why" of it all. To me, science deepens the mystery of life. There is no certitude. You don't have to believe their answers only the questions. I would like to refer you the great physicist, Stephen Hawking who said, and I paraphrase what is it that breathes life into the universe? What is it causes the universe to bother in creating itself, whether it is done by its nature or by an external influence? Indeed what is the meaning of life itself. This film doesn't tell you, but it sure entertains you in its attempt to try.