Film Review: Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?

By Louis Longley

It is easy to like Morgan Spurlock’s latest film, “Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?”, it is very aesthetically appealing and charmingly funny. However it also boasts brows lower than a Neanderthal.

In his latest film we discover Spurlock’s wife is pregnant and in a quest to make the world safer for his child Spurlock goes on a hunt for the most wanted man in the world, Osama Bin Laden. What follows takes Spurlock on a tour of the Middle East from Saudi-Arabia to Israel, all on the pretence of a relentless hunt for one man. Around 90 minutes of Docudrama later Spurlock reaches his conclusion and manages to arrive home to the USA in time for a closing shot of his wife’s pregnancy.

As I have already said Spurlock’s film has the charm and character of a loveable rogue, which you hate to love, Spurlock’s Borat-esque play on the clichés of several genres, from action to rom-com, this makes the documentary flow and very entertaining to watch. As well as deliberate plays on genre, however, Spurlock seemingly accidentally plays with the genre he based his movie on, Documentary, warping it out of all visible recognition, with his video game style transitions his overly staged camera shots, his additions of sound affects/make up, and his annoyingly over-rehearsed phone conversations with his girlfriend, (think “Shaun of the Dead” on LSD).

Furthermore the pretence for his tour round the Middle East makes the conflict in “Alien vs. Predator” look like the lead up to the first world war. It is an amazingly ludicrous pretence that truly insults the intelligence of the viewer. Although this pretence or ‘hook’ is a deliberate satire on the mainstream American action hero (one man against impossible odds, think Josie Wales in the ‘Outlaw Josie Wales’) and while I do think that the presence of satire is important in documentary, if it is the film’s main feature it (the film) is in danger of being ruined buy its own plot.

In conclusion, while I think that ‘Where in the world is Osama bin Laden’ is an entertaining way of spending around an hour and a half of your life, it does not particularly bear close examination or provoke serious thought. My personal view is that Spurlock should use his quirky style to comment on narrower areas of discussion rather than epic issues.

Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?

Several young film reviewers give us their take on the documentary.


Courtnie Ashman says:

Most people in the world know who Osama bin Laden is, but what do they think about his actions?
Where in the world is Osama bin Laden is a documentary by the director and star of Super Size Me. This Documentary sees Morgan Spurlock looking for Osama bin Laden, in a variety of countries in the Middle East. On his adventures he comes across angry Jews, a French-speaking activist and the U.S. Army.
Morgan was spurred on to do this because of his worries about bringing his unborn child into the world. By making this film he came across many people who had different thoughts on Bin Laden. In this docu-film we see Spurlock speak to relatives of some of the terrorists and people’s view on America. Morgan tries to show us the different side of this terrorist by showing us the humour and how it effects on people.
On the surface this seems like a light-hearted comedy with Bin Laden dancing to Can’t Touch This. As the movie goes on you start to understand what is really going on in the world, and the troubles the people face every day.
This is an enjoyable movie at times and the humour appeals to a wide audience, the political opinions come across very easily but are dragged out over a long period of time. This film isn’t that great if you have a short attention span.
This is a film is best for people who want to know more about politics but don’t understand it as well as they could. Overall this film to me is worth 3 stars as there are some aspects that make it amusing but its political views are stretched over a long part of the film.


Eve Klein says:

Where in the World is Osama bin Laden? A question which has had people puzzled for years now, and which is most definitely not answered by this film. What it does do, however, is give you a much more close and personal view on how Muslim civilians really feel about the terrorist attacks which have taken place due to this man.

Spurlock, driven by the thought of bringing his unborn child into a World filled with terrorists and violence, travels to various countries including Israel and Egypt to try and track down Osama bin Laden. Although he does not find him, what he does find are Muslims all over the World who do not seem to agree with what Osama is doing, and has already done, and who blame the American government for all the misfortune that has fallen upon their countries on the past few years. Which makes you think – if people of the same religion for which he says he is fighting for don’t agree with him, then what is the point?

In all I found this film thoroughly enjoyable, often finding my self laughing and feeling intrigued by what both Morgan Spurlock and the Muslim civilians had to say. In my view, it’s a film definitely worth seeing.


Joseph Ewing says:

Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden? That’s one hell of a title! What do you think when you hear that? Is it a joke? Well that’s a good question.
After his last big success Super Size Me, everyone expected big things from Morgan Spurlock’s latest project, and I have to say that I was again impressed by his work. This daring but informative docu-film is not just about one guy searching the world for the most wanted terrorist ever and is certainly not a joke, but a story of how he meets other regular citizens, terrorists' siblings, and Islamist extremists on his way and explores the world of Osama bin Laden and the bigger picture of it all.
Sounds a bit heavy huh? But actually it’s not. Don’t get me wrong, Spurlock gets himself into some of the most dangerous places in the world but he keeps up a stream of good humour throughout. He really does reflect on some big issues and there are some challenging moments, but while Morgan manages to hold up the seriousness and reality of the situation, he is able to, every now and then, put a light spin on the events.
If I say too much more about the actual film I’ll give it away, but I can tell you that the camera shots are well worked, the quality of production is top notch, and the special effects, soundtrack and personal voice overs create a truly brilliant piece of work.
Overall I have to say that, although I was sceptical at first, I thoroughly enjoyed watching Where In The World Is Osama bin Laden? for both its humour and its insight to the world of terrorism and I highly recommend it.


Max Ngo says:

Where in the World is Osama bin Laden is a new documentary made by Morgan Spurlock, who is also the man who made the documentary Super Size Me.

His new documentary sees him go in search of the most wanted man in the world. He embarks on a journey around the Middle East while his wife is at home carrying their unborn child.

The film uses high-tech computer graphics and animation for an opening scene of Spurlock fighting Osama in a mortal combat style and has Osama bin Laden dancing to Can’t Touch This, which gave the documentary a touch of comedy.

Morgan Spurlock, while looking for one of the most wanted criminals on the earth, makes many jokes , giving the audience something to laugh about. While he makes many jokes at the start, with the help of computer graphics, the film gets more serious towards the end as he meets a range of people from civilians to soldiers and gets their view on the America, the war on terror and Osama, making the film regain the seriousness it was supposed to have at the start.

In conclusion, although this documentary makes more effort in making jokes than finding Osama bin Laden, this documentary would be one to watch.


Sebastian Fuller St Arroman says:

How much do you know about the war on terror? Does the media brand your mind? More importantly – Do you know where I can find Osama bin Laden?

Morgan Spurlock’s latest film, Where in the world is Osama bin Laden? is a risky comedy documentary film that’s easy to like. Its edgy jokes and thrilling dangers excite the viewer and draw them in.

Its cheerful attitude towards dangerous and upsetting events helps the viewer to feel comfortable while Morgan ventures into the Media’s no-go areas. The suspense of the film and the way it's put together could irritate some viewers, not me though. Personally I find the approach a very well chosen one.

Like his last film, Super Size Me in which he lived on only fast food to challenge the healthy claims, he has targeted it at the American public. I think Morgan has created this film to fit the audience. At the start of the film, a selection of montage scenes and comedy clips, firmly clasps the viewer’s attention and does not let go. This extreme hold it takes allows Morgan to subject the public to a serious documentary that they may normally turn away from. I think in this film, Morgan has proved himself as a master of being able to trick people into thinking of serious issues.

When I use the word trick I do not mean the film is not entertaining. The serious issue is just cleverly disguised. In fact, all the catches he uses to draw you in allow him to present almost anything and you will give it your full attention. On the other hand, there are a number of people who would have mixed emotions about this.

People who watch documentaries regularly may feel talked down to, may feel disappointed that he didn’t have the courage to make a sensible documentary. These people might ridicule the film and call it offensive. If you are protective about the boundaries between genres or prefer a documentary to be blunt facts then this is not the film for you.

Again, if you happen to be one of those people who are offended by people making jokes about terrorism or Osama bin Laden then this is not your film. His approach I have already described as risky and I stand by this. Having said that, personally I think the jokes he makes, although some people will see them in ill humour, are a good way of gently easing people to discuss untouched subjects. The things no one wants to say. This silence we have needs to be broken to allow society to progress and I think we need more risk-taking people around today.

One thing that particularly irritated me was the long phone calls with his wife, as well as her child’s birth at the end. I think it could ruin the film for some and I think these were unnecessary in such large amounts and although some would argue they were essential for the storyline I would disagree. I think he needed to explain that he was doing what he did for his son but the long dreary calls to his wife dragged the film on and on.

All in all I think it was rather enjoyable and thought provoking, although unorthodox.

8.5/10


Tashi Hanlon says:

Where in the world is Osama bin Laden? Well the star of Super Size Me, Morgan Spurlock, thinks he knows. I was mildly surprised at how he managed to turn such a touchy controversial subject into a light-hearted comedy. The film shares the same tone as Super Size Me, a style that works well for Spurlock. His ability to take very important issues and make them entertaining makes this film a masterpiece. Inspired by his wife's pregnancy, Spurlock sets out to make the world a safer place for his child by finding its most wanted and dangerous occupant, Osama bin Laden.

Thankfully the film is much more than just a manhunt, it gives you an insight into the troubles in the Middle East. Spurlock has taken real life stories. Using information from locals he finds himself in Pakistan and makes the important decision about whether to cross into dangerous surroundings or not.

In general, the film is well structured, it successfully uses animation and the uses of a computer game style makes a controversial problem quite lighthearted. Although to my disappointment the film ends in a corny song running the end of the film.
On the whole however, Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden is a documentary with an important message about the war of terror. Spurlock is without question a talented filmmaker.

Wahong Giet says:

Ever wondered why Osama bin Laden is the most wanted man in the planet? Or maybe you’ve been pondering on why this destructive nuisance has yet to be found? Perhaps you are simply curious and want to find out the inner truth to Osama’s life. Whatever you may wonder, this documentary does a whole lot more than answering these fascinating questions.

At times the documentary can be comical. Watching funny moments of animated Osama bin Laden dancing to a cheesy song provides hilarious moments for any viewer. On the other hand, the documentary is very informative and contains many interesting views and comments from local villagers in the Middle East. Listening to random citizens commenting on a whole variety of different views is fascinating for us to watch.

The subtle mix of serious information with a side of humour creates a perfect balance, which suits this specific documentary. The director, Morgan Spurlock, always keeps it entertaining and fascinating by doing things like firing huge rocket launchers or simply because of his witty personality. All in all, the documentary never loses its value for entertainment.

The documentary also uses clever devices to engage their viewer. We see a fight between Osama bin Laden and Morgan Spurlock animated like a computer game, which implies some sort of mystery and suspense which all adds up to build a well structured documentary. Although Morgan Spurlock does not actually discover where Osama is currently residing, the huge amount of information that Morgan has gained means he realises that finding the most wanted man does not necessarily mean all the problems in the Middle East will just vanish in thin air.

In conclusion, Morgan Spurlock makes this documentary worthwhile and as interesting as possible but it won’t exactly be a classic either. It’s the type of documentary that will be pretty interesting and great the first time, but watching this again will not provide the same effects and surprise.

Freakonomics by Stephen D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner

by Miss Semmens

What connects sumo wrestlers and teachers? Why did violent assault rates fall in the 90s despite all the experts predicting exactly the opposite? What makes a perfect parent? These questions have quite different answers to what you might expect. Two economists looks at the world from a different angle and come up with some different answers in an absolutely fascinating book.

The Declaration by Gemma Malley

by Miss Semmens

Imagine a future where people can live forever. Amazing, you'd think, but what about over-population?
This is the world we come across in The Declaration. This future world has solved the problem by not letting people have children, but like all rules this one was made to be broken. Anna Covey is one of the 'surplus' who has grown up in an orphanage where she's been programmed to think she is the one who's wrong, that her parents were selfish and that she is the result of their selfishness. Anna is keen to be the best surplus she can be, which means life as a servant serving one of the non-agers. But all of a sudden Anna's world is rocked by a new arrival to the grange, a boy who claims it's the rule that's wrong, not them and completely blows apart Anna's world. Will she have the courage to abandon all her beliefs?

Northern Lights vs. The Golden Compass

by Sophia Rafferty
As a warning, if you have neither read the book nor watched the film, some of this article may not make a lot of sense to you.

We have recently seen the release of The Golden Compass, the feature-film of the book Northern Lights, which is the first in the very popular His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman. But is it true to the film? Are the computer effects as good as they should be? And which is better?

There are several differences between the book and the film. Quite obviously, they have different titles. The title The Golden Compass comes from Pullman’s original naming of the trilogy, which was named The Golden Compass as opposed to the current title of His Dark Materials. However the name referred to the type of circle-drawing compasses (the ones you use in maths), rather than the common misconception that the name refers to the alethiometer, which resembles a navigational compass (the ones which tell you which way is north). Another difference is that in the book, the king of the armoured bears was named Iofur Raknison, but in the film this was changed to Ragnar Sturlusson, to prevent confusion between him and Iorek Byrnison.

In the books, the Magesterium is a representation of the Catholic Church, although this is not mentioned, rather vaguely representing authority in general. This was because the directors wished to make it less controversial so that it would not offend people, although the plot loses some of its political message. The decision has been criticised by Pullman fans, one of who claims that ‘they are taking the heart out of it, losing the point of it, castrating it’, a similar point was made by someone else, who said ‘With $180 million at stake, the studio opted to kidnap the book’s body and leave behind its soul.’ As you can see, some readers were clearly not impressed. As with all big Hollywood companies, we know that at the heart of them, despite wanting to entertain people, maybe even to get a message across, there is just the desire to make money, and sometimes this results in the watering-down of bold statements made by books such as Northern Lights, and they lose a lot of meaning.

Some were opposed to the film for very different reasons. In October the Catholic Society called for a boycott of the film. The president of the society says that, although the religious content has been filtered out, the release of the film will encourage children to read the novels which, he says, promote ‘atheism for kids’. This has been responded to by the leader of ‘American Atheists’, who claims that ‘Rather than promote atheism, that it would encourage kids to question authority, which would not at all be a bad thing’. The idea of questioning authority is frequently mentioned in the film, as the main character Lyra Belacqua does so herself, and states throughout the film that she hates being told what to do, perhaps this would encourage children to do the same, and question what they are told.

The appearance of the film is impressive and as computerised graphics are always improving, they are quite convincing. The Armoured bears and Dæmons are almost real looking. The film is a good fantasy film and the acting is very good particularly Dakota Blue Richards who plays the part of Lyra Belacqua.

The film starts, ‘There are many universes, and many earths parallel to each other. Worlds like yours, where people’s souls live inside their bodies, and worlds like mine, where they walk beside us as animal spirits we call Dæmons, so many worlds, but connecting them all is Dust, Dust was here before the witches of the air, the Gyptians of the water and the bears of the ice. In my world, scholars invented an alethiometer, the golden compass, and it showed them all that was hidden, and the ruling power, fearing any truth but their own, destroyed these devices, and for betrayed the very mention of Dust. One compass remains, however. And only one who can read it.’ This, in a way spoils the plot a bit, as in the book the reader learns these things as Lyra does, rather than having them all explained at the beginning and it is more exciting that way, especially as during the first book Lyra does not understand Dust so it makes it a bit confusing. Although it is probably easier for the children to understand that way, as it is primarily a children’s film.

As with all book-to-film adaptations, they have to be condensed, as a film that was completely true to the book would be too long to show in cinemas. Because of this the film, at 114 minutes, seems quite rushed at times and there are things missing (watch out – potential plot spoiler) such as the time spent with the Gyptians while on the run from Mrs Coulter and the time at Bouvangar before she sets the children free, which is portrayed in the film as lasting only one day, whereas in the book it was a lot longer, and of course, they have omitted Rodger’s death at the end of the novel.

My opinion on the film is that is quite a good film, mainly because I am a fan of the books, but it is realistic and good to watch. Although, to get a real idea of the story it its best to read the books. They have the whole story in them whereas the film has bits missing, and it has the deeper meaning which has been removed by the film producers. Plus, the book will take longer to read so you get more involved in the story, you can also read the details and picture the characters and events yourself, and with more understanding you will learn more about the storyline and it will make more sense.