MonsterPerfect Good idea lost in the noise

Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Hadrina The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Melanie Bouvet The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

Rodrigo Andrés Vargas Usach I enjoyed the documentary and liked how they managed to expand their topic from marijuana to a lot of the issues or society is facing nowadays, revealing shocking facts, some of which I ignored. I think it does a great job at informing people about the current state of the legalization debate and what social issues are in some way connected to it, how there has been a lot of manipulation, how it happened and how it continues to occur, after watching the documentary you realize that you didn't just watch a documentary about pot, that was just the starting point and it is just a example. When I finished watching the documentary, I did what I usually do after watching a movie, opened IMDb, voted and checked out what other people had to say about it (my major is psychology and my minor is cinematography and took some documentary classes at the university). I was instantly amazed by the huge difference between user score and the metascore, so I continued to read some of the metacritic reviews and I was surprised by how unfounded and fallacy-based all the criticism was (reading some of the reviews I felt like they didn't even watch the full documentary or they were people with poor understanding of the subjects - cinematography, documentary and/or the topics discussed on the documentary). Personally I rated the documentary with a 9, because I liked how they exposed their ideas in a fun and simple way, keeping it close to the public, sometimes laughing at a joke and other times feeling the pain and emotion from a heartbreaking story. Also I liked the footage they used, the only aspect I didn't like was it's length (I found it to be a little too long, extending too much on some topics) and that it was centered on the United States scenario (which I totally understand).My personal conclusion was that those reviews are only more proof to what the documentary trying to point out.Thank you for reading and please excuse my grammar since I am not a native English speaker.

Zdarlight "This incisive documentary examines the arguments and agendas of both those who support and those who oppose the legalization of marijuana."This is the tagline that was included on Netflix but one that is quite far from the truth. There is no shortage of documentaries supporting the legalisation of marijuana and many become quite tiresome with their bias. The idea of one that examines both arguments in support and opposition seemed like it could be worth a watch, working around the one-sidedness in both sides' arguments. Unfortunately this documentary was far from its tagline. It in no way attempted to provide a two-sided arguments with those opposing legalisation only appearing in order to display their ridiculousness. There are reasons both to legalise and to continue prohibition and until a documentary examines both sides of the arguments it will always fall short. A documentary cannot possibly claim to be unbiased when the only people interviewed are pro-legalisation people of varying power along with known marijuana advocate celebrities such as Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa and, Mr. Legalise Everything, Joe Rogen. We are treated to brief clips from the likes of Ronald Reagan, Barbara Bush and Richard Nixon but only to display their apparent idiocy. Where are the moderates who still oppose legalisation? These people, despite what the documentary would have you believe, do actually exist. Where is the truth about the dangers of inhaling smoke, whether from tobacco or marijuana? Where is the trouble that young people get into through marijuana and the lethargy it induces? This last point is not one that is purely down to the illegality of marijuana but is one that is far too often ignored and the increase in young people accessing marijuana would rise hugely if it was legalised, just look at the number of young people who abuse alcohol and cigarettes for a comparison. It does get a brief mention but not enough emphasis is put on this and the way in which these issues would be better addressed after legalisation, it is just assumed that they would be.In saying all this, the documentary does outline some strong points for legalisation and outlines the thinking behind some of the policy makers decisions to keep it illegal.The annoying voice-over echoes that of Zeitgeist, another highly propaganda filled documentary, and the Kony 2012 promotional campaign video. It is perhaps the all-knowing superior tone but it does little but put a person off with its condescending tone. Contrary to the narrators' beliefs everyone else out there is not less intelligent.Style-wise this was a strong documentary with its use of stock footage, interviews and original shots echoing such directors as Errol Morris.Overall an entertaining watch but far from anything but pro- legalisation propaganda with a narrow spectrum of talking heads.

paradiseshack Two hours well spent for an insightful yet accessible documentary which, with the addition of similar shared views on oil, could neatly fit into 'A short history of modern everything'. Carefully researched, well balanced and brave. Indeed a thoroughly nourishing look at our brave new world. Only 8.5! never-mind because in years to come this will prove to be one of those classics that are enjoyable but yet remind us of our infallibility as a society, where policies are harmful but the courage and effort required to change things are squashed by a general consensus of fear and ignorance. I particularly liked the balance of information in this documentary. My only query is whether there is any legitimate (emphasis on legitimate rather than autocratically driven consensual hearsay) documentation that confirms the presence of detrimental side effects, because of course everything can have side effects - even eating too many carrots can have side effects!Thank you to all those brave professionals who spoke perhaps knowing that their credibility in their world would probably be tainted, or they might even be sacked, as was Professor David Nutt. A special thank you to Howard Bloom who came over as a true philanthropist. Well done Brett Harvey and team for two hours of thought provoking cinematographic entertainment,

swagcher9 I always love a good documentary and this one has made it to the top of my list. Although I don't personally smoke I still found this film very accessible and frankly I think everyone should see it. They provided a wide perspective on the prohibition of marijuana dating back to its conception. They took into account the perspective of the public, media perception, statistics, and some recent scientific based evidence. Many current issues were wrapped up and coherently tied together. I've never considered the vast web of influence marijuana has on public policy. I hope legalization causes a ripple effect that forces people to recognize the old system doesn't work. It is sobering to consider all of the indirect influence legalization may have on incarceration rates as well as prescription drug abuse. It made me somewhat hopeful for the future of politics which I wasn't expecting. I also really liked how it addressed the internet as a open source of information and a place of discussion as well as a rallying point for change. At one point in the movie I was expecting it to jump into issues regarding online censorship and attempts made to restrict and control the internet. Perhaps that would have been too much of a tangent or maybe it was a simple matter of timing. Either way, I would certainly love to see another documentary of this caliber addressing current issues effecting the freedom once associated with the internet.