A Disappointing Continuation

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Blistering performances.

I actually read the book before I watched the movie, though I should have realised that Spurlock no doubt would have written the book out of the movie. A part of me felt that he was trying to capitalise on his success of Supersize Me, but to be honest with you this movie surpasses his first movie on some many levels it is amazing. In a way it appears that what he begins to do is to go on a search for Osama Bin Laden because, being an American who has grown up on Hollywood, a single person can generally succeed where the entire US army fails. However, the catch is that the conclusion that he reaches is so much different to the objective that he set out to do (though I doubt he ever was going to find Bin Laden).In a way one almost wants to dismiss this movie as being out of date since it is now an accepted fact (at least according to American propaganda) that Bin Laden is dead, and the number of terrorist attacks has dropped dramatically since the US withdrew from the Middle East and has now focused its attention elsewhere. However I believe that this movie (and the accompanying book) is actually very helpful, and very important, in helping us understand the ideas of others who live in the world with us.What this movie teaches us is that most of the inhabitants of the Muslim world are actually pretty decent people who don't want to kill us. The problem is that because many of them are poor and have no prospects of employment or bettering themselves then they are ready game for the Islamic fundamentalists. This is actually true of our own culture as we find the Christian fundamentalists also recruiting from the poor and the marginalised to help spread their own extreme understanding of the gospel.The thing that struck me the most was that the most hostile people to Spurlock's exploration actually came from within the state of Israel. Once again, most of the Israeli's were decent people, however he wondered into a very conservative part of the state and discovered that the locals were incredibly hostile, and he didn't even get to ask them a question. The fact that he was not a conservative Jew meant that he was an outsider and basically had to get lost, and if he wouldn't do that voluntarily, they would force him out with violence.As can be expected, and exploration of the Muslim world cannot go past without a visit to Palestine, and the thing about Palestine is that it is not a religious war, nor is it an ideological war, it is basically a war over land and over sovereignty. What Spurlock discovers is that the reason the Palestinians and the Israelis are fighting is because of a dispute over land. The Palestinians in fact do not want Bin Laden interfering in their dispute because, basically, it is not his dispute and it is only making it worse.The problem with reading the book before the movie, or even reading the book, is that he goes into a lot more detail with regards to the problem, and in fact travels to France and to the Muslim ghetto's there. I was actually really disappointed that he did not go to France in the movie because I believe that the problems that are arising there, namely the clash of cultures, is also very important to what is happening. Fortunately we do not see it as much in Australia, with the exception of the refugee debate. The thing is that what conservative Australian's are concerned about is that Muslims will come over here and start throwing their weight around and start forcing us to adhere to Muslim doctrine. This is something that we are already seeing in England, and I believe that it is a legitimate concern. My position is that we should let them come in, but they must understand that this is not their country, but rather a multicultural society, and if they do not like the way that our society operates then they can basically nick off.

At the beginning of the movie....I had already presumed that this movie wud be just one of those Islam bashing ones...but after watching it...I must say I have become Morgan Spurlock fan. After Super size me...this is one hell of a movie...coz taking into consideration....this ain't one of those typical boring documentaries about the Muslim world...but way of documentary making is something that one can enjoy as well as learn a great deal, about Muslims, what they have to say about the US, about osama..breaking many myths built by the international media that Muslims hate America...the people Morgan confronts aren't politicians or officials but people...common people who have to face the ground reality..which news channels do not speak about.You must watch it!

Following his inciting movie that changed the junk food industry, SUPER SIZE ME (2004), Morgan Spurlock, insurrectionist, free thinker, junk food eater, has encapsulated on film the issue on every adult mind on Earth since September 11, 2001.WHERE IN THE WORLD IS OSAMA BIN LADEN? Firstly, the American government (Bush and Obama both) know where to find bin Laden, if they don't already know his exact home address and cellphone number - but it behooves them to retain bin Laden's mystique so that one side can fearmonger, while the other side piggybacks off that fearmongering while disclaiming they're a part of it.But for the sake of this documentary to work dramatically, let's make like mushrooms (kept in the dark and fed bullcrap). So... predicated on the world's ignorance of "where" Osama is, Spurlock further asks, "What kind of a world would create an Osama bin Laden?" This secondary question connects his quest with the upcoming birth of his son, which becomes the hook of the film, which is truly the more pertinent question.This revelatory documentary that talks to "...all those people whom we're told to be so scared of all the time" will open a few closed eyes and minds.Spurlock's first interview seems to be an incredible exclusive, as he sits down with the uncle of Ayman al-Zawahiri (Osama's lieutenant! - one would think the criminal Bush admin would have tortured this poor guy already, but we now know that Bush-Cheney did not torture to find bin Laden, rather to gain false info to connect 9/11 to the Iraq War already in progress). Though cordial, Uncle's views on America are terrifying: "The seed that was sown by America - a seed of spitefulenss, hate, aggression and killing - cannot disappear in the short term." A young Egyptian student perceives: "The U.S. can no more claim moral ground. People have learned to expect a lot less from the U.S. There are terrorists on one side (al Qaeda) and opportunistic, exploitative people on the other (referring to W.'s friendship with despotic Egyptian dictator, Mubarek)." "It's the American foreign policy we disagree with and it's too bad the American people have to pay for that anger." Spurlock speaks to a Jordan journalist who shared jail time with al-Zarkawi, who told him a reason for 9/11 which frighteningly echoes one of the many fake reasons Dubya gives for his War on Terror (paraphrased): "On 9/11, the Americans played right into their hands. Al Qaeda can't fight them on U.S. soil so they made them go over there to fight them." Of course George W. Bush is mentioned - many times - but WHERE IN THE WORLD is not a Bush-bash. Spurlock listens to every level of Middle Eastern voice - professors, journalists, politicians and laypeople - some claim no Arab will give up Osama because he is achieving the jihad they all want to perpetrate on the Americans, while an Islamist activist lady opines: "If it was truly bin Laden who executed 9/11, then he dealt us a bad hand, because he legitimized the American presence in the Middle East." Spurlock has a knack for compacting truths into simple statements.Spurlock: "America has had a policy of propping up dictators for more than 50 years now." He talks of the 1953 Shah of Iran quite bluntly and names dictators around the world whom the American government support. Easily verified, it is thanks to this Information Age that all these facts Amerikan Government has tried to sweep under the carpet for decades have come to light. Spurlock: "In order to protect our own freedom, it was okay to sacrifice the freedom of others." Spurlock is definitely the new wave of documentarian. Like Michael Moore, he is not afraid to be a player in his movie, sarcastic and personable, making it entertaining to delve into politically charged topics.Spurlock's idea, "To catch a fox, think like a fox," makes him wonder how bin Laden arrived at his jihadist frame of mind through his life influences. (Which is infinitely more intelligent and lucid than how that cowboy moron grappled with the problem.) Spurlock travels to Israel, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Egypt, the Palestinian territories, views the Gaza Strip from behind the fence, Afghanistan, Pakistan - scary places, because religion is so deeply-rooted, yet denied as the cause of their conflicts. "Ours is not a religious conflict - we don't fight the Jews." In Saudi Arabia, Spurlock stands before the headquarters of the religious police - that would be the Jedi - on a grate where they actually behead people and let the blood run through the grate.Spurlock asks someone, "If bin Laden were caught or killed right now, would it make any difference?" None at all.A Saudi Arabian professor: "Osama bin Laden per se is not the problem; the school of thought is; the teaching. He's a product of the establishment." The ideology implanted in the minds and cultures of these people cannot be undermined. Osama is only the latest figurehead IN WESTERN MINDS to represent that ideology.And again, I question the legitimacy of U.S. troops stationed anywhere in the Middle East in the first place. If it weren't for American interests in oil, would there be any of the displacement talk about "spreading democracy" and "battling terrorism"? Film ends with Morgan Spurlock never finds out where Osama bin Laden is, but Elvis Costello's closing song, (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding, solidifies the thrust of the film - not to discover and kill one man whose death will do nothing, but to open the minds of the world so they won't need iconic figureheads to fight for or against.--Review by Poffy The Cucumber (for Poffy's Movie Mania).

Morgan Spurlock is a documentary filmmaker a bit different from the norm. He came to fame with his 2004 documentary, Super Size Me. In Where in the World…, he takes on the topic of terrorism. His style is off-putting to those who think a documentary should be serious and to the point. This film is a combination of MTV, video games, cartoons, and serious journalism. It is very appealing, never dry, and ultimately insightful.He begins by stating that he is about to become a father, and that he wants the world to be safe for his child. Therefore, he goes looking for Bin Laden in order to secure the end of terrorism. It is obvious he is not seriously expecting to find his prey, but it's an entertaining premise.Spurlock travels through Africa, the Middle East, and Asia in his search for Bin Laden. Of course his real goal is to interview the people in these countries to get their opinions of Bin Laden and the United States.In Egypt, he meets with a number of citizens who tell him that they are suffering not because of Bin Laden, but because the United States is supporting Mubarak who is supposedly a freely elected leader but is, indeed, a dictator. From this, Spurlock tangents to a cartoon detailing the history of US support for dictators starting with Franklin D. Roosevelt. This history of US complicity is pretty powerful even though it is in the form of a cartoon. Spurlock brings the viewer to the conclusion that most everyday Egyptians like the people of the United States, but all everyday Egyptians hate the United States government because it supports a dictator in disguise who has made their lives very hard.Spurlock's movements are probably the most restricted in Saudi Arabia. He interviews a number of people but all seem very restrictive leading him to finally expound upon a government so tied in with religion that it suffocates the people with dogma.Not being totally politically savvy, his encounters in Palestine were probably the most revealing to me. The people interviewed pretty much hate Bin Laden and terrorists in general mainly because they use the Israeli/Palestinian conflict as an excuse for their heinous acts. It goes without saying that the Palestinians hate the governments of Israel and the United States for the occupation of their lands.While in Palestine, Spurlock interviews an Israeli woman living in one of the occupied settlements. She actually states that the Israelis deserve to live there because the land was given to them by God - not exactly an enlightened viewpoint.The country least hospitable to Spurlock was Israel. He shows situations in which he was actually physically attacked. But in Israel is where he probably had his most profound encounter. In speaking with an Israeli scholar, the scholar states that everyone in Israel knows that they must leave the occupied territories, and that when they do, there will be peace. He ponders how many years and how many deaths will take place until that inevitable solution is reached.The search is ended - without success of course - in Afghanistan and then Pakistan. These are some of the scariest moments for the filmmakers because there is great danger in both of those countries. As the world knows, the conditions for average citizens in Afghanistan have gotten much worse since the invasion and occupation by the United States. Here the viewer is offered another sobering illustration of the evils of our foreign policy.Even though this documentary might be considered frivolous and light, it gives some interesting insights into the normal citizens of these countries so in the news and the minds of the citizens of the United States. Spurlock certainly leads the viewer to the conclusions he has so skillfully created which might be best summed up by an old man speaking to the filmmaker, "F**k you, f**k Bin Laden, and f**k the United States."