Expelled opened last Friday and I watched it. If you care at all about the debate between Darwinism and alternate views of origins, you should watch it too. And take your family: The PG rating is for some brief holocaust scenes and perhaps an incident or two of mild language (such as "hell"). In it, Ben Stein treks the U.S. and Europe interviewing proponents and critics of intelligent design.

The film built a convincing case for the discrimination that has been leveled at ID advocates in universities and science establishments (such as Guillermo Gonzalez, Richard Sternberg, Robert Marks, and others), and contrasted that discrimination perfectly with the freedom of speech we expect to hold sway in American academia. Using vintage footage and shots of the Berlin wall and Hitler's crusade against the Jewish race, Expelled suggests what can happen when Darwinian ideas are applied to society. I was glad to see the film briefly point out the connection Planned Parenthood--and especially its founder, Margaret Sanger--had with Darwinian ethics.

Some critics have attacked the documentary as low-quality and amateurish, probably because it relies heavily on shouldered cameras, close-ups, and snippets of vintage tape. But because Expelled is a documentary, these techniques are forgivable and contribute to an overall style that keeps the story interesting and fast-paced. The only moment I felt a touch bored was during a cartoon clip illustrating how many hundreds of times in a row you'd need to pull a jackpot to match the odds of life arising by Darwinian evolution.

I found Stein genuinely enjoyable to watch, as he questioned his interviewees with a kind of blank, unperturbed stare that often made the other party look nervous. He does a convincing job playing the role of an unconvinced skeptic who is genuinely seeking answers about intelligent design and Darwinism--and because of that Expelled will be influential for those who are still undecided in the debate.

In news outlets and blogs the debate is escalating. The National Center for Science Education, recognizing the impact Expelled could have, has created an entire website to "refute" the content of the film, arguing (for instance) that the discrimination directed at people like Richard Sternberg was self-induced. These guys aren't persecuted, they're just paying for their own sins.

Casey Luskin has posted a 3-part response on the Evolution News & Views blog to skeptic Michael Shermer's anti-Expelled article for Scientific American. On the same blog, Martin Cothran responds to other critics of the documentary. At Jewcy.com, David Klinghoffer delves into the connection between Darwinism and Hitler, and Sahotra Sarkar counters. MSNBC's Cosmic Log posted a list of negative reviews (that is, pro-Darwin reviews) here--I guess in case you're having trouble making up your own mind.