I disagree that the target is “Christian groups” although I would agree that Christian groups are being engaged to help get the message out. The target is thoughtful people, people who understand that a sneer is not an argument. The target is people who know that ideas have consequences and like to be challenged to see how that works itself out in everyday life. I could go on, but I think you’ll see that the target is very broad. BTW, Ben Stein is a fantastic guide for such a journey.

The tone of the movie is not ID v. Darwinism (although watching Dawkins whine “Its not science” is precious), but more generally the loss of freedom of scientific inquiry because of a materialism-at-all-costs attitudes in academia. ID is the whipping boy, but at some point America will want the whipping boy to get over if they sense that what has been done is unfair.

Whether or not the movie paints a clear enough picture, whether it is succesful, is for now open to debate. I would caution anyone who claims that they are “muddying the waters of the role of religion”, though, the movie does nothing of the sort.

I thought this might interest you. It’s about scientists changing their mind about something big.

http://www.edge.org/documents/press/publico.html

If anything, it looks as though its going to further muddy the waters regarding the role of religion (and in particular the Judeo-Christian tradition) as the anti-materialism driving force behind Intelligent Design, hyping up the politics and lightening up on the science.

Given that the target audience of the movie is obviously ID-friendly Christian groups–churches and schools–then it might do okay at the box office, but I think those who believe Expelled will shunt ID into “prime time” will be disappointed.