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What starts as a rather goofy computer-animated, video game mockery transforms into mature investigative journalism as the film progresses and leads to ever more serious and eye-opening revelations. Juxtaposing light humor with dark realities of current world affairs and foreign policies, "Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?" both informs and entertains with comedic creativity and an insightful view into a world few are familiar with.

With the world in the grip of an all-time high in terrorist attacks, and perpetual warfare in the Middle East, is it safe to raise a child? Well, in the US it is, but documentarist Morgan Spurlock of Super Size Me fame wants to know why, with all the marvels of modern technology at our disposal, we can't seem to locate one single man? Traveling from Egypt to Israel to Afghanistan and even more dangerous middle eastern countries, Spurlock is determined to answer the multi-million dollar question Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?

Spoofing the layout of a standard fighting video game, "Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?" unfolds with computer animated characters of Spurlock and Osama himself fighting Mortal Kombat style. The film is broken into five levels, based on the varying degree of dangerous places he journeys to - Pakistan being the most hazardous locale. While the approach is understandable, at times the video game sound effects and animations grow tiresome, dissuading the viewer from taking the more serious parts of the filmseriously.

Unlike the video game parodying, which is a harmless trifle, Spurlock's reason for going on his search for the most wanted man is much more of a disappointment. Rather than trekking across the Middle East to enlighten audiences and inform them of the very real dangers and misunderstandings between cultures, he begins his search to cleanse the world for his soon-to-be-born child. His child is not an important enough reason for the viewer to feel attached to his adventure, and the constant cutaways back to his wife worrying about his safety from the comfort of her home, is jarringly trivial. His goal of uncovering Osama should be for the high-minded benefit of the viewer not his own personal well-being.

The information in the film is undoubtedly worthwhile, and the laughs and frights alternate at a perfect pace. Attempting to show the humanity that many of us believe to be completely removed from the Middle Eastern countries, Spurlock interviews regular, everyday people on the bustling streets of various towns. At a large indoor mall, we realize that everything is about the same as the United States except for the clothing and the language of the people that inhabit it. But his travels also take him to locations of extreme poverty shantytowns that are devoid of basic amenities and that are the breeding grounds for desperate young men who can easily be recruited as terrorists. As Spurlock comes to realize, Osama is not an individual person, but an idea which reaches beyond the death or discovery of a single man.

Whether you believe Spurlock's cynical explanation of democracy, his baseball card statistics about terrorists, or the choice footage of prejudiced people who refuse to talk, he does at least provide humorous commentary, jokes during survival training and a relatively unbiased outlook. "It's safe," claims a U.S. soldier as he is guided into Afghanistan by a 21 gun escort. Revealing that some Middle Easterners are fans of professional wrestling (although they believe it's all real) and that Pakistan is the "Land of Hospitality" despite a giant red warning sign on the outskirts of town that explains that "foreigners are not allowed beyond this point," "Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?" is more eye-opening than annoying.

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