View Askewniverse movie order: Best way to watch Kevin Smith

Kevin Smith made his directorial debut in 1994, with the low-budget indie darling Clerks. More than a quarter-century later, he is treating us to a third installment: Clerks III, which is set to release this autumn. Before you see it in cinemas, you should definitely watch Clerks and its sequel, Clerks II.

Hardcore fans of Smith will know there's a larger film universe encompassing more of his films - nine, to be exact. It's called the View Askewniverse. (Smith's production company is called View Askew Productions.) Smith wrote and directed every film in this universe. Most of them feature the characters Jay and Silent Bob, played by Jason Mewes and Smith, respectively. Another recurring actor in the View Askewniverse is Ben Affleck, who's credited as playing seven different characters across eight films. He'll even have a cameo in Clerks III.

But the films in the View Askewniverse didn't release chronologically. According to Smith, the events that happened in 1995's Mallrats actually occurred about a day before the events of 1994's Clerks. If you want to watch all of Smith's films in chronological order ahead of seeing Clerks III in September, we've rounded them up and explained the best way to watch them.

Every Kevin Smith movie in chronological order

In this guide, we go over the best way to watch Kevin Smith's movies, and we reveal the biggest easter eggs across the View Askewniverse. So there are spoilers.

For those of you who don't want to read any spoilers, we've included a list version of the guide at the bottom. There is also a theatrical release order at the bottom - in case you ultimately decide to watch that way.

Mallrats (1995)

View Askewniverse movie order: Watch every Kevin Smith movie in chronological order photo 1 — Gramercy Pictures

Jason Lee and Jeremey London star as Brodie and TS, mallrats who literally spend all day at the mall.

Mallrats follows Brodie Bruce (Jason Lee) in the mid-90s as he navigates his life as an American teen mallrat. He spends every day at the mall hanging out with friends. The mall also happens to be the site of a live recording of a dating game show where Brodie's best friend, TS (Jeremy London), is a contestant trying to keep his girlfriend.

Writer and director Kevin Smith said the events that happen in Mallrats occur before 1994's Clerks. The movie features characters who appear in Clerks, too - like Jay and Silent Bob (Mewes and Smith). There's even a young Ben Affleck. Mallrats marks his first appearance in the View Askewniverse. Affleck actually plays several different characters in Smith's various films.

Mallrats (Blu-ray) [1995] (Import Movie) (European Format - Zone 2)

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Clerks (1994)

View Askewniverse movie order: Watch every Kevin Smith movie in chronological order photo 3 — Miramax

Clerks shows a day in the life of Quick Stop clerks Dante (Brian O'Halloran) and Randall (Jeff Anderson).

Clerks is Kevin Smith's directorial debut. It follows the day in the life of Dante (Brian O'Halloran), a clerk at Quick Stop Groceries who is called into work on his day off. He's joined by Randal (Jeff Anderson), who works at the video store next door. Over the course of the day, the two deal with customers, including two stoners - Jay and Silent Bob - who loiter around all day.

Clerks

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Chasing Amy (1997)

View Askewniverse movie order: Watch every Kevin Smith movie in chronological order photo 4 — Miramax

Comic book artist Holden (Ben Affleck) falls for another artist, Alyssa (Joey Lauren Adams), but she is a lesbian.

Ben Affleck returns to the View Askewniverse for Chasing Amy - this time as Holden McNeil. Holden is a comic book artist, who, with his best friend Banky, created a comic. (Banky is a new part but is played by Jason Lee, a returning actor from the View Askewniverse). As the two artists promote their comic, Holden meets Alyssa (Joey Lauren Adams), another comic artist and a lesbian. The two strike a friendship, but Holden falls in love despite Alyssa's sexuality.

Something interesting to note about Chasing Amy: The comic that Holden and Banky created, called The Adventures of Bluntman and Chronic, is based on their close friends, Jay and Silent Bob, who also appear in the film. This comic reappears in another movie, too.

Chasing Amy (Blu-ray + Digital)

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Dogma (1999)

View Askewniverse movie order: Watch every Kevin Smith movie in chronological order photo 5 — Lionsgate

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck star as fallen angels who want to get back into Heaven - no matter the cost.

Dogma is unlike any other Smith film, especially his earlier ones. It's much larger in scope. It's not a day in the life of grocery store clerks or mallrats - but, instead, it deals with the end of the world.

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon star as Bartleby and Loki, two fallen angels who were kicked from Heaven once Loki resigned as the Angel of Death. The two learn of a Cardinal who claimed that anyone who enters a certain church will be forgiven of all their sins. Is this their ticket to re-enter Heaven?

Unfortunately for the duo, to get back to Heaven, they'd be undoing the word of God, which would destroy the universe. So, Heaven sends Metatron (Alan Rickman) to get an abortion clinic counselor, Bethany Sloane (Linda Fiorentino), to stop Bartleby and Loki. Of course, she gets help from Jay and Silent Bob along the way.

Dogma (Special Edition)

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Clerks: The Animated Series (2000)

View Askewniverse movie order: Watch every Kevin Smith movie in chronological order photo 6 — ABC

Clerks: The Animated Series is optional viewing. It ran for two episodes before it was canceled by ABC, but you can watch all six episodes online.

Kevin Smith produced this animated series for ABC. It aired for two episodes before it was canceled, but you can now watch all six episodes online. The show focuses on antics at the Quick Stop with Dante, Randal, Jay, and Silent Bob.

But there's a reason it was canceled; you won't miss anything by skipping it.

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)

View Askewniverse movie order: Watch every Kevin Smith movie in chronological order photo 7 — Dimension Films

Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith) set out to stop a movie that uses their likeness without their permission.

After appearing in four films, Jay and Silent Bob finally get top billing.

This film follows the two characters as they try to stop a movie from getting made. That movie is a live-action adaptation of the Bluntman and Chronic, which Holden (Affleck) and Banky (Lee) created in Chasing Amy. Affleck and Lee both make cameos in the film, with Affleck being credited as “Holden McNeil, himself, and Chuckie Sullivan”. That last one is his character from Good Will Hunting.

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back also features an early post-credit scene, with patient viewers getting to watch God close a book titled View Askewniverse.

Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back by unknown Enhanced, Explicit Lyrics, Soundtrack edition (2001) Audio CD

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Clerks II (2006)

View Askewniverse movie order: Watch every Kevin Smith movie in chronological order photo 8 — MGM

Dante and Randal are back, but they're working at Mooby's after Randal accidentally burned down the Quick Stop.

The sequel to Kevin Smith's directorial debut picks up 10 years after the ending of the first movie. It sees Dante and Randal working at Mooby's after Randal accidentally burned down the Quick Stop.

Of course, Jay and Silent Bob now loiter outside of the fast-food restaurant.

The movie's plot is about whether Dante will follow through on moving to Florida with his fiance, Emma Bunting (Jen Schwalbach, Kevin Smith's real-life wife.) Randal doesn't want to lose Dante, but luckily, he has a new coworker - Becky (Rosario Dawson) - with whom Dante falls in love.

Clerks II [2006] (Fullscreen Edition) (REGION 1) (NTSC) [DVD] [US Import]

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Jay and Silent Bob's Super Groovy Cartoon Movie! (2013)

View Askewniverse movie order: Watch every Kevin Smith movie in chronological order photo 9 — Phase 4 Films

Jay and Silent Bob win $10,000,000 on a scratch-off ticket and decide to become the real-life versions of Bluntman and Chronic.

The Groovy Cartoon Movie sees Jay and Silent Bob win $10,000,000 on a scratch-off ticket before they decide to become the real-life versions of the superheroes Bluntman and Chronic.

We're listing this one as optional because it's not a live-action feature film, and because Jay and Silent Bob don't become millionaire crime fighters in the next film in the universe. Still, it was written by Smith, so if you want to get the full View Askewniverse experience, it's worth watching.

Jay and Silent Bob's Super Groovy Cartoon Movie

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Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019)

View Askewniverse movie order: Watch every Kevin Smith movie in chronological order photo 10 — Lionsgate

Jay and Silent Bob set out to stop yet another movie from being made about them.

If the View Askewniverse had a Marvel-like Endgame, it would be Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, because it brings back so many characters from Smith's other films.

You might've guessed from the title that Jay and Silent Bob have to stop yet another film about them from being made, which means a cross-country trek from New Jersey to Hollywood.

There is an interlude, too, where Matt Damon reprises his role as Loki and reveals God resurrected him after Dogma. Ben Affleck and Joey Lauren Adams also return as Holden and Alyssa from Chasing Amy, providing new information about their relationship together.

Clerks III (2022)

View Askewniverse movie order: Watch every Kevin Smith movie in chronological order photo 11 — Lionsgate

Clerks III will see the whole gang get back together to make a movie about a day in the life of a clerk.

Randal suffers a heart attack before deciding to make a movie to provide his life with more meaning. The usual cast of characters is back with him, including Dante, Jay and Silent Bob, and Rosario Dawson's Becky.

The film mirrors real events in Kevin Smith's life, he suffered a near-fatal heart attack in 2018 before returning to the Quick Stop to make Clerks III with some old friends.

Clerks III saw a very limited theatrical run and is now available for digital download. Blu-ray and DVD versions are due to release on December 6 2022.