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Rating: 
Summary: a must read
Review: a must read for any intellectual, interested in theoreticians following Lacan's writing.
Rating: 
Summary: Invigorating, diaphanous, decentered
Review: Anyone thinking about reading this book ought first to have acquainted themself with the psychoanalytic theories of Jacques Lacan and the philosophy of Hegel. Zizek's work is far from a stand-alone, sustained, formula for ideological criticism; rather, it is a series of recastings of Marx, Stalin, anti-semitism, etc, through a Lacanian-Hegelian looking-glass.That said, the book provides an invigorating handle on the notion of the Lacanian subject, the Real, and the Symbolic, as well as Hegelian dialectics (Zizek's "return to Hegel") as they apply to ideology.
Rating:
Summary: Invigorating, diaphanous, decentered
Review: Anyone thinking about reading this book ought first to have acquainted themself with the psychoanalytic theories of Jacques Lacan and the philosophy of Hegel. Zizek's work is far from a stand-alone, sustained, formula for ideological criticism; rather, it is a series of recastings of Marx, Stalin, anti-semitism, etc, through a Lacanian-Hegelian looking-glass. That said, the book provides an invigorating handle on the notion of the Lacanian subject, the Real, and the Symbolic, as well as Hegelian dialectics (Zizek's "return to Hegel") as they apply to ideology.
Rating:
Summary: Theory doesn't get more entertaining.
Review: As the previous review noted, this is one of Zizek's most systematic works. But it maintains the engaging, entertaining, pop-culture-heavy style of his "lighter" work without becoming dense and obscure (and incoherent) like some of his longer philosophical writings. Take note that Zizek's politics are not quite what you might expect -- he is a classic European left-liberal, not a Marxist -- and this colors his reading of Marx. Those of us who approach this book looking for insight on the Marxist problem of ideology are likely to be somewhat disappointed. Still not as bad as Derrida's reading of Marx, though. I'd vote for this as Zizek's best work by far. It's both theoretically significant and a fun read -- who ever thought we'd find that?
Rating:
Summary: Making Ideology fun
Review: I thought this was a fantastic book. I've read it several times and has allowed me to develop a new more contemporary understanding of ideology as well as gain a stronger grasp of Lacanian psychoanalytic concepts. I feel that this is definately Zizek's best work.
Rating:
Summary: Zizek's most sustained argument
Review: Those who know Zizek's work--and chances are you wouldn't be reading this otherwise--are familiar with the author's striking, off-the-cuff applications of Lacanian psychoanalytic theory to pop culture (e.g., Aliens, Bladerunner, Forrest Gump). While this text also contains numerous examples, it is much more theoretically oriented than "Looking Awry" or "Enjoy Your Symptom!" and as such is perhaps the best place to go if you're wondering if there is really a coherent system beneath Zizek's pyrotechnics. Contained in the book are: a (partial) synthesis of Lacan and Marx; an explication of Lacan's diagram for desire, and an insightful rectification of Hegel's commonly misunderstood dialectics
Rating:
Summary: groundbreaking
Review: Zizek brilliantly combines Lacan and Althusser in his reading of Marx and ideology. Unlike other pompous incomprehensible readings of complicated theorists e.g. Lacan and Althusser, Zizek offers a sharp, shrewd, and most important, a comprehensible text to his readers.
This book is probably the best introduction to the Zizek phenomenon. It is very theoritical, but it also introduces Zizek's famous references to movies and popular culture (Zizekian trademarks) in his attempt to explain complex Lacanian and Althusserian propositions. This is not a book only for those specializing in cultural or critical theory; it is written in a language which is accesible to a wider audience - Zizek turns complicated and highly philosophical ideas into a daily practice exercised by non-specialists too.
The most important and Zizek's greatest achievement is his transition from the Althusserian ideology as reality to fantasy as reality. The idea of reality as an imaginary construct - a human fantasy - is the idea that constantly haunts Zizek's later works. The acknowledgement of of some impossible Real kernel becomes Zizek's most effective tool in his attempts to expose our notion of reality as fantasy.
This book introduces Lacan's cognitive paradigm (Real/Imaginary/Symbolic) and Althusser's structuralist readings of ideology and society into cultural theory as never done before. This book is a must for everyone who has the courage to look into ideas that will shake the foundations of reality as we perceive it. It is in short - groundbreaking.
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