It took no fewer than 160 lawyers to vet "Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief," but the effort to put out Alex Gibney "scathing exposé" was well worth it, USA Today noted.

The documentary, which is based on Lawrence Wright's 2013 bestselling book, premiered on Sunday at the Sundance Film Festival, where it received a standing ovation, according to the Huffington Post. Scientology representatives, though, slammed the film as "false information," and security was tight at the Utah showing.

The HBO Documentary Films production offers a number of "bombshell" claims: It accuses the sect of torturing members and subjecting others to hard labor, as well as of ostracizing and harassing those who choose to leave the group.

And "Going Clear" even goes into detail of the highly publicized romance between movie stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, which it claims Scientology intentionally broke up.

The life of the sect's founder, science-fiction author L. Ron Hubbard, also comes under intense scrutiny, as does the alleged "misuse of power" of David Miscavige, its current leader.

A number of former Scientology members who spoke out in Wright's book and Gibney's movie were present at the Sundance premiere, where they were feted by filmmakers and moviegoers alike.

"I want to emphasize what a tremendous amount of courage it took for people to come out," Wright said. "The goal was to get as many people (as possible) to talk, so they'd feel safe in numbers."

Scientology, meanwhile, said in a statement, "Those featured in Gibney's film ... are admitted perjurers, admitted liars and professional anti-Scientologists.

"All have been gone so long from (Scientology) -- they know nothing of it today," the sect said. "Yet Gibney and HBO stonewalled more than a dozen requests by (Scientology) to offer relevant information about them."

Gibney said he had received "many cards and letters" from Scientology's lawyers, and Wright said threats leveled against him had been "predominantly legal."

They were "nothing compared to what the people who were in the church suffered," the author said.

"Going Clear" is set to air on HBO in March. In the view of the Guardian, "It makes for entertaining and dismaying viewing, but new revelations are a little thin." Vulture, meanwhile, called the documentary "jaw-dropping."