The Oath

I contributed to this movie, was so excited to go and see it! But what a disappointment it was! I was expecting an actual story from the Book of Mormon only to find a fictional made up love story about Moroni that was at some moments literally laughable. I'm embarrassed to say "go and see it." Darin Scot is from my home town in Utah and is also related to me through by mother's side of the family and I wish I could say great job cousin! But it felt like he centered the whole movie around himself and furthering his career instead of on a feature film about a true story from the Book of Mormon. I am very disappointed in a fictionalization about a true person, Moroni, the angel who stands atop of many of our temples. He was all alone for how long, we do not know. To me it is a disgrace to his name to create this type of fictionalized storyline.

I'm directing this at the creator, director, producer, lead actor Darin Scott, because he will clearly read these. I wanted to like this, I was telling all my friends to go see it, then I saw it. Other reviewers have been spot on with their negative assessments, so I'll try to be constructive as well.

1. Darin, it's nice you got into shape for this movie, but apparently the whole movie is just a glamor shot for you.

2. What's with the girl bosses? The sisters don't make sense as characters, and terrible actors.

3. What was the point of having another language spoke a little bit? The ones that speak the Nephite language don't have an accent, except for Billy Zane, who sounds like Mr. Krabs 4. The soundtrack. OMG. It's well done, but it is relentless, it never stops, it's this somber, overbearing sonic landscape that never gives you a break.

5. This story had almost zero to do with Moroni other than burying the plates.

6. Darin, your acting is one note. You use pregnant pauses and slomo for effect. You don't use it constantly.

7. The editing is weird as hell. Things just jump back and forth with no connection. Like, what's with the black dog? That didn't make sense.

8. Training montage? Really? Come on dude. I guess you needed to show the breath holding training to support your escape later, but I think you just want people to see you in a speedo.

Anyone interested in Mormonism, do NOT see this movie. It won't teach you anything. The story is total fiction. This looks like a high school film project. It might have worked as a 15-20 minute short, but if I'd been watching this at home instead of spending $30 at the theater, we would have turned it off. My wife flat out fell asleep and I almost did.

Do better.

My wife and I went on an overnight trip to the Bentonville temple and had come across an ad for this movie and decided to give it a go; The director had cast some spiritual credibility on himself by saying that he had gone through a near death experience, insinuating that a revelatory experience was what spawned this production.

I had no idea what to expect. I did have a reserved hope that the film would be a higher quality B of M production than other attempts I'd seen.

I didn't even see an attempt to portray a story from the Book of Mormon. This was a purely "made up" speculative story; a fantasy that someone created out of thin air (or maybe from mists of darkness)...

In the Book of Mormon you have a myriad of inspiring TRUE stories that could have been dramatized! Did this producer not think any of those stories were good enough? That his speculative story surpassed those actually in the book? A few examples of stories he could have portrayed that would have been TRUE and a thousand times better, and much more entertaining to boot:

-Nephi and his brothers obtaining the brass plates

• Lehi's family traveling to the promised land (the challenges, the miracles, family drama, the Liahona)

• Abinadi's testimony to King Noah and priests; and Alma's escape and ministry

• Ammon's defense of the King's servants

• Kingmen vs Freemen and Captain Moroni/Pahoran

• The Jaredites

I could go on and on. There are so many amazing stories in the Book of Mormon that it is shockingly disappointing that this producer chose this route. I was horribly disappointed. It feels like a very misguided and selfish direction was taken, with complete disregard for core audience -members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Why did I give it 2 stars instead of 1? Because Billy Zane does a great job as the villain - the only thing I liked about the movie.

I've never took it upon myself to write a movie review until after seeing this film. I didn't even have an account on imdb and made one just to write this.

The trailer and the little messages by the director (and main character) before and after the film seem to have nothing to do with the movie. In his messages he is talking about how the film is about the book of mormon love, peace, christ, and that it can change peoples lives. So that's what I expected when I sat down in the theatre.

Instead, I was utterly disappointed and confused. The show was not about christ and barely mentioned things from the book of mormon. It was a strange love story with a lot of strange components. Like neither the way they kept switching from whatever ancient language and english made no sense, and I don't know why the girl was speaking broken english at first (which the actress did pretty bad at).

Also so many scenes seemed to just be the director/main character trying to show off his muscles. Why is he curling the golden plated and the camera zoomed in on his biceps? Why was there a random part of him doing pull ups on a tree? Very weird.

Just everything about this movie was horrendous, it felt like watching a roughy draft/failed project.

I really want a good film adaptation of the Book of Mormon. I REALLY want to see one. Because this film is... not that.

On a technical level it's not terrible. I mean, the cinematography, blocking, and editing usually make things more confusing. And a lot of the visual effects are things I recognized as nearly-unmodified stock assets from After Effects. But moment to moment it doesn't look bad.

It's clear Darin thought he was making a powerful movie. After all, it wears its influences on its sleeve (especially the ending, ripping off Braveheart and Gladiator back to back). SO many slow shots of Darin staring wistfully into the sunset.

But everything just feels a little too, well, ego driven. The whole story and everything in it only exists to make the main character look like a chad. And, like, freedom stuff.

Ultimately, for all the times the main character mentions God or Jesus Christ, the movie feels strangely devoid of any real spirituality. It's never clear what "the oath" is meant to refer to, or what the plates mean to him, or how he is in any way a prophet. He's just... a guy with big arms and massive main-character syndrome.

The Book of Mormon deserves so much better than this.