User reviews

This project is something that many members of the LDS faith have wanted to see in motion picture form. Gary Rogers had the guts to step up and actually do it. Was this a good idea? Should a 'golden book' be made into a movie with a 'copper budget?'

Well it was done. The result is something extremely controversial. The Book of Mormon Movie, Volume 1 the Journey has pros and cons. What is good about the movie is Noah Danby (Nephi). That man can act! He can cry on the queue and make a stunt move that looks painful. Mark Gollaher (Lemuel) isn't so bad either! The rest of the cast have their moments but are weak or sappy most of the time.

The miniatures by Clark Shaffer, who has work for I.L.M. for years, are well done. The models are large (the great and spacious building was about 5 five feet tall!) and highly detailed. The shots with Jerusalem and the boat are forced perspective shots (bringing the model close to the camera, then the people further away, and using a special lens to focus it correctly). And some of them worked while others did not. The compositing was done well most of the time, with the exception of a close up of Nephi and the blurred figures in the background have a sharp edge against the ocean.

The music is good at parts but needed to conform to a Middle East feel rather than the Russian feel I believe it had. This could be done by being in a different key and using different instruments.

My favorite scene was when Nephi collapses in the desert and there is a rush of images and powerful sound in a 'Gladiator' type of moment. It catches the film up to that point in an interesting well done editing moment.

The biggest problems were:

Too much voice over!!! The reason that some people feel that the movie is 'slow paced' is not because it is slow paced at all. It actually covers a lot at the end with a fast pace. It drags, and the reason it drags is because Nephi narrates half the time while you see a slide-show of events.

The Automatic Dialog Replacement (ADR) did not match up. In other words you can tell when it was dubbed. And the sound quality was poor. This project was done on 24p High Definition cameras, the same cameras Lucas used for Episode 2, and the print job to 35mm film was not good. It lacked a full range of values and color. It was grainy at parts and doesn't look as clean as the HD source.

Some of the things important to the story were skipped; how did Nephi convince Ishmael and his family to leave into the wilderness? How did the boat get to sea and how did they land?

The costumes where lacking in quality and for some reason there are more fat people in Jerusalem than actual middle-eastern people. Most of all the camera angles lacked in creativity and greatness (I admit that I did like a couple of shots and the helicopter shots were cool). There are a lot of jump cuts because of lack of any other angle to cut to, mostly a big lack of coverage. This is due to many factors including: a low budget, a limited 30 day production shoot, and an underpaid crew.

The worst scene was probably the one between Sariah and Ishmael's wife. It was over dramatic and the dialog is feeding back story information to the audience. That isn't the best way to establish their closeness.

What's amazing that the budget was stretched beyond it's limits and that this thing actually got through production and post production and into theaters, unlike Richard Dutcher's Joseph Smith project. After seeing this one I have faith that Gary will make the next one better. And don't think that you'll see a big budget 'Mormon Movie' not put out by the LDS church, if The Book of Mormon Movie was made for $40 million, or anything else considered big budget, it would never make the money back. It's just too small of an audience. The reason the LDS church can put out movies like 'The Testements' is because they can fund the production and the people working on it well.

Personally I am not a fan of these 'Mormon Movies.' But this is what a lot of people asked for so this is what they get.

Wow. I just got done seeing this movie, and I have to say, it was a dissapointment. I love the Book of Mormon, but this movie pretty much misses the mark on many levels. Poorly casted, the costumes were awful, the acting was fairly bad, the script was poorly adapted, the cinematography was flat and uninspiring, the movie was slow and very long. I just hope people do not go out to see this movie in order to see just what the "Mormons are all about". Please do not see this movie in substitution of reading the book. Don't use this movie as a followup, either. The power of this book is astounding, something the movie almost fails completely to do. It has one or two inspired moments, but that's it. Please, if you're interested in the Book of Mormon, contact missionaries or your LDS friends, you'll recieve a free copy from them.

I really wanted to like this movie; I love The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. But the movie was like watching a low-budget play. The musical score, which I heard prior to seeing the movie, seemed moving, dramatic and even beautiful. But the movie missed the mark.

ON THE OTHER HAND: those interested in celebrating (or even investigating) Mormonism would be FAR BETTER SERVED watching "The Work and the Glory" - which, while not as doctrinally "heavy" as the Book of Mormon Movie intended to be (and failed), is at least beautifully filmed, well-acted and is simply not painful to watch.

BTW I enjoy the Genesis Project effort to put OT & NT stories on film, sticking to the text. I'm not just against putting scriptural stories on film per se. But this "project" needs more work, and especially more thought.

The problem with the Book of Mormon Movie is that it isn't cinema. It's either a really expensive roadshow or a really bad made-for-TV movie. This film has no business being shown in theaters. It is, in fact, the kind of film that in the evangelical Christian market would have gone straight to video, available for purchase by catalog. The only reason this film is on the big screen is because the geographical concentration of Latter-day Saints makes that feasible. But just because it's feasible doesn't mean it should have been done.

As hoaky as I think Cecil B. DeMille's "The Ten Commandments" is, I have to give DeMille credit--he knew how to make a movie. He knew that you can't just put scenes from the Bible on screen. You have to play with the material, working biblical scenes into a unified narrative of your own creation, with a single dramatic trajectory carrying the audience through from start to finish. The makers of the Book of Mormon Movie didn't know to do that, or they were afraid to take the necessary liberties. They just put scenes from the Book of Mormon on screen. The result is a series of vignettes, not a unified narrative. There's no plot, no climax, no denouement. We just...well...plow through selected highlights of 1 Nephi and the opening chapters of 2 Nephi.

Why did Gary Rogers even bother making this film? I'm not a fan of turning the Book of Mormon into cinema in the first place. But if you're going to do it, do it right. Get ample funding. Get good writers. Do the research necessary to approximate the historical period. Take the liberties necessary to transform scripture into a cinematically interesting story. Don't just "put the Book of Mormon on the big screen."

I saw the previews for this movie, and even though it looked really bad, I thought I'd go check it out anyway. I don't usually listen to critics when seeing a movie, instead choosing to decide for myself.

I'm not a mormon, although I have read the book of mormon several times prior to seeing the movie, so I understood the storyline. However, my worst fears were realized when I actually saw this film. The acting was flat, and unintentionally funny at times. I really had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing once or twice. It felt like the filmmaker was trying to go for a massive cinema experience, but it just didn't work. It didn't flow like I had hoped. Overall, it just felt like a B-movie, and I left the theater wishing I could've gone back in time so that I wouldn't have to see it.

I suppose that people interested in seeing this film will do so, one way or the other, but I'd suggest watching something else instead. Besides, it will inevitably be shown on TV in Salt Lake eventually, and at least you won't have to pay to see it then.

This movie should have been better. It had the budget (small by Hollywood standards, but large in the current LDS market) and a great story, but as illustrated time and time again in cinema, money does not translate to quality.

It is no wonder that Mormons are viewed as culturally unsophisticated, when sacred text is treated in such an amateurish manner and then defended by many in the LDS community. The real truth is that this is bad cinema and not a reflection of LDS expectations on a cinema representation of the story.

The script is poor, the acting is average at best, the direction is poor and the sets and costumes "laughable". This is neither a significant work nor a good representation of the Book.

I attended the movie with the best intentions of liking the movie and I desperately wanted my beliefs handled in a professional manner, one that I could take friends to and say it represented my faith. Unfortunately, it brings no credibility to the truth of the Book. I won't be taking any friends to see this one.

Sorry, but my recommendation is that no one see this. Maybe then the idea of a sequel will be squelched. Bring on talented LDS Producer/Directors! The story still hasn't been told well. I want to see LDS artists succeed, but it must be done better than this to be taken seriously.

This movie is AWFUL. Top to bottom - writing, directing, production, sets, dialogue, acting, costumes, special effects - deeply, disturbingly poor. Do NOT pay to see this movie; do NOT buy it on video - the filmmakers deserve to lose all their money because they are so obviously incompetent. They plan on making at least 6 more in this series - they must not be allowed to! The film is SO BAD!!!

When I say bad, I mean Batman and Robin bad. I mean Howard the Duck bad. B&R and Howard are ARTISTIC MASTERPIECES compared to this.

I'm intrigued by the sudden surge of Mormon filmmaking and was truly looking forward to The Book of Mormon on the big screen. Yes, I am LDS, and yes, I do believe the Book of Mormon contains historical and theological facts and events. This being said, I went to this movie with an old friend and two of my roommates, found maybe a little over a dozen people in the theater, and by the end, six of them had walked out. Why didn't we? We were having way too much fun laughing (and at the same time crying) at how they had botched up the greatest book on earth.

First of all, to the people who claim that we who didn't like the movie "don't know what people want to see in a movie" or other such nonsense, I say maybe it's YOU don't know what movies are supposed to be.... When a filmmaker considers the audience so handicapped that they have to spell out the plot or characters (telling instead of showing) and insult us with a contrived and sappy script, it's simply offensive. Some filmmakers are truly able to consider the needs of both the hoity-toity, intellectual, film critic audience as well as the less-studied but just as valid movie watcher (consider The Lord of the Rings, or if you must go the LDS route, Brigham City).

About the movie, it was truly entertaining, but not at all in the way I had hoped. From virtually non-existent character development, poor casting with often wretched acting, and a laughable script, we wondered who would ever sit through countless more volumes of this movie! We felt bad giggling and whispering throughout until we noticed the handful of others in the theater were doing the same (particularly during the shocking of the apostates on the beach or Lehi's dream). We even tried to figure out why it was rated PG-13. When my friend leaned over to me, she said, "I think it was for bad acting." I replied, "No, I think it's rated PG-13 for murmuring and pride. Honestly, Laman and Lemuel's cycle of respect for and violence against Nephi truly is repetitive, and shows their ignorance and lack of the Spirit, but it can still be displayed pretty well if the characters are believable and they sound like they mean what they say.

Nephi.... Nephi, Nephi, Nephi... As much as I love the man, I couldn't help but side with L&L in this version. I wouldn't believe in Nephi either! First of all, he's twice as big as anyone else on screen (probably because he's constantly flexing, making his neck look ever thicker and his head look ever smaller), so he should have been able to knock any one of his attackers down with a single swipe of his hand. Secondly, his blank and often vague expressions indicated density and blandness rather than a somber mind and spiritual enlightenment. Thirdly (and mostly not the actor's fault), they tried so hard sometimes to get the ancient, scriptural vernacular right for most of the time, and then Nephi says things like "Oh, yeah..." and "okay." ??? Anachronisms are fine, don't get me wrong, just pick a time period and don't move out of it! It's distracting and absurd. Also, after the commandment to retrieve the daughters of Ishmael... "This is the best vision you've ever had! I WILL go and do..." The use of repeated scripture in this case, while it was supposed to be clever and charming, was nothing more than tasteless and tacky. He had a couple of good moments, but if I saw him eating dirt, foaming at the mouth one more time, I was going to walk out... And the splattering of Laban's blood on his face was such a lovely touch.

As for the rest of the cast, Laman's greatest moment was either when he pseudo-apologized to Nephi for, well, attempted MURDER, or his "I'm suddenly a cannibal and a mindless savage" dance around the campfire. Lehi was mostly bumbling, disappointingly ("Don't you underSTAND! The CITY is going to be DESTROYED!"--repeat until you are ushered off screen). Sariah was constantly under such strain she was a nervous wreck throughout. Sam seemed like a love/peace hippie ("Will you stop arguing?? That's all we ever do anymore!"). Nephi's wifey had too much face paint (since when are Nephites brown anyway??) and was given lines dripping with unbelievable sap. All the other wives seemed lifeless, but also like girls I've seen at stake dances (I especially thought the part when they were wearing hot pink tube tops and halters interesting, and Laman didn't even seem to mind that his wife was seducing Nephi...).

All in all, considering effects (understandable on such a low budget), sets and locations (some of which were lovely, but seemingly mismatched), acting and script (inexcusable... someone was paid no matter what it ended up like, the least they could do was get it right), some good music and some moments of good acting, this movie was like an over two hour joke. Would I take my non-LDS friends to see it? Not in this lifetime or the next. I would give them a copy of the book, and then point them in the direction of Brigham City for a movie that truly embodies what the LDS Gospel is about.

Sigh... even as a movie (besides the fact that it's doctrine), this story has such potential. Sometimes there's a time and a means something's supposed to be created in. For example, if the Lord of the Rings were made even five years earlier and by anyone else than the director/cast/etc they have, it would not nearly have been as good. Such it is for The Book of Mormon. From its opening of "Jerusalem About - 600 B.C." to its close of "THE END... OF THE BEGINNING" (I thought it should have said, "The end.... or is it?"), it was both an incredibly funny and painfully sad experience.

I say the same thing to those here as I said to those walking out of the theater: "Just read the book."

1.7/10

I am a Mormon and love the Book of Mormon. I think one day the text will be the basis for a wonderful movie (or several); this is not that day. Although the film remained true to the text (with minor adjustments for "flow"), the movie was neither inspiring, moving or, frankly, very interesting.

I was especially disappointed in the Northern European (read: Germanic, non-Middle Eastern) portrayal of ancient Israelites, the gross inattention to detail (e.g., the model of Jerusalem was wholly without ANY speck of greenery - where were the olive trees, fig trees, etc. so abundant throughout the scriptures?)and the dramatic (in places) yet hokey acting. The special effects were, well, special; in fact, the "angel saves Nephi from his brothers" scene and the "Nephi shocks his brothers" scene both moved me (and most of the other moviegoers in the nearly-empty theater) to laugh out loud.

The story upon which the movie is based is rich and inspiring; the movie simply fails to portray believability in the story line. For example, the older brothers of the hero (Nephi) keep having supernatural experiences (e.g., visits from angels), yet they almost immediately (so it seems) forget and go back to their bad ways. The movie portrays them as mentally ill rather than explore - at all believably - any plausible explanation for their hot/cold behavior.

God (or the Lord) speaking with a Utah accent was also a bit TOO much (I liked the mysterious, deep voice in "The Ten Commandments"); and I hope God doesn't ramble on and on like that in real life (although maybe that explains why so many fail to listen).

I HIGHLY recommend the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. As for the movie, well, it's better than the cartoon version (and the music isn't awful), but not as good as a bad Star Trek episode. I give it a 5 (it is, at least, a clean movie promoting good values). Oh, one last thing: PG13? Give me a break! The slight violence (even the most gory scene) is rather mild (almost amusing - such interesting non-staining blood). Hard to believe the original "Planet of the Apes" got a G and this got a PG13.

This movie was very much hyped up on the internet and is a great story that could be told. So like many I looked forward to this with great enthusiasm. But after the wait I was really disappointed. In all fairness this was not a Lord of the Rings budget to get the best actors and best effects, but 'cheap' doesn't have to be nasty - just look at what Robert Rodriguez does on a low budget. A lot of Mormon families will claim this is a great film, but not all Mormons are brain-dead when it comes to films and their short comings.

So what made this film a poor story of the Book of Mormon?: Here are some reasons: 1) The actors seemed to look just like American tourists dressed up in 'authentic' period costumes, rather than people that would seem naturally to be from Israel. All their mannerisms just seemed to appear American no matter how hard they tried.

2) The costumes look very cheap and very false. The wardrobe or costume crew just don't seem to have realised the story telling power in just clothes alone. In one scene they have been in the desert for a period of time away from their homes, just you see them walking around with clean clothes that would pass any doorstep challenge for soap powder and their detergent would be a wonder product for P&G.

3) Continuity and scenes - There are some little things that make the story less believable. These are not things that cost anything, but by not doing them makes the film out to be funny where it should not. An example is that they reach the Promised Land after weeks at sea. However you see the family members walking on the beach after leaving their ship, out towards the horizon, but they are walking from the sea towards the land, but with perfectly dry clothes (not even their feet are wet).

OVERALL it would say this film made me laugh more than anything. All through the film it just seemed so ridiculous that we just seemed to laugh at everything. It seemed so poorly done that rather than keep it simple and let the excellent story tell itself, it seemed to be butchered and battered into shape with no real feel of a great film. If you want to get an insight into the Book of Mormon story, you are better off just reading the Book of Mormon itself. It will give you all the story without the 'cheese' and laughs caused by a poorly made film.

Today, 12 September 2003, THE BOOK OF MORMON MOVIE, VOLUME 1: THE JOURNEY opened its theatrical run in the Salt Lake area. The average rating given by four newspapers along the Wasatch front was TWO STARS. This came as no surprise to me, for I actually had little hope of this undertaking be able to live up to the challenges involved in doing such taxing project. With between 1 1/2 and 2 million dollars to work with you are stretching the budget a bit thin in trying to tell a historic happening such as The Book of Mormon requires. Having a director that had not worked in film before did not hold much promise for suceeding either. I decided to ignore the critics and just go see the movie for myself. So my wife and I attended the first showing of the day at one of the local theatres. Certainly there are weaknesses in this film -- BUT, the big thrill was it was much, much better then it had any right to be! The film has a powerful music score that adds a great deal to the effectiveness of its telling. Much of the acting is very fine. Gary Rogers, the director and co-script writer must be thrilled to see this dream project turn out as well as it has. Members of the LDS Church (the Mormons) will find this a marvelous film to experience together as a family. I will certainly recommend it to others as a film worth seeing in a theatrical setting and one worth purchasing on DVD when so released. Both my wife and I found the film to be both entertaining and spiritually enriching. So ignore the critics and just give the film a chance. And then pick up The Book of Mormon itself, and read or re-read the account found in I Nephi -- the world we live in needs this message desperately! Thanks Gary Rogers and all the hundreds of others who put their talents to work on this worthy project.

A note, I am an active Latter-day Saint.

First the bad...

I doubt Jews in Jeresalem in 600 BC looked like Anglo-saxons. Please find people that at least look Jewish to play the parts of Jews.

The make-up; a white woman with brown make-up to make her look Aboriginal or Jewish still looks like a white woman with make-up.

This movie was low-budget, and it looked like it. Everything seemed artificial; costumes, sets, minatures, it felt cheap. It didn't seem aged are blended in.

Lehi preaching, it seems the only thing he says is "The City will be destroyed, don't you understand" over and over. Couldn't think of any other dialogue?

Where were the master or establishing shots? There were very few, they would have helped the movie feel more complete.

The language seems inconsitant, sometimes it's modern, sometimes it's King James English. Pick one and stick to it.

This movie came off as low-rent, this is especially noted when Nephi is struggling to get free from his binds and the audience is laughing, rather than sympathising. This is becasue some parts of the movie are cheesy and that results in the audience not taking it seriously.

Cheesy parts #1... the brothers getting shocked, should have just left that out. Makes it seems like Nephi has magic powers, comes off weak.

Cheesy parts #2... Lehi's fake beard, it changes once from long straight and grey to short curly white.

Cheesy Parts #3... The aging of the characters wasn't belivable.

Cheesy Parts #4... the voice of God depicted with a deep voice and allot of reverb, cliché. Find a new way to do this. How about a soft whisper?

Cheesy Parts #5... Lemuals re-action to the angel, supposed to be a serious moment but is laughable because of his reaction.

Cheesy Parts $5... The Lamanites at the end dancing around a fire with war paint. Comes off over the top.

Now the good...

The acting was good 95% of the time, Laman was the best acted in this film.

Laban being murdered, I really like how this was done (other than the clichéd treatment of the voice of God) and it had good emotion.

Nephi's vision of being shown was is to come, again good emotion, and good editing.

Montage while Nephi is bound, well done.

We get a good sense of the conflict between Nephi and Laman.

I thought that the added dialogue (stuff not from scriptures) was good and blended scenes well. I enjoyed the added homour and seeing Nephi and his brothers bond after having conflicts.

The Joseph Smith stuff I thought was well done, except Moroni's visit, just seemed out of place the way it was done.

Final word. Before the next one, take the time to secure more money and make it the way it should be, a grand epic. Pretty good job for a first time director and allot of first time actors. I wouldn't see this one again but I would see the next installment.

I endured the Book of Mormon film at the Englewood last night. To paraphrase Mark Twain's assessment of the book as "choloroform in print," I'd rate this work as chloroform on celluloid.

Despite an opening title disclaimer from the LDS church, there were plenty of telltale embellishments of a Mormon production -- pretty, clean, crisp costumes, straight white teeth, Eurocentric looking actors, God as booming bass male voice, etc. I wasn't familiar with any of the actors, but movie lead Nephi was portrayed by a buff looking Greg Brady guy, an amalgam of Barry Williams and Lou Ferrigno. Laman was delightfully sinister. Lemuel had the voice of Chris Elliott which distracted me. Lehi was disgraceful and looked to be an understudy from the Olive Branch players. I was secretly relieved when the old patriarch died, but his deathbed scene was of predictable unpleasant duration.

Considerable Jerusalem intrigue as prelude to the Nephites blowing town, much not depicted in the opening of First Nephi, but I suppose it helped set the scene. Over an hour into the film and we'd yet to depart the book of First Nephi so I was getting pretty apprehensive about the epic running length. But this film, the first in a projected series, only deals with the first two books in the Book of Mormon.

Suitable for the kinderlach. Violent apex is some blood spattering on Nephi. Sexual situations limited to some provocative dancing by the Nephite women. Some pretty fetching halter tops on the sea voyage over.

The darkness of the bad brothers at this film's conclusion portrayed more tastefully than what I'd feared might be coming. They hadn't morphed into African-Americans, but rather had just taken on a browner hue, replete with savage makeup and behavior wailing around the campfire. A refreshing Joseph Smith portrayal to bookend the film, not the beautiful blonde boy we're often treated to in LDS depictions, but a more homely and believable farm boy. Angel Moroni in sore need of recasting. I know who the South Park producers used as their template now when they depicted this angel as a white Native-American.

I attended at the recommendation of an aged church Seventy who beamed about Hollywood production values. I questioned this initially upon watching the film, but then reminded myself that Saturday morning live-action series of my youth like Shazam, Mighty Isis, and the Banana Splits feature Danger Island were likely conceived in Hollywood. So sure, Hollywood production values. Actually there was one unique shot of Laman escaping the clutches of Laban in a long, uninterrupted run down stairs. Flying too fast for a Steadicam. So speedy it had to be mounted on a vehicle of some sort, but quite smooth.

Likely the best Book of Mormon film out there, but the competition's not too stiff. I wish someone with Mel Gibson money, although not his zest for sadism, would turn their film-making efforts to Joseph Smith's literary masterpiece. It might enhance understanding between mainstream Christians and the latter-day Saint tradition churches that sprung up in the 19th century. This film struck me as too boring an initiation ritual into the Book of Mormon, so leave your Goyim buddies at home.

Dirk Ellingson Independence, MO

Not a believable story, not inspiring at all. I am a Mormon, and I was disappointed with this movie. I do not know even where to begin! The clothes that they wore looked like they had just taken them out of the box, poor acting, poor directing. The book is much better than the movie! I guarantee, if they had a 20 million-dollar budget, a decent director, and a few good writers, I would have been inspired to watch it again and again. There were times when I watched it, I couldn't wait to leave. The director took too many creative "liberties" and put things into the movie that weren't true. When they were on the boat, it looked like buckets of water were being thrown on them. The beards looked fake, these people should have waited and done it right before making this movie. I would hope that someone, like a good Mormon director like Richard Dutcher, would tell these people to stop and let me take over. I will not see this again. It was a disappointment and a waste of my time. Shame on them!

this is quite possibly the worst movie i have ever seen. the acting, directing, script, costumes, pretty much everything about this movie was laughably bad. by the time the movie had been going for five minutes i was wishing it was over, and this movie felt a heck of a lot longer than the two hours that i clocked it as (and i was clocking it). Please do not pay to see this movie, because they are planning on making a lot more of these, and i think the rest of the book should be saved for someone who can make a decent movie. everyone i went with (there was four of us) felt exactly the same way. if you want to see a good mormon movie, check out the other side of heaven, but please skip this one.

For those who thought it was impossible to make the Book of Mormon more white and more ridiculous - here's your movie.

I saw this movie out of boredom, and for $6.75, all I got was more boredom. Boredom and PAIN! Hence my summary. After about twenty minutes of watching THE BOOK OF MORMON THE MOVIE, that's exactly what I was thinking. This is a lot like those terrible made-for-video Christian movies of the Bible, except this time it's with the Book of Mormon. As with those, this is a cheapie. The costumes, sets, props, and special effects are all bargain-basement. The script is filled with horrible dialogue laced with "thou"s and "thee"s in an attempt to sound authentic. The actors don't help things along either, seeming more like they're in a school play than a movie. Gary Rogers directs, writes, and produces for the first time, and boy does it show! The script is no more than plodding samples from the book which fail to develop character and pushes it's points home with the force of a jackhamer. Subtlety is blasphemy, I guess. The bad characters look angry in every shot and the good characters just look stupid. Nephi is your typical muscle man who looks around like he's blind, prays, gets tied up, prays, scolds his brothers, prays, is set upon by his brothers, prays... I mean it goes on forever! There isn't even the illusion of pacing. And the Utah desert is not a convincing Jerusalem. The Joseph Smith wrap-around consists of two scenes and a partial montage and is a cheap as the rest of the picture. The "golden tablets" are unmistakably plastic. Some people marvel that this was made for under $2 million, but it looks really bad, even for an independent film. And considering that MAD MAX, CLERKS, and BLOOD GUTS BULLETS AND OCTANE cost collectively less than this movie, THE BOOK OF MORMON MOVIE is a truly pathetic failure. Nobody should see this. It's not a good religious film and the laughs you get out of the ineptitude of it all won't diminish the pain.

Ouch, this movie was painful to watch. A friend told me about it (he got the video) and I watched it. The acting is hokey. The story line is confusing. The special effects are dreadful. The movie makes me hope Mormons will NOT be judged by some of ridiculous films people make about sacred things. I would not wish this movie on anyone except people I want to torture. There's no gore in the movie, and no cursing, either, but the only good thing about the movie, besides the fact that it's over, is the musical score. I think people might just learn more about how the Mormons feel about the book of Mormon by listening to the soundtrack and not even watching the film. Oh, ouch, bad bad bad! Let's hope they don't make more.

Please. For the love of zion. At least not these same people.

I wasn't sure if this was supposed to be a sincere attempt to reflect the Book of Mormon or a satirical attempt. The minute I started to believe the movie was sincere, something cheesy and goofy would change my mind. I think if this is the end product, the producers shouldn't have even bothered. If seen by a non member, this movie would do more harm than good. I did not care for this movie and would not bother watching it a second time. I am a member and these are my honest opinions about the movie.

It was poorly cast, written, and directed. At least I know not to waste my time with the second movie.

But, it was amazing! I am a movie critic of my own and if this movie sucked, I would have been very sad.

But it exceeded expectations, I cried numerous times. I got chills when the music started and it said BOOK OF MORMON MOVIE.

At the end of the film it was applauded for about a minute and it deserved it. Just wow!

Please, please, please, please, PLEEAAASE DO NOT MAKE ANY MORE OF THESE MOVIES!!!!

Your hearts are in the right place, I don't doubt that at all, but you are in way over your head with this!

If I had never read the Book of Mormon before, after watching this movie, I wouldn't want to!

You're costumes looked like they were borrowed from the Manti Pageant. The make-up looked ridiculous. The acting was amateurish, not to mention the directing. And the writing just plain SUCKED! And what the hell was up with that wedding dance scene?

You are doing a major disservice to the Book of Mormon and the LDS faith by making these movies.

Come on, to take on something as epic as the Book of Mormon on such a miniscule budget is at best, laughable, at worst sacrilegious. Even John Huston knew to only take on the first part of Genesis when he made "The Bible."

Have you seen the movie "And God Spoke... The Making of."???

Your movie is essentially that. A biblical epic made on a B-movie budget and you guys are taking yourselves waaaaay too seriously!

I only hope you haven't done any permanent damage to Jacque Gray's career.

-Nate

Thanks for one of the best movies available. I enjoyed this film more than other movies that I have seen because it carries a better message and helps people have a greater desire to read and have a better understanding of the Book Of Mormon and that "this really happened". I truly hope that others will take the time and see that the Heavens are not closed and that devine revlation is still alive in our modern society.