LDS Cinema

Last night I had the opportunity to attend a showing of the "Testaments" with the missionaries, an investigator, and a recently reactivated member. Overall the experience was superb and the investigator came away with a better appreciation of the Book of Mormon. The Temple Visitors Center is an amazing resource to have for the missionaries.
But, I came away with a couple of reservations. They was nothing that would affect my testimony...maybe just a couple of comments about the way in which the movie was presented. To me these things somehow detracted from the spirit of the message. Here they are:

- Though Christ and his visit to the America's is the central theme of the movie, there are too many unnecessary subplots that detract from it. The inclusion of a cheesy love story kind of cheapens the experience for me and made it appear that the movie was trying to entertain as much as it was trying to testify of Christ. There were even a couple attempts of comedy.
- The above mentioned observation coupled with the cinematography and other affects made the story appear more like a full blown movie then films that the Church typically produces. If this is the case than I feel like I should judge it the same way I judge a movie that I see at the local theatre. If that is the case then I have to give it a low grade for its lack of character development, thin plot, and low quality cinematography.
- I didn't feel the spirit as strongly as I have in other church films and even as I have felt in secular movies that are currently available. This might be attributed somewhat to the fact that I was making those observations and not focusing on Christ.

While I applaud the church for making an effort to use the media to express certain Gospel truths, I do believe that they would be better served by sharing it directly rather then trying to include it in a fictional story.

Just some thoughts......the church is still true.