The Story Fanatic: A Darn Good Series of Films

It's no secret that I'm hard on what I call "Mormon art."

I've written blog posts about it. I think that it's way too easy when you have a niche group like members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to start to write lazily, using cliches and tropes instead of fresh writing. It leads to the kind of art that is just...bad, but so full of heartwarming, doctrinal, and, honestly, sappy statements and ideas that everyone just ignores the writing.

Not that there's anything inherently bad about the heartwarming, doctrinal messages. If people need to hear those things, then great. I just want them to be housed in good writing, good art. Why? A number of reasons. I think good art makes the messages stronger, and I am also embarrassed when art comes out by people from my church that is just not great. We can do so much better, and it's lazy not to try.

Ergo, I'm hard on "Mormon art." We should be better and do better.

Good news today: we are.

Guys, we need to talk about the Book of Mormon videos that the Church is putting out right now.

(Here's the first one.)

A few years back, the Church rolled out some videos based on the New Testament. And they were good. Now, they've been releasing videos based on the Book of Mormon.

For those of you wondering, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes that the Book of Mormon is holy scripture just like the Bible, and is, in fact, a companion to the Bible. It's the record of the ancient American people and is another testament of Jesus Christ. It's meant to clarify and support the truths of the Bible and clear up errors accrued over time through false tradition and misunderstanding. I have read it, and I believe for myself that it is a book full of light and truth.

So, obviously, I'm excited to see movies based on it, and I was apprehensive that they would be bad. Someone already made a movie based on part of the Book of Mormon and it's widely known to be awful. (No link for you -- it's not worth it.)

When I started watching these videos, I was pleased. They are well-made and well-acted, and they're true to the Book of Mormon events and doctrine. Remember, these are made by the Church, so they have the purpose to dramatize the scriptures, especially the doctrinal messages. That's where the focus is.

But they also tell a good story. They breathe life into the scriptures and remind you that these stories are about real people, in a real family, who behave like real humans. The heroes are not caricatures of themselves or over-glorified, while still shown to be good people. That's one of my favorite traits of religious movies like The Prince of Egypt and The Nativity Story, so I'm already on board.

The story right now is a bit of a family drama. It's worth a watch, especially if you've ever been curious about what the Book of Mormon is, since this is such an acceptable and accessible way to find out. And, the values and messages are good, of course. The videos upload every Friday on YouTube or on the Church website, and I've been following them as actively as I follow the other shows I fangirl over. Seriously, I'm pleased with the quality here.

We need more good art in the world, especially when that art is about good stories (and the Book of Mormon is a really good story and complex literature, beyond being scripture; I can say that without bias) and is made to add a little more light and hope into the world. Here's the most recent (to this day of posting) video: