Brigham Young would be rolling in his grave

In the beginning, there was a void of nothingness.

Then there was Richard Dutcher, and God's Army was born.

God's Army was the first LDS movie to be made for commercial purposes. It follows the story of a missionary in the field who has no real reason or purpose for being there, but eventually finds it as he continues through his service. It received the entire spectrum of emotions - some people hated it, others loved it. I thought it was somewhere in the middle. I didn't feel it was a complete waste of time, but I didn't think it really deserved any Oscars, either.

However, the idea was revolutionary. A movie made for a specific LDS audience? Soon, the market was saturated, first with The Other Side of Heaven and the comedy Singles Ward, with more to follow.

LDS movies receive a mixed emotion from me.

For the most part, they are like a really bad car accident; I know I shouldn't look, but the sheer morbid curiosity gets the better of me and I crane my neck to see a scene of horrifying carnage and twisted metal. Most of the movies are mediocore at best, terrible and even somewhat offensive at their worst. Still, others are actually very well-made, such as The Best Two Years (many of them seem to deal with the missionary, the physical manifestation of the Church most people often see). However, I have not really seen many to really judge the market as a whole.

However, the Harold B. Lee Library is showing a slew of LDS films this month, and so I came up with a brilliant idea. What if I went out and watched them and reviewed them? That way, I would fulfil my morbid curiousity. It would definitely provide some kind of entertainment and in the end, I just may find a good movie or two.

So stay in touch, as I delve into the controversial world of LDS movies. Either way, it will be interesting as this drama unfolds.