The Oath movie review

MOVIE TITLE: The Oath

This action movie is now playing in theaters.

RATING: PG-13

LENGTH: 1 hour 44 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: C

IN A NUTSHELL:

The film was directed by Darin Scott, who also produced the movie and starred in it. The writers were Darin Scott and Michelle Scott.

The story takes place in Ancient America around 400 A.D. A lone Hebraic fugitive of a people called the Nephites must preserve the history of his fallen nation while being hunted by a ruthless tyrant. Rescuing the King’s abused mistress awakens the warrior’s past.

The story takes fictional liberties with historical events that are documented in the Book of Mormon, which is a record of Ancient America beginning 600 A.D. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ will immediately recognize who the featured man is and what he’s doing at the beginning of the film. Others might be confused about the story that’s being told because not everything is explained well. Unfortunately, most of the movie does not depict true events.

THINGS I LIKED:

The cast members did a great job and include Billy Zane, Darin Scott, Eugene Brave Rock, Karina Lombard, and others.
At the end of the film, we read some information on the screen. We learn that the plates that Moroni buried in the ground were found and translated into English. The book was published in 1830 and is considered the 4^th “most influential book” in American literature, as stated by the U.S. Library of Congress. That book contains the record of civilizations that lived on the American continent for centuries. It’s called The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

I REALLY wanted this movie to be good…epic even. It’s just not.
There are quite a few slow-motion flashbacks that might confuse viewers because we aren’t given the full story about what happened in the past. The editing is especially choppy in those moments.
The film assumes you already know the history and story.
The music in the background was often louder than the voice track, making it hard to hear what was said. Don’t get me wrong; the soundtrack is lovely, just overbearing through most of the film.
The color correction of the movie makes MANY of the scenes visually dark, which will make viewing difficult if you watch this on a small device once it goes to streaming.
It’s not entirely clear what is contained in the plates the protagonist tries to protect.
The Book of Mormon’s focus is on Jesus Christ as the savior of the world, yet this movie doesn’t talk about Jesus that much. The real story of Moroni is fascinating, but what this movie gives us is a fictional love story that doesn’t even exist in the Book of Mormon.
Most of the scenes are very slow with characters pondering or staring off into the sunset. There isn’t much action until the end of Act 3. Some viewers will be bored, waiting for something to “happen.”
It’s assumed that the audience will root for Moroni, yet we aren’t given much information about him and how he was a prophet or a warrior.
One of the characters kept slipping in and out of what sounded like an Irish accent. What the heck?
There are some very bad acting moments.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Kids will be very bored. So will some adults.
A man is violent with a woman.
The language bounces from English to subtitles in random ways.
Bloodless violence, but we see blood when someone is killed.
Romantic affection, but no scenes of intimacy
An important character dies.
We see an attempt at some brutal deaths, but we’re spared from having to watch the actual ordeal.