Back in 2003, if you were a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you probably remember the hype. It was everywhere. People were talking about it in the halls of churches from Provo to Orlando. After decades of "what if" scenarios and Sunday afternoon daydreams, someone finally did it. They actually made a big-screen adaptation of the scripture. But looking back at The Book of Mormon Movie Volume 1 The Journey, the reality of the film is a lot more complicated than the nostalgic memories (or the brutal reviews) suggest.
Honestly, it’s a bit of a wild story.
You’ve got a director, Gary Rogers, who basically sold his video production company to fund a dream. He wasn't some Hollywood hotshot. He was a guy with a vision and about $2 million—which sounds like a lot until you realize he was trying to film an ancient epic. To put that in perspective, the average blockbuster at the time was pushing $60 million. Rogers was trying to do the same thing with pocket change and a lot of volunteers.
The Epic That Almost Was
When we talk about The Book of Mormon Movie Volume 1 The Journey, you have to understand the sheer scale of the ambition. This wasn't just supposed to be a one-off movie. The original plan? Nine volumes. Nine!
Rogers wanted to cover the entire span of the book, from 600 B.C. to 421 A.D. Volume 1 was just the appetizer. It followed the prophet Lehi and his family as they fled Jerusalem, wandered through the Arabian desert, built a ship, and eventually hit the shores of the Americas.
Where They Actually Filmed
A lot of people think the whole thing was shot in a backyard in Utah. Not quite. While a good chunk of the "wilderness" was actually Green River and Ogden, Utah, they did some legwork.
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- Hawaii: Used for the tropical "Promised Land" scenes.
- Hollywood Soundstages: For the more controlled interior shots.
- California Deserts: To mimic the harsh Arabian landscape.
There’s this funny bit of trivia that Rogers once joked about Tom Cruise or Jack Nicholson playing the lead roles. He eventually decided against "celebrity baggage," which is a polite way of saying the budget couldn't handle a $20 million salary for Nephi. Instead, we got Noah Danby. He was tall, muscular, and looked the part of a man who could "molten rock" to make tools.
Why the Critics Weren't Kind
If you check Rotten Tomatoes or old Variety reviews, the consensus is... well, it’s rough. "Tediously earnest as a Sunday sermon" was one of the kinder descriptions.
The movie has a PG-13 rating, mostly because Nephi has to decapitate Laban early on to get the brass plates. It’s a pivotal scriptural moment, and the film didn't shy away from the blood. But for many viewers, the pacing was the real killer. The script, co-written by Rogers and Craig Clyde, tried so hard to be faithful to the text that it sometimes forgot to be a movie.
Characters would stand around in the desert and recite long blocks of scripture. In a chapel, that’s inspiring. In a dark theater with a $10 bucket of popcorn, it feels long.
The Dialogue Dilemma
The movie suffered from what I call "Thee and Thou Syndrome." Characters would jump between King James-style English ("I know not") and weirdly modern slang ("You're always spoiling our fun!"). It created this strange tonal whiplash. One minute you're in ancient Israel; the next, it feels like a 2003 high school drama with better costumes.
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The Box Office Reality
Despite the reviews, The Book of Mormon Movie Volume 1 The Journey actually did okay for a niche religious film. It opened in about 29 theaters and eventually grossed around $1.68 million. In the world of "LDS Cinema"—a genre that peaked in the early 2000s with hits like The Singles Ward and God's Army—that’s actually the fourth highest-grossing film of its kind.
But "okay" wasn't enough to fund Volume 2.
The dream of a nine-part series died fairly quickly. Investors wanted to see their money back, and while the film didn't "flop" in the traditional sense, it didn't generate the massive surplus needed to go back into production for the next 600 years of Nephite history.
What Most People Get Wrong Today
Nowadays, if you search for "Book of Mormon Movie," you’re likely to find the Church’s official Book of Mormon Videos on YouTube or the famous Broadway musical. It's important to keep them separate.
- It’s not the musical: Matt Stone and Trey Parker have nothing to do with this. There are no tap-dancing missionaries here.
- It’s not "Official": The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints didn't produce or endorse this. It was a private venture by Timpanogos Research Group.
- The "Lost" Sequels: People often ask where Volume 2 is. It doesn't exist. There were plans, scripts, and even some early buzz, but the series ended at the seashore.
Does It Still Matter?
Is it a cinematic masterpiece? No. Is it a fascinating time capsule? Absolutely.
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For a certain generation, The Book of Mormon Movie Volume 1 The Journey represents a specific moment when Mormon culture was trying to find its voice in the mainstream media. It showed that there was a massive hunger for these stories, even if the execution didn't quite land the jump.
If you're going to watch it today, go in with realistic expectations. It’s earnest. It’s low-budget. It’s got some questionable wigs. But it also has a strange, sincere charm. It was a "miracle" that it even got made, considering Gary Rogers was essentially learning how to direct a feature film while he was on set.
Actionable Insights for the Curious
- Check the Used Bins: The DVD is still floating around on eBay and Amazon for a few bucks if you want to see the 2003-era CGI for yourself.
- Compare the Versions: If you want to see how far religious filmmaking has come, watch this side-by-side with the Church's 2019 Book of Mormon Videos. The difference in production value is staggering.
- Look for the Cameos: Keep an eye out for local Utah actors like Kirby Heyborne and Bryce Chamberlain. For fans of the "Mormon Cinema" era, it's like a game of Where's Waldo.
Ultimately, the movie serves as a reminder that telling "epic" stories requires more than just faith—it requires a massive infrastructure that just wasn't there in 2003. It remains a singular, weird, and incredibly ambitious piece of independent filmmaking that tried to reach for the stars on a Green River budget.
To see how the production design of this film influenced later religious media, you can look into the construction of the Jerusalem movie set in Goshen, Utah, which was built years later to solve the exact "desert" problems Gary Rogers faced.