I had heard the reviews and listened to the numerous fast Sunday testimonies about the movie Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration. “It’s so good,” everyone told me. “You have to see it!”

Well, last Saturday I did. And yes, the movie was good, it was spiritual and inspiring — the reviews were correct — however, it wasn’t what I had expected it to be. The movie was something more.

Going into the movie I was anticipating a slowly progressive plot, something that built itself up through a gradual narration. Instead, I was treated to a spiritual buffet of different events taken from the prophet’s life.

Scenes moved quickly through a fast-paced time line. Each event depicted from the prophet’s life jumped swiftly to the next. It was like remembering all the many stories I’d ever heard of Joseph Smith and then seeing them come to life right in front of me.

On my way back from Idaho Falls, I reflected a little bit on this. The movie had something in it that was strangely familiar. That’s when the neon yellow light lit up inside my head; perhaps the reason for all the many different scenes wasn’t artistic effect, but for missionary use.

How many times on our missions did we show quick segments of church movies to point out some gospel principal or answer a specific doubt investigators had. The best movies were the ones that got to the point and didn’t take too much time.

Movies like Legacy were wonderful, but it’s difficult to fit an hour and a half into a busy schedule. Well, imagine how great it would be to illustrate the teachings of Joseph Smith or the restoration with a few quick segments of this movie.

Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration allows this to be possible. All missionaries would need to do is skip to the scenes they wanted and presto — instant gospel clarity.

This movie has the power to be a spiritual adventure and missionary tool all in one. What better way to celebrate the restoration than through missionary work. The potential is definitely there.