If you like Templar lore, then it's not bad. The acting/actors is pretty bad. My how Eric Estrada has aged. I had nothing better to do so I stayed with it just to see what happened. I liked the overall concept of the story. Would have made a pretty good movie with a bigger budget. Instead of "The End" we get "To be continued". I'd like to see where the story goes. I hope they made enough money to do a better job next time. Eric playing De Molay wasn't bad, the rest of the cast was pretty bad, the attempt at humor was awful. They could have at least coached the native American to at least kinda sound native. Nice try, but put more effort in the next one...if there is one.
11 Reviews
Could have been better
catrose1526 May 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Stiff acting ruined a solid story.
The story itself is the usual treasure hunt, been there done that. Not much of an intro, it just jumps into the plot. And the acting was painful to watch most of the time, other than the one Native American guy who had decent delivery.
But it had a nice mystery, a treasure hunt, and the line "I'm the original homeland security" - that was a perfectly delivered line.
It being filmed somewhere that looks like Utah - at least the backdrop was gorgeous. And no cgi car chases was kind of a nice change. The camera work on the first truck/dirt bike chase was a little over done, but the realism of the bike going over the terrain was fun.
Overall, it could have been better. Definitely never watching it again. But not the worst movie I've ever seen.
The story itself is the usual treasure hunt, been there done that. Not much of an intro, it just jumps into the plot. And the acting was painful to watch most of the time, other than the one Native American guy who had decent delivery.
But it had a nice mystery, a treasure hunt, and the line "I'm the original homeland security" - that was a perfectly delivered line.
It being filmed somewhere that looks like Utah - at least the backdrop was gorgeous. And no cgi car chases was kind of a nice change. The camera work on the first truck/dirt bike chase was a little over done, but the realism of the bike going over the terrain was fun.
Overall, it could have been better. Definitely never watching it again. But not the worst movie I've ever seen.
Mormons as Templars
bkoganbing6 January 2014
Richard Dutcher who did some good films regarding contemporary Mormon life came up very short with Templar Nation which was his effort to imitate the two National Treasure films.
According to this movie we should forget what we learned there about the Knights Templar and how they survived in secret and left an enormous treasure in the bowels of lower Manhattan. What really happened is that they made it all the way out to Utah and set up shop there after making an alliance with the local Indians.
What I was expecting and it didn't happen was that this would be an explanation for the lack of archaeological evidence for Joseph Smith's vision about a civilization that disappeared in North America. Something the LDS church has been very weak on. But Dutcher did not give us that.
What he did give us was a vision of what and how a Mitt Romney could capture the presidency. Mormons in fact can be Templars and can make the best ones.
All this is laced with Dutcher as father having a lot of issues with son Joseph James as they go on the dig for the Templar treasure. And of course those people who forced the Templars underground in medieval times are still on the hunt for them. They're Catholics you know.
Dutcher came up very short with this LDS ripoff of National Treasure.
According to this movie we should forget what we learned there about the Knights Templar and how they survived in secret and left an enormous treasure in the bowels of lower Manhattan. What really happened is that they made it all the way out to Utah and set up shop there after making an alliance with the local Indians.
What I was expecting and it didn't happen was that this would be an explanation for the lack of archaeological evidence for Joseph Smith's vision about a civilization that disappeared in North America. Something the LDS church has been very weak on. But Dutcher did not give us that.
What he did give us was a vision of what and how a Mitt Romney could capture the presidency. Mormons in fact can be Templars and can make the best ones.
All this is laced with Dutcher as father having a lot of issues with son Joseph James as they go on the dig for the Templar treasure. And of course those people who forced the Templars underground in medieval times are still on the hunt for them. They're Catholics you know.
Dutcher came up very short with this LDS ripoff of National Treasure.
Horrible!
dwsweeps26 September 2013
I checked IMDb before I started to watch this movie, the rating was 5.9, seriously? This is the worst movie I have ever seen.
I have to be honest. I watch a lot of Syfy and that being said I know bad movie. Face it Syfy original movies are some of the worst out there.
The only good thing about this movie is that they only wasted $300,000 to make it. Where they spent that much I have no idea, there's no FX, fighting choreography is lousy, maybe that was Eric Estrada's salary.
The dialog is absolutely horrific even if they had a decent actor to deliver it.
I have seen grade school plays with more believable acting.
It may have been a decent storyline, but quite frankly, I couldn't make it through the first half of the movie.
I just hate it that I wasted and hour of my life watching this drivel. You have been warned, don't waste your time.
I have to be honest. I watch a lot of Syfy and that being said I know bad movie. Face it Syfy original movies are some of the worst out there.
The only good thing about this movie is that they only wasted $300,000 to make it. Where they spent that much I have no idea, there's no FX, fighting choreography is lousy, maybe that was Eric Estrada's salary.
The dialog is absolutely horrific even if they had a decent actor to deliver it.
I have seen grade school plays with more believable acting.
It may have been a decent storyline, but quite frankly, I couldn't make it through the first half of the movie.
I just hate it that I wasted and hour of my life watching this drivel. You have been warned, don't waste your time.
Do not waste your time, as I did with mine...
johan_rubertsson28 September 2013
I usually like these kinds of films which plays on the mysteries surrounding the knights templar. I also like to think that I tend to accept many fallacies in films, as long as the concept and the movies as a whole is good. This movie, however, is horrible. I am sorry, but it really is. The plot is idiotic, where it is really hard to accept the arguments presented as the movie progresses. The acting is stiff and ill-performed by mediocre actors at best.
I watched the whole movie just because I love the knights templar and I wanted to know what the treasure at the end would turn out to be. BIG mistake, I want my time wasted back. Most stupid ending in a long time.
If you still choose to watch this movie after reading my review, do so at your own peril.
I watched the whole movie just because I love the knights templar and I wanted to know what the treasure at the end would turn out to be. BIG mistake, I want my time wasted back. Most stupid ending in a long time.
If you still choose to watch this movie after reading my review, do so at your own peril.
Shoot me, Just Shoot me NOW!
lani70229 October 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Oh m god!!!!! Okay normally in fact 99% I don't listen to others, though I do like to speed over some reviews just to get an idea. I am usually Very, VERY , VERRRRYYYY easy in liking movies and try to see it for what it is. Well I sure as heck saw this one as TERRIBLE for what it was that's for sure!!! Not once have I actually agreed with viewers or the majority of them when they've said it's a bad or horrible movie, but in this case, They were right!!! THough even if I believed people I still like to experience things for myself. This has the WORSE acting EVER!!! Oh my god, Erik Estrada would have been better off doing local Liquor commercials in Vegas like Dan Akroyd or car dealership cheezy commercials. This was so bad I had to mute it when it came to many parts. And the ending when they are finding out everything, the Native American guy who cracks the wise joke about not only building casinos was just Awful!!! I felt so bad for HOW BAD, they were!!! I sure as heck don't see any future stars coming out of here. I'm mean I've seen cheezy movies buy bigs stars now, but not CRAPPY AND bad like this. I literally have day nightmares thinking about this. I mean it's one movie I'll remember that's for sure, so if that's what they were trying to do, then they succeeded. I made a home made project at 15 yrs old with olds school big video camera and let me tell you THAT was an A movie compared to this one. This movie doesn't even make the D list cut. It's SOOOOOO bad that no alphabet should be assigned to it. I say burn the copies and any evidence of it!!! ALL OF IT!!!!
Dreadful
homergmc28 September 2013
This is surely the front-runner for worst picture ever made. The storyline appears to have been concocted by a five-year old on lsd and as for the cast.. the actors guild should investigate how they ever got cards,an amateur church play would have provided a better performance. The sets looked as if they had been made with gaffer tape,cardboard and crayons and would have been better suited to a pre school television show. The action??? Scenes were laughable and disjointed and would not have been out of place in a school playground. How this managed a rating of 4.1 I do not know unless the cast were rating it. A total of 38 ratings and not one review come on. I really wish I could find something positive to say but unfortunately there is nothing. At the end it says "to be continued"I sincerely hope not. Low budget should not mean poor value
NUMBER 9, NUMBER 9, NUMBER 9
nogodnomasters21 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
This is a story for those who like conspiracy theories. The Nicolas Cage version was slightly better. In this film Alfred (Erik Estrada) who has "knowledge of many things" gets killed by a man of a secret order. We know the order is secret because the man wears a hooded robe with a triple cross on it. His friend William (Richard Dutcher) leads a dig in the desert which leads to a remarkable find, one you might be able to figure out from the title. While the killing is a mystery, those of us who spent their childhood watching Shaggy figure things out, should have no problem with a single suspect killing.
The skull prop was fake looking. I haven't seen teeth that white when bleached. The plot has hokey. The dialogue was a joke. The acting was extremely bad. Paul Pugmire couldn't deliver a line, and David Matochief Anderson didn't know what to do with his ridiculous lines. They plan on doing a sequel unless we can quickly repeal the first amendment and stop them.
It is overrated at PG-13 too. If you liked this film, many in this group also were part of "The Masonic Map" (2011) written by Joseph James who horribly played Robert in this film. James is 32 degree Mason and level 18 Wizard. This seems to be part of a group of films coming out of Salt Lake City.
The skull prop was fake looking. I haven't seen teeth that white when bleached. The plot has hokey. The dialogue was a joke. The acting was extremely bad. Paul Pugmire couldn't deliver a line, and David Matochief Anderson didn't know what to do with his ridiculous lines. They plan on doing a sequel unless we can quickly repeal the first amendment and stop them.
It is overrated at PG-13 too. If you liked this film, many in this group also were part of "The Masonic Map" (2011) written by Joseph James who horribly played Robert in this film. James is 32 degree Mason and level 18 Wizard. This seems to be part of a group of films coming out of Salt Lake City.
Fun, low-budget flick
sjames101217 March 2020
I've read several of the reviews here and frankly, they are just coming into this with the wrong expectations. The story is original and while simple, still captivating. Considering that there are really 3 top bill actors in the film, the casting was not bad at all. The humor was a little camp but charming nonetheless. People complain about the FX and props, seemingly not knowing that this film was made for 300k. This is not a blockbuster with a premier budget and years of professional workers behind it, it is a passion project that fulfills what it promises to: deliver an original story laced with humor and a little action. For those expecting Hollywood-level production, this film may seem disappointing. But if you want a fun movie that doesn't take itself too seriously and delivers an entertaining experience, Templar Nation delivers.
Good entertainment in a cheap mask.
bjoernaeschlimann6 October 2013
Templar Nation
I really like the story from the beginning to the end, it takes a couple of twists and turns. Don't expect to much it is a 300'000$ movie which is easy to watch I don't even know if it's based on real myths or just made up probably the later one.
The only real minus about this movie are the special effects and somewhat bad fighting scenes.
The plus is that it could easily be you or me in this movie and it makes it more lively and appealing because you want to be part of it.
It is a movie to relax, sit back and enjoy without having to think to much.
I really like the story from the beginning to the end, it takes a couple of twists and turns. Don't expect to much it is a 300'000$ movie which is easy to watch I don't even know if it's based on real myths or just made up probably the later one.
The only real minus about this movie are the special effects and somewhat bad fighting scenes.
The plus is that it could easily be you or me in this movie and it makes it more lively and appealing because you want to be part of it.
It is a movie to relax, sit back and enjoy without having to think to much.
Not the best, yet not the worse
terrynsue21 January 2020
So I watched this movie after a discussion with my family about the Knights Templar and it got me in the mood to watch a movie about the Templar and this one came up.
I will put it out front that yes the acting is sub par, the FX are non-existent, and the choreography was lousy but here is the thing, the value was right up my alley - FREE on Vudu.
The story line actually held a great potential and I feel that if more money could have been invested it would have been a great movie, NOT ACADEMY AWARD great but at least one that would have been memorable.
I does hurt my feelings when I see so many people give this movie 1/10 stars. Somebody did say that they know bad because they have seen many made for SyFy movies and this was made them look good, I disagree. I felt that this was on the same caliber as many of the SyFy movies.
Ultimately, I give is a soft 6 stars based up a good story and the continuously moving story. Many people will disagree with me and that is fine I just feel that the movie should be given a shot, just don't expect big Hollywood effects.
I will put it out front that yes the acting is sub par, the FX are non-existent, and the choreography was lousy but here is the thing, the value was right up my alley - FREE on Vudu.
The story line actually held a great potential and I feel that if more money could have been invested it would have been a great movie, NOT ACADEMY AWARD great but at least one that would have been memorable.
I does hurt my feelings when I see so many people give this movie 1/10 stars. Somebody did say that they know bad because they have seen many made for SyFy movies and this was made them look good, I disagree. I felt that this was on the same caliber as many of the SyFy movies.
Ultimately, I give is a soft 6 stars based up a good story and the continuously moving story. Many people will disagree with me and that is fine I just feel that the movie should be given a shot, just don't expect big Hollywood effects.
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