Gods and Generals, adapted from the book by Jeff Sharra, and the second part of a trilogy by Ted Turner, is about many things. Key among them: How Not To Make a Film – layer it with religious hyperbole at every turn so the message of the tragic conflict between the North and South gets defused; How To Make An Audience Snooze – make your extras who litter the bloody battlefields as stiff as ironing boards and as unbelievable as Saddam Hussein surrendering; and How To Make Your Audience Walk Out – make your film 3 hours and 40 minutes long.

True, the Civil War era was a time of great religious conviction, a time when God-fearing people of both the North and the South ruled their households with Bible in hand. God and country were intertwined back then. But movie audiences of today live in a much different world. About 30 minutes into this extremely long saga, one begins to suspect that Gods and Generals may have been made by Billy Graham rather than by Ted Turner. There’s a prayer at every turn, and in scenes like the one showing Stonewall Jackson (Stephen Lang) on a battlefield thanking God for his mercy as soldiers are blown to bits by cannon balls, the need for a good editor is certainly apparent. The lack of such important elements as a tight story with succinct writing, great action that doesn’t deflate, and more profiled talent will quickly be recognized by most moviegoers.

Even fine actor Robert Duvall as General Lee is a let-down. A real-life heir to Lee, Duvall’s sedated performance adds little weight to the story or drama to his ancestor’s great challenge.

Lang certainly fits the profile of Jackson, but again, another cardboard performance. He never offers the viewer any insight into his motivations.

Jeff Daniels as the Union’s Lt. Col. Chamberlain, too, fails to project the excitement of earlier performances. Perhaps it’s the direction by Ronald Maxwell or the overburdened script or frankly, the enormous amount of time these actors must have spent to shoot the film – that result in a less than satisfactory effort. This one will be on video or TV quicker than you can say, "Amen."

(Released by Warner Bros. and rated "PG-13" for sustained battle sequences.)