All Rise...

Judge David Johnson discovered the Holy Grail in his backyard. He sold it at a yard sale for $9.

The Charge

Has the Holy Grail been in America all along?

The Case

Probably not.

The History Channel turns its analytic talents and slick video production to a far-fetched theory: The Templars (yep, these guys again) may have plowed through Minnesota in the 14th century and left behind Jesus Christ's cup. Or something like that. There's an awful lot of theorizing and speculation to sift through with this disc, making it a tasty cornucopia of mythology and conspiratorial shenanigans for fans of this kind of stuff.

The premise is rooted in a rune allegedly discovered in 1898. According to Wikipedia, this discovery has been near universally considered a hoax, but the History Channel is so into it we'll let that slide. From there, we head into all sorts of wacky territory, like the Oak Island Money Pit, the Templar ruins in Europe, the origins of Freemasonry, and finally to Washington DC, which may or may not have used the power of the Grail to lay out its city plan.

There's a lot to chew on, and History Channel employs its usual playbook: some reenactment footage (mainly featuring bored guys in Templar costumes walking in slow motion), interviews with experts who stand in front of bookcases and microscopes, and animated maps. It's all very slick and really sort of interesting. Am I persuaded that somewhere in flyover country, the Holy Grail is sitting in a cave or lockbox? Nah. I don't even think the Holy Grail exists. But I have to cough up some credit to the History Channel: they don't pull any punches in trying to build a case.

Not much happening with the DVD: 1.78:1 letterboxed (fake widescreen), 2.0 stereo, and no extras.

The Verdict

Holy Grail in America is well-produced, but I'm not buying any of it.

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