"The Seattle Times" added that "the film is intended as a propaganda piece for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but the messages are very subtle, and the movie does have a place in the new WWII genre," and is "appropriate for mainstream audiences." Furthermore, scholar Travis T. Anderson, affirmed that films made by LDS filmmakers such as "Saints and Soldiers" and "Napoleon Dynamite" can still develop "widespread attention" or "critical acclaim". He continued by stating that neither appeals to an exclusively LDS audience nor alienates non-LDS audiences. Moreover, scholar Terryl Givens argued that "Saints and Soldiers" can be interpreted specifically or universally. Givens claimed that the screenwriting created a film which is authentically Mormon yet reaches to a myriad of audiences. Although ties to Mormonism in the film have been criticized by some, Gideon O. Burton called the film, "among the most-praised films of the Fifth Wave Mormon cinema to date".