Apollo 13 is a patriot can-do America movie that will probably hit a strong emotional nerve at the box office. It tells the familiar story to those of us who lived through that period of the ill fated flight of Apollo 13 which blew out most of its oxygen in space halfway between the earth and the moon and barely made it back to earth. If it were not for the obscenities, profanities and noticeable lack of prayer, it would be a movie that every moral American would love.

THE DISH is an Australian comedy about the small Australian town with one of the two satellite dishes tracking Apollo 11, the first manned flight to land on the moon. THE DISH has a significant amount of light obscenities and lying is a major plot point in one part, but this is a winsome, joyful movie with positive references to God, plus a terrific church scene that includes a sincere prayer at a crucial moment.

Based on a true story, the movie tells how a West Virginia teenager named Homer in 1957 starts building home-made rockets with his friends so that they can eventually win a prize at the state science fair. Homer's father is the major obstacle the "rocket boys" face in their goal to escape the confined world of their mining hometown. The movie's pro-family, moral worldview is marred by more than 30 obscenities and one line of dialogue about teenage premarital sex that is not rebuked.

HIDDEN FIGURES is an engaging, encouraging, uplifting salute to three African-American women who contribute greatly to the 1960s NASA program during the Space Race with Communist Russia. Led by three fantastic actresses, HIDDEN FIGURES is an uplifting movie that exemplifies a positive way to stand with Christian strength and grace in the face of opposition, but caution is advised for older children due to many light obscenities and one strong profanity.

WALL*E, the latest animated feature from Pixar and Walt Disney Pictures, is about a lonely, lovelorn robot who has the key to the future of the human race and earth. If you’ve been waiting for entertainment that would lift you up, carry you to the outer reaches of imagination, inspire you, fill you with love, joy and happiness, and leave you with a great fantastic crescendo, you might want to see WALL*E.

AD ASTRA follows astronaut Roy McBride as he is missioned to uncover the truth behind his father’s disappearance 30 years ago that’s now threatening the safety of the solar system. AD ASTRA captures the audience from beginning to end and contains many positive Christian, biblical elements, but has some strong foul language, some disturbing images and violence. MOVIEGUIDE®, therefore, advises strong or extreme caution, depending on the viewer’s sensitivity to such material.

GRAVITY is an amazing story about two astronauts stranded high above Earth in an adventure plot that puts viewers on the edge of their seats to the very end. GRAVITY is an amazing piece of brilliant filmmaking, with another outstanding performance by Sandra Bullock of THE BLIND SIDE. GRAVITY has a strong moral, redemptive worldview, but there is some foul language and intense, scary scenes of deadly peril.

Twenty years after its initial release in 1977, STAR WARS comes back to the silver screen with a major face lift. George Lucas has given STAR WARS digital sound, some added creatures created with computer animation and even a whole new scene involving Jabba the Hut. Beware, however, that the movie contains action violence and a mystical worldview.

THE MARTIAN stars Matt Damon as an American astronaut accidentally left stranded on Mars, in a tense and surprisingly humorous story about survival in outer space. THE MARTIAN is Director Ridley Scott’s best movie in years, with an exciting finish and a strong Christian worldview, but the middle is too slow at times, and there’s some intense adventure, some humanist elements and a significant amount of foul language, including a couple verbalized “f” words.

 

The “Moondust” episode of THE CROWN follows Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth’s husband, as he marvels at the American astronauts who land and walk on the moon in July 1969. A self-proclaimed adventurer, Philip struggles with aging, his role in the world and a desire to be a man of action. During his long thoughts about life in “Moondust,” Philip comes to terms with his need for faith in God.