A Wrinkle in Time Christian Movie Review (2018)

Guidance: Talk Together

This is a family fantasy with mild PG-level peril, bullying, and a few frightening moments. Christian families may want to talk through its spiritual language about light, darkness, and inner power, since the film’s message is more mystical than explicitly Christian.

Why This Guidance Level

This film sits in a middle zone for Christian families. The content is mostly PG-level fantasy peril, bullying, and a few frightening scenes, but the bigger issue is the worldview: the story speaks often about light, darkness, and inner strength in a way that feels spiritual without being anchored in Christ. Families who are comfortable with fantasy adventure may still want to pause and talk afterward about what the film says love can do, and how that compares with Christian hope in Jesus.

Faith & Worldview Perspective

The movie celebrates love, family, courage, and the dignity of a child who feels overlooked. It also presents a spiritual battle in broad mystical terms, where light and personal resolve carry the weight that Christian families may expect to belong to God’s grace and the hope found in Christ.

Truths Reflected

• Love and family bonds matter deeply
• Courage and perseverance can help children face fear

Tensions to Discuss

• The film frames victory over darkness through vague cosmic spirituality rather than through God’s truth and the hope found in Jesus Christ
• It treats inner power and self-belief as central answers, which can blur the difference between human strength and dependence on God

Content & Discernment Markers

Occult & Spiritual Content

• The film’s spiritual language centers on mysterious guides, tesseracts, good thoughts, and a battle between light and darkness. Mrs. Whatsit and the others speak in a mystical register, and the story treats unseen forces as part of the adventure. Parents may want to discuss how this differs from prayer, God’s authority, and Christian hope in Christ.

Sexuality & Relationships

• Romantic content stays light. There are a few marital kisses, some hand-holding, and a warm hug between young teens, but nothing that drives the film.

Identity Themes

• Meg is repeatedly told she is a mess, odd, or aggressive, yet the film pushes back by stressing that she has more potential than others see. The story encourages children to value themselves and their gifts, though it also leans hard on self-definition and inner strength. Parents may want to discuss identity as something received from God, not just discovered within ourselves.

Violence & Intensity

• The film includes school conflict, a girl hitting a classmate in the face with a ball after cruel comments, and fantasy danger where children are dragged by darkness, nearly fall to their deaths, or are hurt through telekinesis. The peril is stylized but real enough to unsettle younger viewers.

Language & Humour

• Language is mild overall, but parents will notice sharp schoolyard cruelty and a few blunt phrases such as “Shut up,” “mess,” “crazy,” and “I see why your dad left.” The words matter more for their emotional sting than for profanity.

Other Content Notes

• The film strongly emphasizes love, belonging, and family reunion, especially in lines like “Love is always there” and “we’ll all love each other.” Those are warm themes, but they sit alongside a story about absence, grief, and a father who has been gone for years.

Notable Moments

• Love and belonging: The film pauses to affirm that love remains present even when it is not felt, and that family can still be held together across loss.

  “Love is always there. Even if you don’t feel it… it’s always there for you.”

• School cruelty: Meg is mocked for her family situation and emotional struggles, and the scene shows how quickly hurtful speech can deepen shame and anger.

  “I see why your dad left.”

• Mystical guidance: The strange visitors introduce the film’s spiritual framework, speaking about good thoughts, frequency, and a hidden cosmic struggle.

  “Think good thoughts.”

Discussion Prompts

• Love and hope: What does the movie say love can do when people feel lost or afraid?
  • Biblical guidance: The film’s warmth about love is worth affirming, while also remembering that Christian hope is rooted in God’s love shown in Jesus Christ, not just in positive feelings.
  • Scripture: Romans 8:38-39, 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
• Light and darkness: How does the movie describe fighting darkness, and how is that different from the way the Bible talks about God’s light?
  • Biblical guidance: The story uses mystical language about light and inner power; parents can point children toward Christ as the true light who overcomes darkness.
  • Scripture: John 1:5, John 8:12, Ephesians 5:8
• Words that wound: Why do the cruel comments in the school scenes hurt so much, and how should Christians speak to people who are struggling?
  • Biblical guidance: The film shows the damage of mocking and shame, which fits the Bible’s call to use words that build up rather than tear down.
  • Scripture: Ephesians 4:29, James 3:9-10
• Identity and worth: What gives Meg value in the story, and where should a Christian look for identity and worth?
  • Biblical guidance: The movie leans on self-belief, but Scripture teaches that our worth is given by God and secured in Christ.
  • Scripture: Psalm 139:13-14, 2 Corinthians 5:17