Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens
Directed by J.J. Abrams
TheoScope Rating
Worldview · content · moral framework
Plot
30 years after the defeat of Darth Vader and the Empire, Rey, a scavenger from the planet Jakku, finds a BB-8 droid that knows the whereabouts of the long lost Luke Skywalker. Rey, as well as a rogue stormtrooper and two smugglers, are thrown into the middle of a battle between the Resistance and the daunting legions of the First Order.
Discern Score Breakdown
30%
30%
25%
15%
Audience Suitability
Kids
Under 10
Teens
10–17
Adults
18+
Family
Mixed ages
Content Flags
The Force Awakens is a well-crafted blockbuster adventure that affirms heroism, self-sacrifice, and the reality of good and evil in broadly compatible terms with a Christian worldview, though its spirituality is entirely non-theistic. It is best suited for older teens and adults; the death of Han Solo and the emotional intensity of several scenes make it genuinely too heavy for young children despite its fantasy setting.
Pastoral Take
This is a safe and genuinely enjoyable film for older children and teenagers, but parents should be prepared for the emotional weight of Han Solo's death at the hands of his own son — it is not a throwaway action beat but a devastating scene that may land hard on kids who are not expecting it. The Force-as-spirituality is worth a brief conversation: it's not the gospel, but it's also not hostile to it, and the film's themes of calling, courage, and resisting darkness offer real openings for discussing what Christians actually believe about those things. Families with children under 10 should wait a few years; for everyone else, it's a legitimate adventure story that rewards discussion.
Discussion Points
- 1When Finn saw his fellow stormtroopers massacre unarmed villagers on Jakku, he refused to participate — even though he'd been trained his whole life to obey orders without question. What do you think gave him the courage to say no? And can you think of a time when doing the right thing meant going against what everyone around you expected?
- 2Han Solo walked out onto that bridge to try to bring his son Kylo Ren back, even though he knew it was dangerous. Does that scene remind you of anything — maybe the story of the father in Luke 15 who runs toward his lost son? What do you think the Bible says about that kind of love, and do you think Han's love for Ben was wasted even though it didn't turn out the way he hoped?
- 3Rey keeps waiting on Jakku for parents who never come back, and Maz Kanata tells her the belonging she's looking for isn't behind her — it's ahead. Where do you think our real sense of home and identity comes from? Does the Bible say anything about where we find out who we truly are?
- 4The First Order doesn't just want to win battles — they want people to be afraid, to feel small, and to believe resistance is hopeless. Why do you think evil so often tries to make people feel powerless? And what does it take — in the movie and in real life — for ordinary people to resist something that powerful?
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Where to Watch
Cast
Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac
Community Reviews
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