MOONRISE KINGDOM
Quirky characters learning love.
Should You Watch It?
Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom is an entertaining, well-done film about two troubled preteen children who bond, fall in love, and run away together. Its excellent character development gives the movie emotional weight, while its quirky style and irony make difficult situations comical and observant.
The movie portrays broken people with sympathy. Many characters are depressed or struggling with something negative, yet they are trying to piece their lives together. The film includes church scenes and ultimately moves many characters toward the right decision, but its worldview remains mixed and ironic.
The content calls for discernment, especially for younger viewers. Older teenagers and adults who can engage its troubled material thoughtfully should find this a worthwhile trip.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESSam is an orphan living at a wilderness camp. Suzy is a depressed young girl who feels disconnected from her family. After meeting during a church production of Noah’s Ark and becoming pen pals, the two decide to leave their normal lives behind and go hiking together.
When they go missing, the Camp Director leads the campers in search of them. Their families, a police officer, and a scout master warden also become involved.
Is It Any Good?
Four stars means this is an excellent, highly entertaining film. The character development drives the movie, giving its troubled people depth while making their situations appealing and often funny.
Anderson’s distinctive tone also strengthens the experience. Faded colors create a nostalgic atmosphere, while the quirky sets shape the movie’s look and feel. The result is a comical, observant film that brings its unusual characters together effectively.
The Worldview
Moonrise Kingdom has a mixed worldview. It includes church scenes and Christian, redemptive, and moral elements, but its overall approach is ironic. The film presents broken people who are depressed or dealing with negative circumstances, each trying to piece together life in some way.
The movie exalts love, compassion for troubled people, moral choices, and sacrifice. It also presents church as meaningful through its imagery and settings. At the same time, the story’s romantic elements, pagan influences, and ironic treatment of brokenness depart from a fully biblical view. The spiritual tone and connotations of Leonard Cohen’s famous sarcastic song “Hallelujah” are important at a major climactic moment.
Still, many characters eventually make the right decision. The film’s longing for love and restoration echoes Scripture’s call to love: “Love is patient and kind” (1 Corinthians 13:4).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
Mixed pagan worldview with Romantic elements and Christian, redemptive, and moral elements, including a wedding in a church with a cross, a Bible, a pastor, sacrifice, a subtle prayer, a church is the shelter for the town during a storm, and children appear in church play about Noah’s Ark; three obscenities and three strong profanities; strong violence includes girl hurts herself by punching a mirror with wounds shown and mentioned but action not shown, boy hits other boys, young boy threatens with knife and sword, girl stabs boy in the back, boy pierces girl’s ear, man throws things at another man, boy is struck by lighting; young boy and girl kiss and touch each other, adulterous affair mentioned but stopped, crude commentary; upper male nudity, boy paints a picture of a nude girl, girl in underwear; drinking and drunkenness; smoking and no drug use; and, stealing, lying, dysfunctional family dynamics, main character is an orphan and the police officer sacrifices for him, young girl deals with depression and acts out in rage.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
The film portrays troubled people who are trying to piece their lives together. How can we show compassion without excusing harmful choices?
Galatians 6:1–2 · Ephesians 4:15The children long to leave their ordinary lives behind and find love and belonging. What kinds of belonging does God offer us?
Psalm 68:5–6 · Ephesians 2:19The story includes characters who eventually make the right decision. How can you recognize a right decision when your emotions are strong?
Proverbs 3:5–6 · James 1:5The film includes church scenes, a Bible, prayer, and sacrifice. What should distinguish genuine Christian hope from merely religious imagery?
Matthew 7:16–20 · Romans 5:8The Final Word
Quirky and emotionally observant, Moonrise Kingdom treats troubled people with sympathy and ultimately moves toward better choices. Its mature content and mixed worldview call for discernment. For older teenagers and adults, it is WORTH THE TRIP — OLDER TEENS AND ADULTS.
