Through the Screen
Before you watch
Content notes for the films and series we discuss: the certificate, whether a prophet is shown, and anything families may want to know.
| Title | Certificate | Shows a prophet? | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Star Wars (Episode IV: A New Hope) (1977) | U (BBFC) | no | Mild sci-fi action. The Force is an impersonal energy with a 'dark side'; never present it as God. Later films are mostly 12A. |
| Dune / Dune: Part Two / Dune: Part Three (2021) | Dune 12A; Part Two 12A (12 on home release); Part Three to be confirmed (its main trailer is rated 15) | no | Moderate violence, bloody images, threat. Paul is a fictional, manufactured messiah. Uses Arabic and Islamic words (Mahdi, jihad); read our 'five words' page alongside. |
| Eternals (2021) | 12A (12 on home release) | no | Moderate fantasy violence, horror, a brief sex scene. Cosmic beings called 'Celestials' are described by the director as gods; they are makers with needs, not God. |
| Doctor Strange (2016) | 12A | no | Moderate fantasy violence, injury detail (car crash). Invented mysticism with Asian settings; some Christian viewers object to its sorcery. |
| Thor (series) (2011) | 12A (Thor: Love and Thunder 12) | no | Norse gods appear as superhero characters who can die. Useful contrast with the One God; not depictions of prophets. |
| Ms. Marvel (2022) | Disney+ rating 12+ (not BBFC-classified) | no | Mild action. Shows everyday Muslim life, a mosque and family; widely praised, with some debate within Muslim communities. |
| Superman (Man of Steel; Superman) (2013) | Man of Steel 12A; Superman (2025) 12A | no | Moderate violence. Christ-figure readings are common in marketing and criticism. For Jewish viewers: Superman was created in 1938 by two Jewish Americans, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, and many Jewish writers read the baby sent away in a vessel as an echo of the infant Moses; the character is not a prophet and is not presented as one here. |
| The Matrix (1999) | 15 | no | Strong violence, gun battles. Christian, Gnostic and Buddhist readings exist; avoid the 'red pill' online meme. |
| Interstellar (2014) | 12A | no | Infrequent strong language, moderate threat. Love as a theme; no religious depiction. |
| Arrival (2016) | 12A | no | Infrequent strong language; themes of grief and a child's death. |
| Contact (1997) | PG | no | Mild threat and language. A scientist and a preacher debate faith and evidence respectfully; a religious extremist commits a bombing. |
| 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) | U | no | Mild violence and threat. The monolith is not God; Kubrick spoke of a God concept 'at the heart' of the film. |
| The Lord of the Rings (2001) | The Fellowship of the Ring PG (extended 12A); The Two Towers and The Return of the King 12A | no | Fantasy battle violence. Tolkien called it 'a fundamentally religious and Catholic work', but no religion or prophet is depicted. |
| The Chronicles of Narnia (2005) | The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe PG; Prince Caspian PG; Magician's Nephew (2027) not yet classified | partial | Aslan is C.S. Lewis's picture of Christ in another world; Muslims honour Jesus (peace be upon him) as a prophet, and some viewers will not want a lion standing for him. The Calormen portrayal is widely criticised. See our Narnia page. |
| Spirited Away (2001) | PG | no | Mild threat, scary scenes. Set in a world of Shinto kami (spirits); present it in its own tradition, not as monotheism. |
| Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009) | 15 (BBFC, TV series) | no | Fantasy violence, bloody images, a genocide storyline. Opens with a fraudulent priest of a fictional religion; do not use it to say 'religion is a con'. |
| Neon Genesis Evangelion / The End of Evangelion (1995) | Series varies; The End of Evangelion 15 | no | Strong gory violence, sexual content, psychological distress. Uses Christian and Jewish symbols (crosses, 'Adam', 'Lilith', and the Kabbalah's Tree of Life diagram of the sefirot) as decoration, not as teaching; adults only. |
| Attack on Titan (2013) | 15 (BBFC, TV series and The Last Attack) | no | Strong bloody violence, themes of genocide and ethnic hatred. Text discussion only; no clips. |
| Mushishi (2005) | 15 (BBFC listing for the 2006 film; TV series varies) | no | Calm and contemplative, with occasional strong bloody violence in the live-action film. Nature spirits in Japanese folk tradition. |
| Assassin's Creed (games) (2007) | BBFC 15; PEGI 18 (later games PEGI 18) | no | Strong violence. Based loosely on the Nizari Ismailis, a living Muslim community; see our page on history and myth. |
| Journey (game) (2012) | PEGI 7 | no | No violence beyond mild peril. A wordless pilgrimage to a mountain. |
| Halo (games) (2001) | PEGI 16 | no | Sci-fi combat. A fictional theocracy (the Covenant) worships ancient aliens; do not map it on to any real religion. |
| Destiny (games) (2014) | PEGI 16 | no | Sci-fi combat. A giant sphere, 'the Traveler', gives gifts to humanity; not a depiction of God. |
| Doctor Who ('The Impossible Planet' / 'The Satan Pit') (2006) | 12A (BBFC listing for a 2026 cinema trailer of 'The Satan Pit'); TV broadcast pre-watershed | no | Horror and threat, a creature claiming to be the Devil. Faith is questioned but respected. |
| Good Omens (2019) | 12 (BBFC, series 1) | yes | Depicts God (as a voice), angels and demons, and in series 1 the Flood with Noah and the crucifixion of Jesus. Satire; also a reputational flag around the co-creator. Not featured on this site. |
| The Chosen (2017) | Not BBFC-classified as a series (its 2025 Christmas film is 12) | yes | A drama series about the life of Jesus, played by an actor (Jonathan Roumie), and the disciples. Made from a Christian perspective. For Jewish viewers: the series shows first-century Jewish life, synagogues and Pharisees, through a Christian lens; Muslims do not portray prophets, so we link to it without showing thumbnails. |