Modern Movies from the Catholic Perspective: What Today's Films Get Right and Wrong

Hollywood doesn't think much about Catholic audiences anymore. That's a mistake, considering Catholics make up roughly 22% of the US population and have historically been passionate moviegoers. While armchair critics debate whether faith and film can coexist, thoughtful Catholic viewers are doing the real work: watching, analyzing, and finding meaning in modern cinema.

This isn't about demanding every movie pass some religious purity test. It's about understanding how Catholic principles can illuminate what makes storytelling powerful and what makes it hollow.

The State of Faith in Modern Hollywood

Modern Hollywood operates in a cultural bubble that's largely secular, progressive, and frankly uncomfortable with traditional religious expression. This creates a peculiar dynamic where faith, when it appears on screen, often feels like an anthropological study rather than lived experience.

Recent films handle religious themes with kid gloves or outright hostility. "The Menu" (2022) satirizes wealthy elites but includes a bizarre sequence mocking traditional prayer. "Babylon" (2022) presents excess and moral decay as inevitable parts of artistic success. Even well-intentioned films like "The Fabelmans" (2022) treat faith as a quaint family tradition rather than a meaningful worldview.

But here's what critics miss: Catholic viewers aren't necessarily looking for explicitly religious content. They're looking for truth, beauty, and moral coherence. These elements can appear in the most unexpected places.

What Catholics Look for in Movies

Catholic film criticism operates from a specific philosophical framework rooted in natural law, the dignity of the human person, and the belief that all truth is God's truth. This creates some unique viewing priorities:

Moral Clarity Without Simplicity Catholics appreciate complex moral situations, but they expect the film to acknowledge that some actions are genuinely right or wrong. "The Batman" (2022) works because it shows Bruce Wayne wrestling with justice versus vengeance, ultimately choosing the harder path of mercy and rebuilding rather than mere punishment.

Human Dignity Under Pressure How do characters treat the weak, the marginalized, the inconvenient? "CODA" (2021) succeeds not just as a coming-of-age story but as an affirmation that every family member has inherent worth, regardless of ability or economic productivity.

Redemption Arcs That Ring True Catholic theology is built on the possibility of redemption, but it requires genuine repentance and change. Movies that offer cheap grace or consequences-free transformations feel hollow. "The Power of the Dog" (2021) fails this test by presenting cruelty as merely psychological inevitability without real accountability.

Beauty as a Window to Transcendence Catholics believe beauty points beyond itself. Films that take visual storytelling seriously, that create moments of genuine wonder, resonate deeply. "Dune" (2021) succeeds here through its stunning cinematography and Hans Zimmer's otherworldly score, even when its spiritual themes remain muddy.

The Good: Modern Films That Get It Right

"Top Gun: Maverick" (2022)

This sequel shouldn't work, but it does because it embraces classical virtues: loyalty, sacrifice, mentorship, and the possibility of redemption. Maverick's relationship with Rooster explores forgiveness and the way past mistakes can be transformed into wisdom. The film treats military service as genuinely honorable rather than naive or imperialistic.

The Catholic principle here is that growth and change are possible at any age, and that our deepest mistakes can become sources of strength when approached with humility.

"Everything Everywhere All at Once" (2022)

Despite its chaotic multiverse premise, this film builds toward profoundly Catholic themes: unconditional love, the power of small acts of kindness, and the belief that every person contains infinite potential. The mother-daughter reconciliation feels earned because both characters must genuinely change.

The film's central message that "being kind" matters more than being right or successful aligns perfectly with Catholic social teaching about the primacy of love over achievement.

"The Northman" (2022)

Robert Eggers' Viking epic operates in a pre-Christian world, but it takes spiritual reality seriously. The film doesn't mock Amleth's beliefs or treat his quest for honor as primitive tribalism. Instead, it shows how the human longing for justice and meaning transcends cultural boundaries.

Catholics can appreciate how the film grapples with the tension between earthly justice and spiritual transformation, even if its resolution differs from Christian teaching.

"Turning Red" (2022)

Pixar's coming-of-age story handles adolescence with unusual wisdom. Instead of treating Mei's transformation as purely individual liberation, it explores how personal growth affects entire families and communities. The film validates both tradition and change, showing that healthy development requires honoring the past while embracing the future.

This reflects the Catholic understanding that human flourishing happens within relationships and communities, not through radical individualism.

The Bad: Where Modern Films Fall Short

"Don't Worry Darling" (2022)

Olivia Wilde's psychological thriller treats traditional marriage and domestic life as inherently oppressive, offering no vision of what healthy relationships might look like. The film's feminist message becomes reductive when it can only imagine women's liberation through the complete rejection of family structures.

From a Catholic perspective, this represents a profound impoverishment of imagination. The Church teaches that both marriage and religious life can be paths to fulfillment, but "Don't Worry Darling" can only see patriarchal oppression.

"The Menu" (2022)

This dark comedy about culinary obsession makes some sharp points about wealth inequality and artistic pretension. But it ultimately descends into nihilistic violence that treats human life as disposable. The film's critique of elite excess is undermined by its own moral emptiness.

Catholic viewers can appreciate satire that exposes hypocrisy and injustice. But when criticism becomes purely destructive, offering no alternative vision of human flourishing, it fails to serve its moral purpose.

"Blonde" (2022)

Andrew Dominik's Marilyn Monroe biopic exemplifies how modern films often handle suffering. Instead of exploring how Monroe might have found meaning or healing, "Blonde" wallows in her trauma for nearly three hours. The film treats her primarily as a victim rather than a person with agency and potential for growth.

This approach violates Catholic principles about human dignity. Every person, regardless of their circumstances, possesses inherent worth and the capacity for redemption. Films that only see victims or saints miss the complex reality of human nature.

The Complex: Films That Defy Easy Categories

"The Banshees of Inisherin" (2022)

Martin McDonagh's dark comedy about a friendship's end operates in deeply Catholic Ireland but offers no easy spiritual answers. The film's exploration of despair, meaninglessness, and self-destructive pride hits close to home for Catholics familiar with concepts of spiritual desolation.

Yet the film's refusal to provide simple resolution actually serves Catholic theology well. Real spiritual growth often requires sitting with difficult questions rather than rushing toward false comfort.

"Tár" (2022)

Todd Field's portrait of a classical conductor's downfall raises complex questions about art, power, and accountability. Lydia Tár's artistic genius doesn't excuse her abuse of authority, but the film avoids simplistic morality tales.

Catholic viewers can appreciate how "Tár" shows the relationship between personal virtue and artistic truth. The film suggests that character flaws don't invalidate artistic achievement but they do have real consequences for both the artist and their community.

"The Whale" (2022)

Darren Aronofsky's drama about an obese man seeking reconciliation with his daughter walks a difficult line between compassion and exploitation. The film's treatment of Charlie's eating disorder and his relationship with religion raises uncomfortable questions about judgment, mercy, and self-destruction.

From a Catholic perspective, "The Whale" succeeds in showing Charlie's fundamental dignity even in his brokenness. But it struggles to offer a convincing vision of how healing might actually occur.

What Catholic Critics Bring to Film Analysis

Catholic film criticism isn't just about moral scorekeeping. At its best, it brings unique insights that secular criticism often misses:

Recognition of Spiritual Themes Catholic critics are trained to spot religious symbolism and theological concepts that others might overlook. This doesn't mean finding Christian allegories everywhere, but rather recognizing when films engage with ultimate questions about meaning, purpose, and transcendence.

Long-Term Moral Vision While secular criticism often focuses on immediate social and political issues, Catholic analysis asks how films contribute to human flourishing over the long term. Does this story help viewers become more fully human, or does it diminish their capacity for love, truth, and beauty?

Integration of Faith and Reason Catholic intellectual tradition insists that faith and reason work together rather than in opposition. This creates space for thoughtful engagement with films that challenge religious beliefs while remaining committed to core principles.

Social Justice Perspective Despite stereotypes, Catholic social teaching has consistently championed workers' rights, environmental protection, and care for the marginalized. Catholic critics often notice economic and social themes that others miss.

The Armchair Critic Phenomenon

Not all Catholic film commentary rises to this level. The internet has enabled plenty of armchair critics who mistake personal preference for moral authority. These voices often:

• Demand explicit Christian content in every film
• Reject artistic complexity in favor of simple moral lessons
• Confuse American conservative politics with Catholic teaching
• Apply rigid standards that even biblical narratives wouldn't pass

This approach does a disservice both to Catholicism and to cinema. Great art has always been morally complex, and the Catholic tradition includes plenty of works that explore doubt, sin, and spiritual struggle.

The best Catholic film criticism follows the example of critics like Sister Rose Pacatte, Steven Greydanus, and Barbara Nicolosi, who combine deep faith with sophisticated artistic understanding.

A Deepdive into Specific Themes

Family and Community

Modern Hollywood often treats family as either oppressively traditional or as a chosen collection of individuals. Catholic viewers appreciate films that show family as both challenging and essential, a place where people learn to love imperfect others.

"Encanto" (2021) succeeds here by showing how family traditions can become toxic when they ignore individual needs, but healing comes through renewed commitment rather than abandonment.

Suffering and Meaning

Secular films often treat suffering as purely negative, something to be avoided or overcome through individual effort. Catholic theology sees suffering as potentially meaningful when united with love and sacrifice for others.

"A Quiet Place Part II" (2020) works because the characters' losses become sources of strength for protecting their community. Their pain isn't erased, but it's transformed into purpose.

Death and Eternity

Most modern films treat death as final termination, which creates narrative problems when characters face mortality. Catholic viewers appreciate films that acknowledge death's reality while suggesting that love transcends physical existence.

"Coco" (2017) resonates with Catholic audiences because it shows how the dead remain connected to the living through memory, tradition, and ongoing relationship.

Looking Forward: What Catholic Viewers Want

Catholic moviegoers don't want propaganda. They want stories that take the human condition seriously, that acknowledge both the reality of moral choice and the possibility of redemption. They want beauty that points beyond itself and characters who grow through their struggles rather than simply surviving them.

The market opportunity here is significant. Catholics represent a substantial audience that's currently underserved by mainstream Hollywood. Films that combine artistic excellence with moral seriousness could find enthusiastic support from viewers hungry for content that respects their values without insulting their intelligence.

Conclusion

Catholic perspectives on modern cinema offer something valuable to the broader cultural conversation: a commitment to human dignity, moral coherence, and transcendent beauty that secular criticism often lacks. This doesn't mean every film needs to be explicitly religious, but it does mean that the best stories acknowledge the spiritual dimensions of human experience.

The future of Catholic film criticism lies not in creating a cinematic ghetto of "safe" entertainment, but in engaging thoughtfully with all of culture while maintaining clear principles about what makes for authentic human flourishing. When armchair critics give way to serious analysis, both faith and film are enriched.

Modern movies may not think much about Catholic audiences, but Catholic audiences are thinking seriously about modern movies. That conversation is just getting started.