Galaxy Buck: Mission to Sector 9
More overtly religious than VeggieTales and less fun.
Galaxy Buck: Mission to Sector 9
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that like the earlier Buck Denver What’s in the Bible? series, this Galaxy Buck installment continues the boiling down of Christian biblical themes into easily consumed messages for young kids. Unlike in the related VeggieTales series, the Christian message is overt and Jesus-specific, which may preclude it for some families. Cute but menacing alien puppets may seem scary to young kids. Creepy blue aliens imprison the crew, and a sandstorm threatens them.
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What's the Story?
In GALAXY BUCK: MISSION TO SECTOR 9, Buck is tired of answering phones for the Christian call center, Pastor Paul’s Galaxy Gospel. He hates spending his day sending out tote bags and verifying credit cards. He’d rather do "something big" for God. When the transponder carrying Paul’s signal goes down on a faraway planet, Buck volunteers to take a crew into deep space to make the repair. Pastor Paul gives him the go-ahead, even though Buck has no experience either captaining a spaceship or repairing transponders. He meets an evangelical on the supposedly uninhabited planet who advises him that God doesn’t want Buck to do anything in particular; God just wants him. Period. Buck gives up his dream to heroically save the transponder and is awarded a captain’s license anyway, giving him the sense that he is doing something "big."
Is It Any Good?
Unlike so many clever VeggieTales stories, this movie recites religious rhetoric but doesn't engage kids. Galaxy Buck is kind of a hopeless dope, which may keep some kids from relating to the challenges faced by this "hero." The film amusingly echoes some of the hokier aspects of cheap 1950s space movies, but some fans of his far subtler VeggieTales may be disappointed by the blatant Jesus talk. Upending the message of the movie, Buck ultimately achieves his dream of being a pilot despite having been told God wants him to give up his ambitions and dreams and replace them with God’s plan. It sure looks as if Buck succeeded through hard work and persistence. On the other hand, the overarching message here is "help people who need help," and that sounds like advice anyone could use.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about religious-themed movies and shows. Do you think everyone can enjoy them or only people who share those beliefs?
Do you think people who do "small" jobs also can make important contributions? How?
Do you ever want to do something "big" like Galaxy Buck? What would you like to accomplish? How can you do it?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: October 20, 2015
- Cast: Phil Vischer
- Director: Phil Vischer
- Studio: Jellyfish Labs
- Genre: Family and Kids
- Run time: 40 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: September 20, 2019
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