Dot Conner: Webtective expands upon the cliffhanger finale of its TV counterpart’s first season. The movie offers a biblical underpinning to a story surrounding Russian spies and a kidnapping. It offers positive messages about Christ providing us the ability to endure our circumstances and a relatively family-friendly action plot.
The first day of high school is tough. You’ve got to stress about navigating a new building; worry about getting your locker combination right; hope your dad isn’t currently suffering at the hands of dimwitted Russian kidnappers.
OK, maybe that last one is more of a Dot Conner issue.
Just before her first day of school, Dot got a cryptic call from her father, claiming he didn’t have much time and needed her help. Since that call, he’s stopped responding to any of her texts.
The distressing call eats at Dot as she tries to get through her first (not-so-good) day of school. But she also knows why her father would call her for help: She’s a webtective, someone who scours the Internet in search of leads to answer all of her questions. And when an anonymous account messages Dot one such lead, it isn’t long before she’s on the case.
And as Dot, along with trusty friends Makayla and Alex, unravel this mystery, they’ll find both Scripture and danger alike connected to the adventure.
Dot warns viewers not to accept online messages from people they don’t know. She also warns that not everything on the internet can be trusted. There’s also a quick scene poking fun at kids being addicted to phones.
The trio protects each other from danger and risks their own safety to save others. Later, they sincerely apologize to their parents for keeping them in the dark about their deeds.
As Dot uncovers each clue, she recognizes that they’re all somehow tied to positive memories she made with her dad. And it’s also obvious that Dot and her parents love each other.
When Dot opens up to her grandma about feeling like she’s not in control, her grandmother comforts Dot by reminding her that, well, she’s not—God is. Then her grandma references the book of Job: “God was there when He created everything. And who wasn’t there? Job! I know it feels like your life is out of control, but it’s OK, because God is in control, and whatever it is you’re going through, He knows all about it and is gonna see you through it.”
As Dot researches her question about control, she finds Philippians 4:13, which reads “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Later, she’s told about the previous verse for context: “I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.”
“See, Christ didn’t give us strength to control circumstances,” someone tells Dot. “He gave us strength to endure them.”
At one point, Dot thinks deeply about their circumstances and enters into her “mind palace.” where she’s met by a painting of how she “imagine[s] God to look like based on that one field trip [she] took in primary school,” voiced by John Rhys-Davies, whom Dot recognizes from his role in The Princess Diaries 2. The picture reminds her that she is fearfully and wonderfully made and can be content in any circumstance.
“God has given you an incredible mind … and when you rely on Him, He is faithful to give you what you need.”
In a later scene, that depiction of God (or, more accurately, of John Rhys-Davies) thanks God for allowing him the opportunity to potentially promote The Princess Diaries 3. He also ponders whether the film’s fictional Genovia should be a republic instead of a monarchy, with him as its lifetime president: “My campaign motto is quite simple, and I want you all to listen carefully: What we must do is ‘Make Genovia great again.’”
Some kids at school make fun of Dot for solving mysteries about the Bible, asking things like “Did Adam and Eve have belly buttons?” and “What’s the Bible’s stance on zombies?”
Dot and friends search through books for some answers, including the Bible, which Dot calls the source of all truth. A poster in Dot’s room quotes Psalm 139:14: “You are fearfully and wonderfully made.” There are references to Deuteronomy 8:3 and Matthew 4:4, “Man shall not live on bread alone.”
The trio goes to a church. They also research a hymn titled “God of Earth and Outer Space.”
None.
A couple of people get knocked unconscious by blows to the head. One man endures a punch to the face. Another man gets tackled. Dot accidentally causes an explosive chemical reaction in class.
There’s a reference to “sleeper enemy agents.”
When Dot recognizes Rhys-Davies’ voice from The Princess Diaries 2, he sighs and says, “Oh, Lord, yes.” Apart from that, we get some mild name-calling:
“dweeb,” “idiot” and “lug nuts.”
None.
To rescue her father, Dot and friends skip school after tricking their teachers.
When we reviewed Dot Conner: Webtective (the TV show), we praised it for its ability to teach biblical topics in a way that’s both engaging and unapologetic. The show’s movie counterpart succeeds in much the same way.
Dot Conner released, at least in part, to stand as a counter to the “movies and TV shows aimed at children [that] are filled with perverse ideologies intended to capture them in behaviors and lifestyles that can do immense harm,” according to the movie’s funding page. To that end, parents will find very little content in the series or movie at all, and they’ll find a strong biblical underpinning to boot.
Regarding that underpinning, one of the theological issues that Dot wrestles with throughout the movie is “obstruction,” namely, why don’t things ever seem to go her way? And while Dot begins the film by searching for ways she might take control of her situation, she ends with an understanding that God is in control, as well as a deeper conviction that He provides the strength we need to endure our circumstances.
And for families looking for ways to talk naturally with their kids about faith, this franchise offers an enjoyable way to address questions like the one Dot grapples with here.
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He’s also an avid cook. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
