It takes a particular type of movie to trigger the viewer to pause it fifteen minutes in to type out what one might solely name convoluted–and that’s just the start. Nicolas Cage‘s 2014 disasterpiece Left Behind is one for the ages, full with propaganda that absolutely misrepresents the religion of many an clever Christian. The movie looks like a poorly thought out satire of Christian doctrine, which is why the truth that it’s a non secular movie is so confounding. If this movie was created from an ironic perspective and advertising and marketing efficiently to a Christian viewers, it might maybe be probably the most ingenious prank in cinematic historical past, however that might undoubtedly be giving the filmmakers far an excessive amount of credit score. For Cage completionists, it’s a must-watch, not solely as a result of it has a 0% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but additionally as a result of it’s his solely foray into the realm of Christian films.
Left Behind fairly actually tells the story of the rapture in probably the most bland, simple means potential. Chloe Steele (Cassi Thomson) has come residence from faculty to shock her father Rayford (Cage), a well-respected pilot, for his birthday. Upon arriving at JFK, she calls her mother who informs her that Rayford isn’t in a position to greet her at residence as a result of he needed to work. Chloe is upset for some motive, despite the fact that this was a really probably consequence contemplating that her father is a pilot and in consequence shocking him in all probability wasn’t the brightest concept contemplating the unpredictable schedule of pilots. Not solely is she upset at her father for doing his job, however instantly assumes that as a result of he has to fly a aircraft to London that he’s pulling away from her mom. Whereas that’s true, the reasoning behind Chloe’s conclusion is weird.
Chloe’s mother has not too long ago transformed to Evangelical Christianity and has begun to warn her household of the upcoming doom. The movie truly begins to ask attention-grabbing philosophical questions concerning the issue of evil and why God doesn’t do something about it. This battle is most prominently explored within the relationship between Chloe and her mom, Irene (Lea Thompson). The 2 have a really stilted dialog that broaches the basic query of whether or not God could be each good and omnipotent, two beliefs which are foundational to the Christian religion. At any time when the movie begins to go someplace attention-grabbing it rapidly devolves right into a C-rate melodrama till it’s an all-out catastrophe epic. It by no means once more tries to ask questions that it doesn’t know what to do with, however it does flip right into a delightfully campy mess. It’s each much less impactful than it believes, but additionally tremendously entertaining. As soon as the meat of the story takes off, the film turns into some of the ridiculous movies of the previous ten years missing the tiniest sliver of self-awareness, irony, or subtlety. Are you aware how uncommon that’s? Left Behind has a lot undeserving confidence in its execution and in its goal that you just’ll nearly really feel dangerous for it. Virtually.
The movie’s unintentional campiness kicks into excessive gear when the rapture occurs. Chloe is hugging her youthful brother when he instantly disappears in a flash, forsaking his garments in excellent uniformity in his sister’s arms, hat and all. The visible is so weird and unintentionally comical that it instantly elevates the film to one thing past only a “dangerous” Christian film. The film turns into sheer chaos and all these left on earth start committing crimes in opposition to one another for some motive. For instance, instantly following the rapture, Chloe is mugged. What this has to do with the rapture or how the rapture turned these left on earth into petty thieves is just not given a lot thought. It is smart that folks would raid the pockets of the disappeared, however what’s inflicting them to rob those that weren’t taken? The movie’s baffling writing and seeming lack of thought make it an infuriating watch. Nonetheless, it’s the type of infuriating watch that you just’ll be fascinated by for the following week since you simply can’t recover from the truth that it exists.
Questions of religion or of God’s omniscience are instantly dropped by Left Behind as a result of it is aware of it not must maintain the viewers intellectually stimulated as soon as Nic Cage is barreling via the sky in a aircraft that’s rapidly working out of gasoline. He involves the belief that each one the passengers who disappeared on his aircraft have been Christians by going via their private gadgets and discovering clues, akin to unexpectedly written Bible quotes or random Christian paraphernalia. The truth that the characters haven’t any true company and are merely being affected by the occasions of the movie additional pushes Left Behind into the “how was this made??” class of dangerous movies.
The expertise of watching Left Behind is akin to watching a multi-car pileup; you’re curious simply how lengthy it should final and the way a lot injury could be finished. It seems rather a lot. From extremely distasteful subplots of suicide and “worldly” struggles to insinuations that folks of different Abrahamic (however not Christian) faiths will not be accepted into Heaven regardless of their robust ethical character and clear love of God. With each flip the film tries to take, one other narratively disastrous and incomprehensible scene awaits.
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Left Behind provides a very unforgettable expertise, a top quality that the majority followers of Nic Cage and his work have come to anticipate. It’s the uncommon movie that has actually no concept how dangerous it’s. You possibly can nearly style the audacity of the filmmakers to current this as a film; it qualifies as such solely as a technicality. It’s a great, old school propaganda piece, the type that they simply don’t make like they used to. It wouldn’t be too surprising if Left Behind developed the same fame to that of different propaganda movies like Reefer Insanity.