Left Behind (2000)

Left Behind is a quintessential piece of Christian cinema, refusing to back down from its Biblical message or its ugly premise.

The film's strengths include a vivid apocalyptic vision and legitimate intrigue in the ensuing fallout. We feel the effects of the rapture across the globe and even up in the skies as some of our characters are mid-flight. Relatively simple scenes of car wreckage and military patrols do heavy lifting in selling the broken state of the world.

Unfortunately, beyond that, the overall quality is a step or two above the average church-driven production and the film suffers the consequences of this. This is particularly apparent in the middling to poor performances with, of course, the exception of Gordon Currie, who may in fact be the devil.

On top of poor performances, the film fails to capture an authentic secular identity in Buck; he essentially already is Christian and we simply see the final moment of conversion. Other examples of secular characters mostly act as visual cautionary tales; this was a missed opportunity for a story in which salvation is so central. That said, with only the secular left behind on Earth, it is mildly informative to hear their ignorant musings on what the greater cause of the rapture could be.

It should be noted that the climax of the film is actually fairly compelling, with Nicolae revealing his massive powers of deception and suggestion. Buck’s conversion is well-timed; his faith is the only thing that allows him to walk out of that room with clarity. The problem is this feels more like a mid-film event. It should demand massive follow-up of some kind. But, in keeping with the book series, it was broken up for serialization. This leaves us on a disappointing note, as we feel the credits roll just as things were getting interesting.

While deserving praise on some fronts, the film is often left feeling like an extended episode of 7th Heaven where things went really, really wrong. The Christian soap opera aspect clings to the side of the film, even as Buck’s story develops explosively.

Viewers of apocalyptic fiction and Christian cinema may want to give the film a shot if only as a cultural touchstone. That said, with a compelling hook and not much else, Left Behind leaves a lot to be desired.