Review of Left Behind (2014) by Thequietgamer — 21 Jul 2019

This is quite possibly the worst film of Nicolas Cage's career, and we all know how many stinkers he's been in. The vast majority of the blame for that falls on Vic Armstrong. Not saying the man didn't have his work cut out for him due to a questionable script and low budget, but his terrible direction is what really kills the movie.

Whether it's inspiring career worst performances from a cast of usually competent actors or awkwardly fumbling through scenes to the point of sometimes unintentional hilarity, Armstrong is just never able to make the story work for him. Everything feels so unnatural and forced. Trash cinema enthusiasts will likely get a kick out of the downright bizarre exchanges characters have with one another. Although the generic, made-for-TV drama style the movie is shot in makes it a total snoozefest even when the explosions and aircraft trouble take center stage.

That's Armstrong's biggest failing. He simply couldn't make any of this even remotely interesting. That overly long 1h 51m running time drags by like a one-legged dog. Did I mention this is supposed to be faith-based? I almost forgot because the actual references to God are so few. In a self-defeating move the writers even failed at their attempt to scare people to the altar with an inept, "wait for the sequel" ending that leaves everything unresolved. So in the end this a movie that's more likely to have you sleeping through the rapture rather than dropping to your knees in repentance.

Dear God,.

I'm so sorry they did you this way.