Review of Left Behind II: Tribulation Force (2002) by Harpo Z — 04 Mar 2005

Last night I did the unthinkable. I am guilty of many things in life but sitting through the sequel to one of the worst films ever made -- I must be on somethingl.

I must admit, being a Christian I love to see the Christian film industry collide with the big wigs in Hollywood -- but not like this. Left Behind is an embarassment. It looks cheap, talks cheap and acts cheap -- so just shut up and dance already. It's one ting to make an action packed film, but to make it look like an old episode of McGyver is another thing. It is possible to make an entertaining action movie with lunch money; Robert Rodriquez proved that when he made 'El Mariachi'. He used what he had: creativity. Something the filmmakers of Left Behind lack.

I watched the Special Features, to which I was literally reduced to high fever followed by constant vomitting. Producer Peter Lalonde stated the following quote: "A movie is not a movie unless there is an explosion in it." Is this his idea as to how movies should be made, or has he come up with a solution to prevent people from falling asleep during his films? I do believe the latter makes more sense.

I might sound hypocritical -- I have given positive reviews to R rated films such as Kill Bill Vol 1 & 2, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Saw and many others. But like Roger Ebert says, "A film is not what it's about, it's how it's about it." In the hands of a more skilled director, Left Behind and Tribulation Force could have been exceptional. I am not judging the content, just the effort that went into making it.