Left Behind has a 2% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Some critics described it as one of the worst movies of 2014. So when I saw that it was available on Netflix streaming, I was annoyed that they would put such a crappy film on their streaming service. Then on a whim, I decided that I wanted to see for myself just how bad this film is. What was the result? I felt like it is almost watchable.
Let me break this down for you: The first 32 minutes is set up that isn't terrible, but isn't particularly interesting either. At one point during this period, a non-religious person gets into an argument with a pious person and makes a pretty good argument for her point of view. I thought that this was an interesting contrast for a film about The Rapture, which happens 32 minutes into the film. The next fifty minutes or so I thought was pretty interesting in a science fiction sort of way. After all, what would happen if millions of people, and all the children, suddenly vanished? In this film what happens is large scale panic and mayhem.
Fortunately the film doesn't get very preachy. Maybe in a couple of places, but it is mild. This is more like a science fiction film about an extraordinary earth changing event.
The last 32 minutes of the movie is like the first 32 minutes, where it isn't terrible but it isn't that great either. Parts of the film feel like a mediocre Hallmark television special, but I found the middle portion of the movie to be pretty entertaining.
What can I say? This is a movie that had potential to be more than it is. Unfortunately, it is only half a movie.
This concept could make an interesting TV series, not unlike The Walking Dead, where supernatural events wipe out part of humanity and those remaining struggle to survive against difficult circumstances.
