Tag Archives: Left Behind

Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist

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It’s time for the Left Behind series to continue. It’s gotten quite a few installments over the years although since this is in the reboot series we have not yet passed where the first trilogy left off. It’s another solid look at how the end times may look and why you absolutely do not want to be living through this period. Trust me on this, the easiest way to survive this era is not to be in it but if you do end up sticking around I imagine things could look a lot like how they are in this movie.

The film focuses on Buck as he continues his reporting career and is trying to find out the truth behind the vanishings. He uncovers a global conspiracy about a company that is profiting behind this tragedy and seems to be feeding the world fake data to keep everyone terrified. Unfortunately the company he works for is owned by this group so he will need to find another way to let the truth out. Is there any way to do this when most of the media has already been taken over? Meanwhile Rayford is still coming to terms with his wife having already vanished and wondering if perhaps she was right about the Bible all along.

In this film the rapture already happened so a lot of it’s about the fall-out. As the film takes place recently we get to see this in more of a technological background this time. You have hackers running around with the data and people are losing very quickly to the villains’ plans. For most of the film we see that the head of this operation is Stonagal but of course in watching the original films you know he can’t be the main villain. Additionally within the film’s context you figure it can’t be him because the Antichrist is supposed to rise up as a hero that humanity falls in line with. Stonagal is someone who does things in secret while the whole film shows how everyone looks up to Carpathia. Pretty suspicious eh?

The film does a good job of showing the stakes here and also just how dangerous the outside world is. After all, if every Christian suddenly vanished then a lot of goodness also left the world. There are absolutely a lot of nonbelievers who are still good people but now the ratio of good and evil has had a significant shift so you have to be watching your back the whole time. If anything I dare say the situation would be a lot worse than how it is in the film. Chloe gets attacked at one point and Pastor Bruce is beaten up but you almost figure that would be a daily occurrence and everyone will be getting shot in the streets for a while. You’d probably expect Bruce to be murdered quick while he was in the Church too since it feels like that would really be a massive target.

I liked how the film addressed the different theories of what was going on. After all when the rapture does happen, a significant amount of people aren’t going to believe in it. We already know this to be true but the question would be “Why?” because it would seem to be such a no brainer. All it would take is a quick google search and for most people even if they don’t believe in God, they know about the rapture as an event. So for everyone to dismiss it out of pocket you would need a strong reason and the reasoning the film gave is what I would expect us to see in real life too.

For starters, the Bible was removed on every app and web browser so no more looking up verses to check your memory. Next would probably be to upload fake versions online. Then you had the government claiming a second wave of vanishings. Now, Buck found this out to be false rather quickly but in real life I think it would go a bit darker. You’d probably have a ton of people get murdered to make the vanishings appear to be even more real. It’s the kind of thing you could probably stage on a large scale.

Now if we’re nitpicking here, there will be a substantial amount of doubters and people who realize what is going on but they just won’t have a public voice. Most likely they’d be taken off the air right away so in these scenarios remember that there would be a resistance but they would certainly be the minority before long. There’s a reason why this period is supposed to be hell on earth after all. Even among the 7 years of peace, sure there won’t be a formal war but you can expect to be in a lot of trouble personally. I’d pretty much guarantee it, the odds of you surviving without a scratch are slim to none.

Buck makes for a good lead and he is trying his best. I actually agreed with him on at least trying to do something. The one time I disagreed with Rayford and the others is when they try telling Buck not to go and warn the world about what Stonagal is planning because as they say it’s inevitable that the antichrist will win. I mean that may be true on Earth there but you have to do what you can in the meantime right? I’d say they come around to his side after that since they start helping out like with the flyers but for a bit there Buck was really on his own. By the end he sees the light and will be able to help out a lot more there.

Unfortunately I don’t think the film nails Carpathia as a villain quite as well as the first trilogy. The famous execution scene was not handled nearly as well here. The film tried a lot of fun visual and audio effects here but what ended up happening is that it was over produced instead of letting the scene play out. It was the scariest moment in the original trilogy but it doesn’t land the same way here. My only other main issue with the film is the narrator. I thought it was just too heavy handed and didn’t add anything to the film. Narration can work (Although in most cases you shouldn’t even attempt it) but it has to add insight to a scene that you couldn’t get visually. When you’re just stating the obvious then it can be distracting in the wrong way.

Rayford does well in his subplot and finally sees the light. He helps Chloe on this as well and ultimately gets Pastor Bruce back in the game as well. So as a contrast Buck is trying to stop the villains through the media while Rayford is trying to help the others out on a more personal level one at a time. They are slowly starting to set up a possible romance for Rayford though and I hope this film doesn’t go through with it because that was absolutely a weak subplot from the first trilogy.

I’d say Pastor Bruce probably has the toughest situation here in a lot of ways. It’s easy to see how broken he is because it has to be devastating knowing that you were so close to going up but just didn’t believe. It’s like when you know something but not enough to actually do it. Bruce never actually accepted Jesus Christ as his lord and savior and lost his passion somewhere down the line. Definitely a tragic arc for him even if he is bouncing back now.

Overall, Left Behind shows the desolation of what the future will bring while also keeping in the hope that people will be saved. After all, new Christians will go through a lot in the end times but it doesn’t take away from the fact that there will be new ones. So the message is that it’s never too late but this is also something you should never procrastinate. The sooner you become a Christian and achieve your eternal salvation and safety the better. Tomorrow is never guaranteed and you really don’t want to be here for those last days. Whatever trials you’ve already endured will pale in comparison to what happens in that era. This is definitely a good film to check out on this.

Left Behind (2014)

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It’s time for the Left Behind reboot movie. The first series made it pretty far and even saw the end of the US with the big presidential strike but now we go back to the first big event of the rapture. The unfortunate thing is it’s hard to see us getting back to where the first trilogy left us off anytime soon but hoping for the best. It’s always important to have more films adapting revelations as we get closer to the end every day. When will the rapture occurs? Nobody knows and nobody ever can know so we just have to stay tuned. No point in trying to predict the unpredictable but whether it happens in 50 years or 500, it will happen and this movie is a fun visual on how that could be. It’s noticeably slower paced than the original film so this focuses a lot more on the tension of the characters in an airplane when this happens.

The movie introduces us to Chloe early on who has returned home to see her parents. Their home has not been the same for quite a while now. Chloe and her father Raymond got really distant from her mother Irene after the latter became a Christian. Still, this was going to be a time for everyone to talk but Raymond runs off to cheat with a stewardess named Hattie while Chloe is not ready for another deep discussion and runs off. That’s when the rapture happens and lots of people vanish. Will these characters be able to withstand this ultimate test?

Now one thing I would like to see the films acknowledge more is that even non Christians would bring up the rapture as a possible idea when this happens. That’s because the event is common knowledge at this point so while it may be a theory that goes under people turning invisible or some kind of alien laser, it should be a part of the discussion. It always takes a while for anyone to suggest this in the movies and then it’s always a big reveal as if nobody had ever heard of the concept before. So I would have at least one person bring it up a little sooner tbh. The panic on the airplane makes a lot of sense since I do see people doing that and it was clever of Raymond to take the air out of the plane to knock everyone back to their seats.

My only other main issue with the film is that none of the characters are particularly likable. It’s really hard to tolerate Raymond at all because he’s just such an awful character. I think it always gets worse when you give someone the benefit of the doubt but they don’t live up to it. For example, Chloe seemed upset with Raymond from the jump when she saw him with Hattie and jumped to conclusions immediately. In the moment you think she is overthinking this though because while he was being friendly, I wouldn’t call it flirtatious. When she notices the ring is gone then you know this is pretty rational.

But there’s always the idea that a man and woman can’t possibly be really friendly without something going on behind the scenes and I still say that’s hogwash. Not only is it possible but there are plenty of friends out there and it would be nice to see more of that. So of course when it turns out that Raymond is cheating then his character hits rock bottom and at that point there’s no way I’m rooting for him at all. It’s definitely clear why he wasn’t taken with the others, that’s for sure. Hattie doesn’t even seem to be aware that he has a wife for most of the movie with how he hides the ring before talking to her every time so I’m really putting the brunt of the damages on Raymond here. He’s making a critical error.

So Chloe is justified in being super upset here but she handles the situation with Irene quite poorly. Chloe launches the first shot by taking a dig at Irene’s faith and jump starting the very conversation that she was hoping to avoid. So that was not a good look and from there she spends most of the film trying to find her brother and to get answers on what’s going on. There is also a really rushed romance plot that feels completely unnecessary but I suppose a film’s usually gonna try and squeeze that in.

Then for Irene, it’s a difficult situation. On one hand now that she believes in God she knows that the clock is ticking. Anyone who doesn’t believe in him is doomed to go to hell. I think a lot of times in Church and everyday life we sort of tip toe around this part of the faith. You try not to think about how everyone who doesn’t believe in God and serve him will go to hell but that is quite clear. It’s impossible to believe in God and yet dispute that fact so on one hand that does make it urgent that you try and get everyone you can go believe in him too. On the other hand, going in too hard will just close off their minds to God and you will have backfired in your intended mission. So it’s not easy, there’s a lot of give and take here. Irene did go a bit too hard here but it’s completely understandable. You never know when the end will approach.

I’m sure we all know many who don’t believe in the same faith but seem like really good people. It’s kind of depressing to think that they may burn for eternity when you think of that for only the truly evil. It’s just a tough facet of life and so you have to ask yourself what you’re going to do about it. I can’t say that I ever really spread the gospel or convert people. It’s not one of my traits and I just let everyone live their own lives but in the back of my head I know that’s the easier path, not exactly the right one. So you just pray and hope that everyone you know are Christians and leave it like that. Irene has my respect for trying to do better but unfortunately she just didn’t have the tact for it and ended up pushing her family farther away.

Meanwhile we have Buck the reporter who mostly helps with his camera but he doesn’t get a ton to do here. He tries to gather intel and figure out what is going on but there aren’t exactly a lot of resources to use while on the plane. He’s just as in the dark as everyone else and the crew aren’t the nicest group of people either so they aren’t volunteering a lot of information. Honestly they tended to be quite annoying the whole time. Especially the guy placing the football bets who just seemed to be looking out for himself here. Part of it is played for laughs a bit but for the mot part he’s just not a nice guy. I would have sped up the plane scenes for this reason, because the crew there just weren’t super entertaining.

I’d also like to see more reactions on the ground level. Part of the fun here is people trying to figure out what’s going on. I want to see the reporters running around, the government coming up with a response, etc. The investigative part of the film is what’s missing here. I would also say that the film could have used a church scene or something earlier to set up the Christian elements before all the Christians vanished. This plays out more like a normal drama to the point where there aren’t a ton of Christian elements to be found. Of course if you know the event then you know the connection right off the gate but I think having more imagery and music in the movie would have been good.

Overall, This film doesn’t match the original Left Behind but it’s still a solid drama. It just doesn’t bring anything to the table that the original didn’t already cover in better detail. That’s the one I would recommend to watch instead if you had to make a choice between them but if not then of course you should check out both and see for yourself which one ends up winning. The franchise is still going so we’ll see how the next one does and what approach it goes with. Will it also go for a slower pace to focus on specific moments or is the pacing going to speed up to try and get us closer to the end? Only time will tell.

Left Behind

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This is a movie I certainly haven’t seen in a very long while. It takes a look at the events to come from the Book of Revelations. That book is always of particular interest as it deals with the events which have not yet happened and serves as a preview to the future. There have been many books, movies, and talks on these events since we are all naturally curious about how things will turn out. Nobody knows when the end of the world will take place after all but that it will happen.

The movie starts off by introducing us to Buck who is a reporter for GNN. He was in Israel covering the discovery of a type of food source which could eliminate world hunger for good. Every country in the world wants some of this but not to share so the scientist has not given anyone the formula. One day Israel is attacked by a great number of planes but they are all mysteriously destroyed. Buck wants to find out the meaning of this but then while he is on a plane, a lot of people vanish.

Another character’s perspective that we see is from Rayford, a pilot who is currently cheating on his wife with a flight attendant. Hattie has decided to join the UN to get away from this situation and Rayford is unsure of what to do when people start vanishing. This leads him to head home where his son and wife are gone but his daughter Chloe remains. He meets up with Pastor Bruce and finally accepts the Lord and the Bible’s teachings. Meanwhile Buck is unconvinced that this is the rapture from the Bible and believes there is some kind of conspiracy going on and it involves the UN as well as their new head Nicolae.

So there’s a lot going on here. Buck makes for a pretty solid main character. He’s all about reporting the truth and wants to find a scientific answer for everything. A lot of his reactions here seem pretty realistic as I’m sure everyone will be trying to come up with reasons of their own for why so many people have vanished. I’m sure humanity will come up with something a little more convincing than sudden radiation but there will undoubtedly be some “explanation” at hand. Given that there will be people who stick around that claim to be Christians, that would likely muddle the water as well.

Throughout the film Buck gradually opens his heart up more and more though which makes for a very solid character arc here. Not everyone will open up to the truth but it’s always good to follow a lead who does. It’ll end up shaping how he acts in the films to come. It was also a good way for him to see Nicolae’s true intentions while those who were not protected by the Holy Spirit could only see illusions at the time.

The scene where Nicolae awakens his abilities as the Anti Christ and starts to use his abilities is a very tense scene to be sure. The special effects used to make the screen darker were very solid and the contrast for when things went normal again was very effective. In general I thought Left Behind did a very good job of always keeping the atmosphere at a very ominous level. It felt like grand things were happening and it was all unnerving as the events continued to unfold.

Nicolae makes for a very solid villain as well. Definitely not someone you want to cross and he’s also someone who can easily manipulate everyone in his way. Even the scenes where he is acting timid just make you think that he’s trying to get the other characters to lower their guard. Hattie is an antagonist as well to a degree as she was one of the obstacles in Rayford’s way. She may be good friends with Buck but ultimately we see that she is not a very virtuous person.

Of course neither was Rayford before the rapture occurs. That’s why I didn’t end up liking the guy all that much. It’s only after the rapture where he turns over a new leaf and starts to make the right call. Better late than never though and he’ll be in a good spot for the second movie. His daughter Chloe had a lot more resistance initially and made things hard on the main characters but by the end of the film she’s finally on board as well.

Finally we have Bruce who is in the awkward position of being the pastor of a Church where just about everyone vanished. He was quite good at preaching the gospel as he himself said, but he still didn’t believe. It’s probably the most tragic case here as he knew the scriptures quite well but somewhere along his journey, he must have fallen off or just lost his enthusiasm as he slipped away. This did serve as a wakeup call to him though and now his faith has been renewed.

I think after an event like the rapture happens, that’s the single biggest moment for a lot of people to become Christians. If someone doesn’t convert after that, then I doubt they ever will because it’s hard to find an instance that would be clearer than this. It’s why it will be interesting to see what explanations are given when this happens. Of course I don’t plan to be around when that does happen. The whole idea is you want to become a Christian before the rapture so you don’t have to go through all of this. Being around afterwards will end up being a nightmare even if it’s hard to picture the countries becoming so crazy at that point. It’ll definitely be happening when the tribulations start.

The movie has a whole subplot with government conspiracies and people trying to rule the world in the background. I think it works pretty well since I’m sure there will be a lot of that going around at the same time. Even while historic events like the rapture are ongoing, I feel like a lot of people will still be going about their business as usual. Whether that means going to work or committing crimes, people will seize the opportunity. With the Christians gone, that will also mean it’s probably a lot easier for these criminals to get to work. There are a lot of good people who are not Christians (Which is always the really tragic part) but the ratio absolutely gets reduced at this point so the world immediately becomes a darker place.

Overall, Left Behind is an effective look at what will happen when Christians all vanish from the Earth at once. The movie did a good job of showing everyone’s reactions and how different people handled this. I would have liked to have seen Chaim’s reaction though. He’s the only character we didn’t see react to this and I feel like he should have had some kind of reaction. The movie title is certainly straight to the point as the film deals with those who have been Left Behind. The writing is solid and the character cast is good so it ends up being a complete movie all around. I’ll definitely write about the sequel as well as soon as I’ve rewatched that one.