Left Behind - The Movie [VHS]

Description

Product description VHS Tape .com Part conspiracy theory and part religious message, Left Behind (based on the first in a series of runaway bestsellers by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins) is a passable, occasionally compelling thriller that turns the rapture and the ascendance of the Antichrist into something resembling a Robert Ludlum espionage potboiler. The beginning, though, is pure Stephen King: as morose pilot Rayford Steele (Brad Johnson) steers his jet plane toward London, comely flight attendant Hattie Daniels (Chelsea Noble) informs him that a number of passengers have disappeared--at 37,000 feet, leaving their neatly pressed clothes behind. And they're not the only ones who've gone missing. The mass disappearances throw the world into chaos, and the sinisterly compelling Nicolae Carpathia (Gordon Currie), head of the U.N., selflessly steps in to help broker peace among the world's nations. But is he as good intentioned as he seems? Turns out the appropriately named Mr. Carpathia is behind a plot to rule the world and control its food supply, and intrepid reporter Buck Williams (Kirk Cameron, better than you'd expect) is onto him--with a little help from some biblical prophecies. Suffering the problem that befalls most first installments in a series of books and movies, Left Behind busies itself with the task of introducing characters and setting up expository plot lines, and audiences may be frustrated by the lack of action--Rayford's somewhat labored crisis of faith takes up a good chunk of the film. Still, it's an intriguing premise that should satisfy fans of the novel and possibly pick up a few more converts along the way (be warned, though, this is a modestly budgeted film that looks more like a cable TV movie than the latest James Bond extravaganza). And, if like a fair number of the film's characters, you can't figure out that someone named "Nicolae Carpathia" is a bad guy, then, well, you need to bone up on your evil villains. --Mark Englehart P.when('A').execute(function(A) { A.on('a:expander:toggle_description:toggle:collapse', function(data) { window.scroll(0, data.expander.$expander[0].offsetTop-100); }); }); Review The Left Behind series (Tyndale) is so successful that one of two things had to happen: either the market would be saturated by countless Left Behind merchandise (The Left Behind Bible, Left Behind lunchboxes, Left Behind action figures, Left Behind yo-yos that only go up), or someone would buy the film rights. Well, $17.4 million later, Cloud Ten Pictures has unleashed Left Behind: The Movie.The end-times film begins in Jerusalem, where a massive air assault on Israel is mysteriously thwarted. Star news personality Buck Williams, played by Kirk Cameron (TV's "Growing Pains"), is on hand for the excitement. But fighter planes falling out of the sky are nothing compared to what happens next: the inexplicable global disappearance of millions of people that stymies the world. The rest of the film follows Buck as he pieces the mystery together, with a little help from new friends played by Brad Johnson (Always) and Clarence Gilyard Jr. ("Walker, Texas Ranger," Die Hard). Before long Buck has the mother of all come-to-Jesus moments, and inadvertently helps launch the career of the Antichrist, played by Gordon Currie (Puppet Master 4).Left Behind: The Movie has a sizable marketing and promotional effort behind it. But a hip soundtrack CD and cameos by Christian celebrities like Bob Carlisle, Rebecca St. James and Bishop T.D. Jakes don't make up for the mediocre movie-of-the-week tone.The script-by Allan McElroy (Spawn), Paul Lalonde and Joe Goodman-relies too much on an audience that already knows what's going on (either from the Bible or the novel, take your pick). And director Vic Sarin (The Legend of Gator Face) fails to deliver the goods to this built-in following. He doesn't show the rapture that takes away millions of people, nor does there seem to be a single person left on the planet that actually saw someone disappear.Admittedly, anyone setting out to make a film with an upbeat ending about the beginning of the rise of the Antichrist would have their work cut out for them. Here's hoping there may yet be a day when a "Christian" film is recognized, not because it's Christian, but because it displays a level of excellence-in every respect, including writing, acting, cinematography, editing-that makes the world take notice. -- Derek Wesley Selby (c) 2000 CCM Communications, Inc. -- From CCM Magazine -- Subscribe Now! See more