On Amazon, you can currently watch “Left Behind” for free on Freeve, an apocalyptic thriller starring Oscar-winner Nicolas Cage with a strong Christian undertone. Statistically, it’s one of the worst films in the actor’s exciting repertoire.
What is “Left Behind“ about? “Left Behind” deals with the biblical “Rapture”.
Believing Christians and children disappear because they are taken up to heaven: Their bodies vanish, leaving only their clothes and personal belongings behind. This occurs suddenly, in an instant, without any announcement or significant circumstances.
In “Left Behind”, we experience how the captain of a plane, who is currently flying a machine to London, deals with the Rapture and the ensuing panic on board. Simultaneously, the story of his daughter is told.
This is how the film begins: The pilot Rayford Steele (Cage) is about to have an affair with a young and attractive flight attendant, as his wife has become religiously fervent and sees the impending apocalypse in earthquakes.
In a conversation with his daughter, Steele beats around the bush as to why he is not home as often, but denies all suspicions. He claims he knows so many flight attendants that he can’t remember their names, and he never wears his wedding ring while flying.
The main plot of the film kicks in when suddenly all children and some other passengers on the plane disappear. This causes panic among the passengers:
- A passenger believes that aliens have attacked or that the plane has flown through a wormhole.
- A worried mother pulls out a gun. She believes that all the passengers are just deceiving her and that her ex-husband wants to kidnap their daughter, having paid everyone present to put on this absurd show.
From the perspective of the pilot’s daughter, we see the impact of the Rapture in a big city: planes crash, buses smash into buildings without drivers. People scream, search for their children, there are looting, murders, and the city descends into chaos.
A film from Nicolas Cage’s “bad time”
How badly does Nicolas Cage act? “Left Behind” was made in 2014. This was the time when Nicolas Cage’s career was on the decline. In 2010 he still starred in relatively big films like “Kick-Ass” and in 2011 in “Ghost Rider”.
The period from 2012 to 2017 is considered the “dark time” in Cage’s career, until things started to turn around again in 2018.
Cage was nominated for a Golden Raspberry for his performance in “Left Behind” as the worst actor, but did not win.
In contrast to other films where Cage goes overboard, in “Left Behind” he actually has only one emotional state: guilty. Throughout the film, Cage plays subdued, dejected, and sad.
Even the scenes where he should be shining, when he flirts with the attractive flight attendant, feel tame, likely due to the film’s Christian undertone. It wouldn’t be right for someone to have fun while sinning. The pilot’s emotional state changes only marginally throughout the film. By the end, guilt is complemented by some remorse.
It’s somewhat disappointing: with a poor acting performance from Cage, one usually thinks he is “over-acting”, exaggerating (via youtube). In “Left Behind”, he underplays, becoming the reasonable calm center who constantly reminds everyone not to panic, appearing as though he is sedated.
In a review, critic Richard Roeper described the performances in the film as “so wooden that you could build a basketball court out of them.”
Left Behind is, according to IMDB, the second worst film by Nicolas Cage
How bad is the film? On IMDB, “Left Behind” has a rating of 3.1 as the second worst film by Nicolas Cage. Only “Jiu Jitsu” from 2020 was worse. Even the legendary weak Wicker Man (“The Bees! The Bees!”) has a significantly better rating.
The film is criticized for its terrible script, among other things. A film critic described it as “profoundly dumb.” Even Christian critics stated that the film is ignorant garbage.
Apparently, the filmmakers primarily aimed to convey a Christian message: but it is not about being a good person, rather about adhering to the Bible and believing without doubt.
It can be rather upsetting that in “Left Behind” even those characters who behave perfectly in the film do not get raptured because they harbor doubts about God. Even devout individuals who act impeccably are not raptured because they do not believe in the Christian God, but in Allah.
Where can you watch it? “Left Behind” is available on Amazon Freeve, free with ads.
Rapture has been implemented much better before
What are alternatives to “Left Behind”? The “Rapture” is a motif that is repeatedly dealt with in American cinema. The series “The Leftovers” is considered great. Even the rather absurd meta-Hollywood comedy “This is the end” is much more recommendable than “Left Behind” with everyone’s favorite star Nicolas Cage.
If you are looking for a strong “Nicolas Cage” film and have already seen the classics like Face Off and Con Air, we recommend “Massive Talent” from MeinMMO:
