Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist

I read all the books when each would hit the stores. I think it is very brave to have several attempts at putting the Left Behind series on film. It is a lot of characters, their backgrounds and events to put into one movie. And this is only the first book! The casting was great. But it is hard to get deep into the characters, but that is a length of film thing again.

The "preachy" part was really nominal! This was not a hammer to the head evangelical movie. The movie covered political one world aspects just as much as Rapture explanations. Loved how they updated the references and what a particular character did with media, etc to push an agenda.

This movie is just too short! A series for a season or two on Prime would be great! Thank you to all the cast. Sorry to say but in the sorry climate of Hollywood these days, you will probably not get cast again for a major film. You all did a great job!

As a devout Christian and a longtime fan of the Left Behind book franchise, I was exceedingly disappointed in this film. I had high hopes for this, but the quality of this film was just bad, even by B-movie standards. The pace of the film is pedestrian at best, it only bares a passing resemblance to the literary source material, and the whole film is essentially just a clumsy and transparent allegory for Kevin Sorbo's viewpoint on the COVID pandemic. I've enjoyed many of Sorbo's other Christian films, but this one was just awful. I genuinely hope they don't try to make any further Left Behind films.

The Christian Doctrine is more-or-less accurate, but the film's message of salvation is completely lost in the fog of constant political jabs and one-liners that only serve to turn-off anyone who does not share Sorbo's anti-vax COVID conspiracy opinions.

To say I was disappointed in this film would be an understatement. There was so much potential for this film to genuinely reach out and bring people to Christ, but instead, it only serves to solidify the far-right opinions of those who already share the political viewpoints of Kevin Sorbo. But for those who do not share those opinions, this movie will only push nonbelievers away from the Cross by portraying the Christian Faith as nothing but a mouthpiece for the far-right political agenda.

The love of Jesus Christ in this film is horrendously overshadowed by the political petulance of His "followers."

Do not show this film to someone who is on the fence about giving his/her life to Christ - this movie will only push them away.

It's hard to make a noise outside of Hollywood. That's why Kevin Sorbo deserves special respect for making an attempt to reflect on the dark dynamic of modern society through the lens of the Bible. Don't expect huge special effects or an intense plot. This move is for people who are asking questions about ethics, faith and meaning. It wouldn't satisfy either nihilistic atheists or those who are looking for "popcorn" for their minds. But for those who are trying to process what has been going on for the last 4 years with people in the West. This movie summarizes all stories of corruption, manipulation and government bullying in a very condensed plot, which sometimes may feel intense. But it seems like made on purpose. Just relax and don't take it all seriously, watch the arc of the main character who is looking for God.

As a believer in Jesus Christ and in the teaching of the rapture. I would love to give this movie a 10/10, however I can't just be biased, I have to give a review based on being a movie, so here it goes:

The short review:

Best adaptation of the book series yet. Fans of the books will really enjoy. People not familiar with the books will find it a little cumbersome to get into it right away.

The long review:

The screenplay was very true to the books (at least from what I remember form 20 years ago)

The casting of characters is good and the actors all hold their roles very well for the most part.

Pacing was an issue for me. Some parts felt like it was moving too quickly and others seemed to drag. At one point I remember becoming un-immersed in the movie and wondering how much longer we had. But right after that moment the pacing started flowing really well and I was engaged the rest of the way through.

On the cinematography side there are scenes in an office that have a strange filter that feels like looking through a black stocking over the lens and it gives the shots a dark body outline.

On the plus side there are some nice visual and audio effects used to highlight the corruption and spiritual forces when the Antichrist is present and speaking. I thought that was a great touch.

The film also modernizes the story and related elements of the world that is being transformed since the "vanishing" to thing currently happening in our social, corporate and governmental frameworks.

I found a lot of the commentary on those elements clever and appropriate.

While not blown away, I am looking forward to the next movie in this series.

...because it incorporates all of the current events, archetypes of world leaders and technologies into the storyline.

I loved the updated Buck character and the redux of what the Eden Project was all about. It was also nice to see how apologetics was used throughout. There was a balance of action and depth.

The only reason I gave it a 9 instead of 10 is because a couple of the supporting characters were a little weak. Plus, (I watched it at home via Prime) whoever did the subtitles mislabeled several things. Some were important. This needs to be corrected.

I definitely hope that Sorbo continues with the series. I'll be purchasing it if he does!!!