Remanescentes: Esquecidos por Deus

A-Z Horror Movie of the Day..."The Remaining" (PG-13 - 2014 - DVD)

Sub-Genre: POV/Paranormal My Score: 5.4

Cast=4 Acting=4 Plot=8 Ending=4 Story=6 Scare=5 Jump=3 F/X=7 POV=7 Creep=6

Friends gather at a wedding, but the celebration is shattered by terrifying apocalyptic events forcing them to examine life, love and faith as they must choose between redemption and survival.

"I shouldn't be here. I went to Church...I did everything right." So they combine a disaster movie with the rapture and make it found footage...seems like an intense movie. I saw a lot of promise and the POV stuff was solid...I think the acting and the ending killed it for me. So when I hit eject on my player, I could only give it a meh. It's not a horrible watch...just not one to hunt for.

It's wedding day for Skylar (Alexa Vega) and Dan (Bryan Dechart). Suddenly, multitudes of seemingly random people drop dead. The couple and others make their way in this apocalyptic world.

This is a horror movie for Christians. The Rapture is their favorite horror subject matter. I do like that the Rapture happens multiple times and the earlier appearances of the Dementors. Multiple Raptures allow for drama in the discovery and holds out the potential for escape. The first Dementor attack is solid horror. Sadly, the Dementors are not good CGI which culminates with a laughable Dementor-filled world which looks so cheap. Quite frankly, the Christian part of the horror movie is too preachy. I guess that they just can't help it. The best Christian films don't hit the nail on the head so hard.

Unlike others I did know this was a Christian film company before I watched it. Saw and joined the FB page awhile back and have been looking forward to seeing it for awhile. Let me state I am not a practicing Christian. I have some background though and know the book of Revelations. In fact I used to say it would make a great horror movie.

I was impressed by the movie as a whole. There was a bit of preachiness to it but I mean it's a movie based on a book of the bible, how could it not be preachy?? I didn't expect to recognize any of the actors, figure they would draw from some secret database of Christian actors so I was surprise to see Alexa Vega (Repo/Devils Carnival) and the kid who played Aaron on Vampire Diaries. They both did well as did the other actors. Much better then I expected. As for the writing there were a few times something felt off but how can I fault the writer, I mean it was god right? I guess they had to condense for the length of a movie because if I remember right all this happens in 7 years of trials & tribulations in the bible. Also thought a nice touch would have been the survivors having to accept a mark in order to get food and supplies. Overall though it held together and kept me entertained. Judging it as a "Christian Horror" I'd give it a 9/10 because it's much better done and less preachy then anything else claiming that title. Judging just as a Horror or Disaster movie I'd give it a 6/10 so I'm going to average it out and say 7.5

An 'iPhone is a central character', 'found footage', 'shaky cam' attempt at the rapture. I personally derive nothing from the subject matter being a devout Athiest, so I treated it for what is was: a work of science fiction. I suggest however you attempt to view through the (luckily) few 'christian product placement' moments and you might actually enjoy it without too much cringing. Unfortunately this movie is peppered with the clichés of its genre and offers nothing new. 'Noah', 'Left Behind' and others; cinema is the new church and you are the unwitting participant in Bible study Hollywood style. Rant aside, The Remaining might appeal whether you're a believer with an express ticket to bliss, or overlooked with the rest of us poor saps.

It was the wedding day of Dan and Skylar. Their best friends were all there: the best man Jack, the maid of honor Allison, and the photographer Tommy. Everything was going on perfectly until suddenly, a lot of people suddenly dropped to the floor dead. This was followed by a series of disasters of such magnitude the world had yet not known until that time, killing even more people.

All five friends survive and seek shelter with other survivors in a church. There they begin to realize what this major worldwide catastrophe was actually the Rapture previously described in Biblical prophecy. As they eventually realize the true meaning of these events, important spiritual decisions will have to be made in order to determine which life they will choose to live.

While this was still very much a B-movie, writer/director Casey La Scala did well in telling the story at a fast clip. The atmosphere of suspense and tension were effectively developed. The special visual effects were pretty good considering this was film with no name actors to speak of. La Scala did well not to blatantly show those supernatural beings which snatched people off to the sky. I must admit though that the shaky camera work did make me dizzy a bit, so I could not keep my eyes on the screen all the time.

Though it was not obvious from the title nor the trailer, this film is actually a vehicle for Christian preaching. The message was not subtle. It is out there for the audience to listen to and reflect on. I do not think I have seen such a horror film with an overtly religious intent. As a Catholic, I did not mind it. However, if you are one of those who do not like religion mixed with their film entertainment, this will not be for you.