RATING:
PG-13
RELEASED:
(in churches) October 21, 2005
DVD -- Oct. 25
GENRE:
Thriller
STARRING:
Kirk Cameran, Louis Gossett,
Jr., Brad Johnson, Gordon Currie, Charles Martin Smith,
Jessica Steen, Janaya Stephens, Arnold Pinnock, and
Chelsea Noble
WRITERS:
Paul Lalonde, Peter Lalonde,
and André van Heerden
BASED ON THE NOVELS BY:
The Rev.
Timothy LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins
DISTRIBUTOR:
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Please Note
In providing movie reviews on our site, CBN.com is not endorsing or recommending films we review. Our goal is to provide Christians with information about the latest movies, both the good and the bad, so that our readers may make an informed decision as to whether or not films are appropriate for them and their families.
MOVIE REVIEW
Left Behind: The World at War
Dr. Ted Baehr
MovieGuide Magazine
CBN.com
Sony Pictures has decided to take over the distribution
of the Left Behind franchise. Therefore, Left Behind:
The World at War is bigger and better. It plays much more
like a Hollywood feature film. A 21-year-old who saw it commented
on how much better the explosions, missiles, gunfire, and special
effects were.
At the beginning of the movie, the President of the U.S., Gerald
Fitzhugh, played by Oscar winning actor Louis Gossett, Jr., is
siding with Nicolae, whom anyone who reads the books knows is
the emerging Anti-Christ. The Vice President, however, is siding
with the Christian rebels. The Vice President tells President
Fitzhugh that Nicolae is planning to destroy the United States.
Almost immediately, world troops come and try to take out the
President. They blow up a lot of cars and kill the Vice President,
but the President escapes.
Cut to the marriage of our heroes, Buck and Chloe, Rayford and
Amanda. Rayford, played by Brad Johnson, is Chloe's father and
an airline pilot who is the pilot for the world leader, Nicolae.
Buck, played by Kirk Cameron, is a reporter who has found Christ.
All of them get caught up in Nicolae's plan to destroy America.
In the process, Buck leads the President to Jesus Christ, and
the President witnesses to others. Nicolae demonstrates his powers,
but the President is clearly being protected by God.
Left Behind: The World at War is much more of a standalone
movie than the first two movies in the series. Sony's involvement
has improved the quality.
However, it is still clear that this is a serial, like the old
cowboy movies, or a TV series. Therefore, the movie is perhaps
not as satisfying as a truly standalone feature film, with a clearly
defined beginning, middle, and tend. Although the movie moves
briskly and is entertaining, some of the dialogue and acting are
still weak.
The good news is that this movie will revive interest in a series
that actually witnesses to Jesus Christ. The not-so-good news
is that it could have been a little better if there had been more
money poured into it and the writers had given up on the serial
format to tell a more cohesive story.
Please address your comments to:
Michael Lynton, Chairman/CEO
Amy Pascal, Chairman - Motion Picture Group
Sony Pictures Entertainment
(Columbia Pictures/TriStar)
10202 West Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232-3195
Phone: (310) 244-4000
Fax: (310) 244-2626
Web Page: www.spe.sony.com/
NOTE from Dr. Ted Baehr, publisher of Movieguide Magazine.
For more information from a Christian perspective, order the latest
Movieguide Magazine by calling 1-800-899-6684(MOVI) or
visit our website at www.movieguide.org.
Movieguide is dedicated to redeeming the values of Hollywood
by informing parents about today's movies and entertainment and
by showing media executives and artists that family-friendly and
even Christian-friendly movies do best at the box office year
in and year out. Movieguide now offers an online subscription
to its magazine version, at www.movieguide.org.
The magazine, which comes out 25 times a year, contains many informative
articles and reviews that help parents train their children to
be media-wise consumers.
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