Eric Stevenson "Left Behind" was a popular series of books that I actually managed to read in comic book form at first at least. Yeah, they certainly don't hold up looking back. Having seen the awful Nicolas Cage version, this is much better, but it's still a bad movie. That is how below the bar things have been set for my entertainment. I was actually giving credit to Kirk Cameron for making a better movie. Then that same year, he made "Saving Christmas" which was ranked as the worst movie of all time on the IMDb. Hey, at least he isn't as bad here. The first ten minutes of this story seem pointless and feature horrible CGI.It's weird, because it looks like the sequels are actually minor improvements. I recall watching Cameron on "Growing Pains" where he actually seemed decent. He seems to be getting worse all the time. I guess there wasn't anything that offensive in this movie. It's just quite stupid. The movie ends with the villain shooting two people and then brainwashing everyone into thinking they did it to themselves. Shouldn't there be security cameras or something around? Why was Buck (Kirk Cameron) unaffected? We see a scene where a priest actually prerecords a message saying that he knew this would all happen. Yeah, I guess he just didn't want to warn anyone about it. I've heard of religious people who mock this series too. Yes, I am religious (Christian) and this is a poorly done film so stick with the classic Jesus movies. *1/2

Scott Amundsen I've been a Christian for nearly fifty years, and as I do not happen to believe in the pre-tribulation Rapture, approaching this movie as a work of fiction seemed wise. And as it turned out, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.As storytelling goes, it isn't half bad, and the acting is serviceable and even touches the heart or chills the bones at times. By now even those who have never seen it (and wouldn't if you paid them) probably know the basic plot: the Rapture, which is basically the sudden disappearance from the face of the earth of everyone who was "right with God" (meaning of course the sort of Christian who reads the Bible as if it were a "Dick and Jane" reading primer), leaving behind friends and loved ones to muddle about in confusion until they figure it out for themselves.The principle players are reporter Buck Williams (Kirk Cameron), airline pilot Rayford Steele (Brad Johnson), Steele's daughter Chloe (Janaya Stephens), and the Reverend Bruce Barnes (Clarence Gilyard), the obligatory minister who finds himself "left behind" and thus forced to face up to his inadequacies as a man of God.There's nothing inspired in the casting; the characters are stock and the actors inhabit them surprisingly well, Johnson especially (his grief when he comes home and discovers that his wife and son are among those taken is one of the more genuine moments in the whole picture).Since this is taken from the novel by Tim LaHaye, a proponent of the pre-tribulation Rapture, we all know what comes next: the tribulation and the rise of the Antichrist. It's all muddled up with a man in Israel attempting to combat world hunger and the move towards a single world currency (which is never explained; Christians who follow this theology have this particular theory about money but how it ties in to the return of Christ they can never really satisfactorily say). In addition, the nations of the world are declaring peace, which is a good thing, right? Not on your life. It takes a while to find it out but what this world peace really means is that there is no God so no need for any of the religions of the world.The United Nations takes a real beating in this movie; it is painfully obvious that the people who wrote this thing suffer from a xenophobia so deeply ingrained that anyone who does not look, speak, walk, or think as they do is at the very least suspicious and probably headed for the lake of fire.As for the Antichrist, this is where the movie slips, and slips badly. He arrives in the form of Nicolae Carpathia (Gordon Currie), a rather blank-faced man with a pronounced Russian accent. (Well of COURSE it would be Russian; remember those damn Commies??) The scenes in which Currie appears are the silliest ones in the film and frankly he comes across as comic relief most of the time.The film doesn't really end; the credits just roll. Two more films followed this one and they're all fun to watch if you do not take them too seriously.Haven't seen the remake yet (Good God, Nicolas Cage must have been desperate for money), but I'll review it when I do.

Arthur Vandelay This comedy tries to have all the gravitas of the 1978 film Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! to offset the insane premise the script offers up, but fails to deliver. This is due to the weak script, which both fails in dialog and plot, as well as acting that would put community theatre to shame.In a movie like this you need Shatner-esque levels of scenery chewing overacting in a lead, something that a washed up 1980s sitcom star cannot deliver.If the writing and acting isn't bad enough the cinematography and editing are amateur at best. Was this shot and edited by interns working for college credit and meals? It seems like it.All of that coupled with an absurdest script, which apparently is based on two best selling fiction books, makes this train wreck of a film not even worth the camp value for comedy.Apparently this is supposed to be some sort of cult film, but it seems more like a film produced by a cult.If you want to watch an absurd comedy watch the cult movie they were apparently trying to shoot for - Attack of the Killer Tomatoes!

Uriah43 A television news correspondent by the name of "Buck Williams" (Kirk Cameron) just happens to be outside of Jerusalem when some neighboring countries launch a surprise air attack on Israel. Just when it looks like Israel is doomed as a nation the attacking jets mysteriously explode in mid-air. And as luck would have it Buck is able to get the whole thing on film. Not long afterward he boards an airplane and during the course of the flight passengers suddenly disappear off of it. It soon becomes apparent that this is not an isolated occurrence as millions of people all over the world have also disappeared without a trace. Now, what has just transpired is an event dubbed by certain fundamentalist Christians as "the Rapture". What soon follows is a hell-on-earth scenario called "the Tribulation". At least that is what some Christians believe is going to happen. Anyway, as far as movies pertaining to this specific subject I believe that this is one of the best. What I liked about it was that it did more than just adhere to the book—it put life into it. In that regard, the people in casting did an incredible job of assigning the right actors to play certain characters. Specifically, Brad Johnson (as the pilot "Rayford Steele"), Gordon Currie (as "Nicolae Carpathia"), Chelsea Noble ("Hattie Durham"), Janaya Stephens ("Chloe Steele") and of course the aforementioned Kirk Cameron. You probably have to have read the book to fully understand how perfect these actors fit their roles. Now, that is not to say that the acting was all that great because it clearly wasn't. Likewise, those who don't agree with or understand the views of this specific sect of Christianity probably won't fully appreciate the nuances of this film either. Personally, I don't necessarily agree with some of these interpretations. Additionally, although I read the book I didn't think it was well-written at all. If anything I thought the characters in the book were rather dull and hollow. And that's the reason I thought the actors in this film invigorated it so much. But that's probably just me. In any case, this film is not about science-fiction. It's a film about Biblical prophecy which was intended for a certain segment of Christianity and doubles as an evangelical message to everyone else. That being the case, I think to fully appreciate this movie a person has to have a little understanding of what it's all about. Above average.