Review: LEFT BEHIND, Polite, First-Class Apocalyptic Disaster

So long, suckers!

What's most remarkable about Left Behind isn't that Nicolas Cage is starring in a religious-themed movie about the end of the world, nor is it that longtime stunt coordinator extraordinaire Vic Armstrong is finally directing his sophomore feature, more than 20 years after his debut effort.

No, it's that everyone in the movie is so darn nice.

This kind, patient attitude is perfectly expressed by Cage as airline pilot Captain Rayford Steel. When discussing his longtime marriage mate, Irene (Lea Thompson), whose recent turn toward religion has alienated him, Ray says, politely, "Well, if she's going to run off with another man, why not Jesus?"

Ray is talking with his daughter Chloe Steele (Cassi Thomson), another religious skeptic, who has come home from college to surprise her father on his birthday. But dad is flying from New York to London, so they say their goodbyes and head off to their respective fates.

Ray will find himself the lone flight crew survivor on a plane filled with suddenly-panicked passengers, while Chloe must navigate a world gone insane, all by herself. Before the inciting incident -- which, yes, involves millions of people disappearing in the blink of an eye -- the movie takes its time to set up the characters, most of whom will be "left behind."

In addition to the Steele family, we're introduced to famed television journalist Cameron "Buck" Williams (Chad Michael Murray), as well as comely flight attendant Hattie Durham (Nicky Whelan). They serve as budding objects of attraction for Chloe and Ray, and also fly along with Ray on the intended transatlantic flight. As supporting characters, they balance each other out: Buck remains calm, reasonable, and helpful, while Hattie must choke down her increasing anxiety and distress in order to carry out her duties.

Paul Lalonde and John Patus are credited for the screenplay, based on the best-selling novel by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, first published in 1995. (The book was first adapted into a movie starring Kirk Cameron in 2000.) The script does not shy away entirely from religious issues, but mostly elects to remain vaguely non-denominational. So there is preaching involved, though it's awkwardly, almost apologetically, expressed, with little gray area. Either you're a Believer or you're ... left behind with all the other really bad sinners, I suppose. The book series extends to 16 volumes, so perhaps a movie sequel will explain things further.

For those who, like me, do not share the belief that millions of people will be suddenly transported to heaven, leaving behind a planet in chaos,Left Behind plays in spirit more like Airport (1970), the seminal disaster flick, than any kind of religious tract. In this scenario, characters in diverse circumstances and from wildly different backgrounds are brought together to face a disaster; some will live and some will die; some will acquit themselvesly admirably and some will be exposed as selfish cowards.

So it goes with Left Behind, except that the characters here are so nice that they readily confess their sins without any further prompting. (Of course, they have just seen an apocalyptic event in which millions of people suddenly disappeared, so that was probably all the prompting they needed for a little self-examination.) Also, it's more than a bit odd that most of the airplane action takes place in the spacious first class section, which feels discriminatory toward people of modest means.

Nicolas Cage gives a sincere performance as a sinner who is sorry for the wrongs he has committed. Cage could easily have phoned in the role, which requires a minimum of actorly dexterity, yet he remains a committed performer, even when he doesn't have much to do except to say that he's sorry -- and fly a long-range aircraft all by himself. The rest of the cast is adequate to the task.

That brings us back to my main motivation in watching the movie: the desire to see what Vic Armstrong could do as director. Happily, he makes Left Behind entirely watchable. Even during the first act of the movie, which starts to feel interminable just because we're waiting for the "real" action to get started, Armstrong varies his shot selection and keeps the pace from becoming sluggish. Warming things up with Jack Green (director of photography), Michael J. Duthie (film editor), and Stephen Altman (production designer), Armstrong hits his stride when the action picks up in the second act.

Granted, this is a low-budget apocalypse, with only a modest amount of action. A car crash into a mall, a plane crashing into a parking lot, and the tipping of a school bus off a highway are typical of the small-scale destruction on view. Yet it's well-crafted and handled expertly by Armstrong and stunt coordinator Toby Holguin, providing modest pleasures for those of us who are action junkies.

There is no mistaking the fact that Left Behind revolves entirely around a specific religious belief that will attract some and repulse others. As a disaster movie on a modest budget, however, it's a polite, first-class affair.

The movie opens in theaters across North America on Friday, October 3.