Left Behind III: World at War (2005) Reviews

• World at War proves that sometimes the movie is better than the book.

  thegrimmsleeper2005-10-28

  There have been three Left Behind films based on the first two books, and I have to admit that the films are a great deal better. Many events are changed, but the changes are for the better. Whereas the book is kind of a rolling, mindless narrative that seems to randomly change and has no real structure except the author's random whims, the films have a plot and quite a bit of substance. They've taken the creative characters that Jenkins somehow concocted and made them people much more real than the 2D stereotypes they previously were. The third film, "Word at War", which is based on the last 50 pages of the second book, was much better. In terms of style and narrative - well, Cloud Ten hit it right on this time. There was very little that reeked of "Christian film" here, and that's a good thing. The narrative and style are refined and consistent. The acting is all much better. In particular, series regulars Brad Johnson and Janaya Stephens both turn in great performances. Kirk Cameron is still Kirk Cameron, which doesn't work too much in his favor. His real-life wife, Chelsea Field, has always sounded like she's reading lines instead of becoming the character, and it's really noticeable here. There's a scene where she's trying to seduce Rayford and it just drags on endlessly. Probably the only real cringe-worthy moment of the film. The newly recast Bruce Barnes, played by Arnold Pinnock, did a decent job. Unfortunately, his unfamiliar face at this very crucial moment in Bruce's life really detracts from what should be a very, very pivotal moment in the film. Given the choice I would have preferred Clarence Gilyard, who payed Bruce in the first two films. I was extremely impressed with Laura Catalano, who played Rayford's second wife, Amanda. I was annoyed that her introduction was shorted so greatly - Rayford goes from weeping over his first wife in the previous film to getting married again in the opening moments of this one. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed Amanda - Laura Catalano brought her to life in a way Jenkins couldn't begin to figure out. Her character was a highlight of the film despite her short amount of screen time. The story was put together pretty well. It focused more on President Gerald Fitzhugh (played by the fantastic Lou Gossett Jr.) than on our band in the Tribulation Force. This really annoys some people, but it's an approach I can understand. The events of the last fifty pages of Tribulation Force had no cohesion whatsoever and, frankly, are so earth-shattering that they deserve their own story. And while many people dislike the focus on President Fitzhugh, I found it quite interesting to get inside the mind of one of the most overlooked characters in the series. Lou Gossett portrays this guy as someone who even I would vote for - noble, distinguished, but not afraid to draw his own gun and kick some ass when necessary. His gutsy move at the end - though contrived - worked well for the story and provided a bit of redemption for the character that he lacks in the books. This is one instance where deviation from the books allowed the film makers to craft a MUCH better story. The story finds a biological agent poisoning the Christians of America, who are proclaiming Nicholae the Antichrist of the book of Revelations. It's definitely an interesting, if somewhat sci-fi style, notion that wasn't included in the book. It brings some dignity to the death of Pastor Bruce Barnes, which is the first of many losses the Tribulation Force will suffer before the end of history. But the cure for this agent is so patently absurd, I find it hard to believe it was actually used. While this is happening, we follow Fitzhugh's exploits as he learns his friend Carpathia isn't all he appears to be. There has been some debate on the validity of Nicholae's powers as seen in this film. They're a bit more "Charmed" in nature, with Carpathia levitating the president and smiling when Fitzhugh tries to shoot him and the bullets kill the guy standing behind him. Though the books are never so blatant, this kind of thing isn't unprecedented. Either way it didn't bother me, since I view this particular theological mindset with a pound of salt anyway. I don't buy into the complaints of Carpathia's duplicity - seeing him as more monster than man is part of the progression of the books so it's fitting that we see less of his public face and more of his "evil" face here. Eventually all we'll ever see is "monster". I was glad to see some things being set up for later - Hattie's pregnancy, for example, and the seeds of her own salvation. The ending of the film gives me continued hope for a fourth film. But if they try to recast anyone else - especially any of the remaining 3 original Trib Force members - the series may lose some serious meaning. By the end of the film, we arrive at a very similar position to where we are by the end of the second book: a world at war, a dead president, a pastor-less Trib Force, and with much of the world we knew gone. I would expect the next film to focus a bit more on the Trib Force and continue to progress the overall story. I hope that the improvement in quality continues and especially that they're able to do justice to what is about to become a vast array of characters. The books introduce a crap load of Trib Force members in the coming volumes and doing justice to them all in a 2 hour film will be tough. Hopefully the brothers Lalonde will continue what they've begun.

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• Wow this was incredible

  nator_52005-11-03

  I can't believe how well done this movie was. It was so much better than the books. I can't believe how much better Kirk was in this movie his best performance ever. The story was so compelling I just couldn't get enough of it. This is going to be hard to follow up as it was indeed the best of all three movies. I thought the film had enough action and fx to keep anyone happy and since it developed the character of the president far beyond what was in the books it gave me something extra since I didn't know what was going to happen. The Trib Force had something to do in the movie, they were actively taking part rather than just praying and hiding. Way to go Cloud Ten and keep them coming!!!!

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• Finally they're starting to get it right

  velcrohead2005-10-26

  I didn't really know what to expect from this direct-to-video release. I certainly expected the Christian basher reviewers to come on full force. They never can stand us to say anything about their stuff, but I'm sure they'll have words to say about ours. Anway, the previous two movies were passable, but nowhere near the quality of the books they were based on. That's not the case with Left Behind: World at War. At the helm this time is director Craig R. Baxley, whose previous work makes it no surprise that directing movies with suspense, apocalyptic themes, and action should come naturally to him. The movie is directed and edited much differently than the previous two. The movie relies very little on special effects. Baxley's used to letting set pieces and camera angles convey the mood and tell the story of a post-apocalyptic world. It's a lot darker this time around. There's a more palpable feeling of despair and tension as Nicolae tightens his grip over the world and tries to stamp out Christianity and other opposing governments. The action is more grim and gritty, and the film is often graphically violent. Somehow, almost all of the original cast have returned, with the notable exception of Clarence Gilyard (Bruce Barnes.) The trade-off is good though, with Arnold Pinnock taking over Bruce's character. Pinnock delivers the character more believably and was a welcome breath of fresh air. Unfortunately, the character of Bruce won't be able to return for the next film. Janaya Stephens has gotten better as Chloe, and even Kirk Cameron appears to have ratcheted up his game as he pours his heart and soul into his role. Chelsea Noble's back as Hattie. Gordon Currie returns as the embodiment of all evil, Nicolae Carpathia, though he gets very little screen time. I was most surprised to see film vet Brad Johnson return as he seems to be rather busy lately, but I'm glad he did, because no one else really could be Rayford Steele. New to the cast is Laura Catalano as Amanda White, Rayford's wife. Also joining the cast is Oscar winner Lou Gossett Jr as President Gerald Fitzhugh. He is a very welcome addition and brings credibility to the series. If you were hoping that the movie would adhere strictly to the books, you'll be disappointed. That being said, there are definitely connections there, but the movie takes its own liberties. Fortunately, that's not always a bad thing. The movie explores a character, President Fitzhugh, that was glossed over in the books, and spends most of the time following his story. What happens is sort of like a side-trip within the books...something we didn't know about that could have happened in the continuity. Chloe and Bruce get sick off infected Bibles, which brings about the end of Pastor Barnes, which many of you will remember from the book series. The connection between Ray and Hattie is touched on once, but kind of glossed over. Part of the difficulty of fitting all these characters into a 90 minute movie is that a lot of character development gets left out, and some characters just sort of sit like window dressings. One gets the feeling that the movie would've been able to pull it off better if the run time was stretched out to 2 or 2.5 hours. However, the story we do get is interesting and relevant, and it ends up coming off a lot better than the fractured, pieced-together-so-as-to-not-diverge-too-much-from-the-book way of the first movie. And the story is treated as real and taken seriously. The movie doesn't get too preachy either. It references the previous rapture maybe twice. And when the characters are having a conversation it isn't stilted in the manner of the first two movies (they're having a conversation, but you know it's a thinly veiled sermon pointed at the audience.) There's only one person to get saved in this movie, and it's at the end and doesn't feel as artificial as those in the previous two. This doesn't weaken the message though. It makes it more powerful, as the whole movie builds itself up to this point. There are no super-cheesy special effects in this movie (think about the air raid at the beginning of the first) and they left out the cheesy CCM soundtrack this time (think "i know that i will not...be...left...behind..." *shudder.*) All in all, this movie's a thousand times more well done than the others and will appeal to more than just the target audience of Christians. If you don't happen to believe in the rapture and the millennium (many Christians don't,) you can still learn a lot from this movie. There's a great deal spoken here about persecution of the church, and the images here could very well be images of the future prior to Christ's return if the religious atmosphere in this country continues on its current trend. Oppression of religion has been a factor in this world for a long time, and it's very eye-opening to see the portrayal of persecution on our own soil in this movie. Now for the DVD extras. Kirk Cameron fans will be happy to know that there's a "Way of the Master" extra on this DVD that features Kirk and Ray Comfort. It includes a message from Kirk and a portion of their video seminar. Also included on the disc are a couple of music videos, deleted scenes, a technical "making of" featurette, a character featurette, bloopers and outtakes, and an audio commentary. All in all, it's worth your watch.

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• Christian propaganda masquerading as an action movie.

  no-logo2006-08-25

  I first read about the Left Behind series a few months ago and made a mental note to check it out since I have an interest in the way religion is used to control people in our ever more hate filled world, so imagine my surprise and joy when I found a copy of Left Behind : World at War in my local library, nestling innocently among the big budget action movies. Now as a movie it's extremely poor. The acting is straight out of an elementary school production and the "special effects" would have looked dated in the early 90's. Being the third part of a series the story would be unintelligible to anyone who hadn't seen or read about the other Left Behind movies, and even with my prior knowledge it was still pretty laughable. On the religious front, I don't think anyone who wasn't already filled with the spirit of the lord would find anything in the movie to convince them to change their ways. How are you supposed to fear the Antichrist when he's got a comedy Russian accent, and the worst of his powers are some pitiful CGI? However, my main problem with this movie is the blatant attempt to try and dupe people into believing that it's a big budget action movie. Upon picking up the box and reading the spiel I immediately noticed something odd...nowhere on the packaging was there a mention of the true nature of this film. To someone not in the know it would appear for all intents and purposed that Left Behind : World at War was no different from the latest Tom Clancey. Nor, on the copy that I rented did it say anything about it being the third in a series. Considering the whole premise of the series is that the Antichrist has deceived the whole world, I find it extremely hypocritical that the film makers tried to deceive me TWICE before I even got the to counter! If you're so firm in your beliefs then why not be honest about it? The simple fact is, had this not been a "Christian" movie with the built in fan base that goes with it, I seriously doubt it would ever have seen the light of day. If Cloud Ten were hoping that I'd see the error of my ways and give myself to God, I'm afraid to say I would have died of boredom and/or laughed myself to death before I ever had the chance.

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• A great step forward for Christian movies.

  revbmingo2005-10-25

  If you are a fan of the Left Behind series of books or movies you will enjoy this film. I can honestly say that I enjoyed it more the second time I watched it then the first. There are some points in the movie that you have to watch closely to get the why and how of the message. I got it better the second time than the first. I had showed the first two Left Behind movies at my church then showed this movie when it was released so we were excited about seeing the long awaited part three. No one was disappointed. Please watch the movie. Do not let the opinion of someone who has no idea of what the movie is about to dissuade you. I would suggest that you watch "Left Behind" and Left Behind Tribulation Force" first. Why not just call a bunch of friends over, pop some popcorn and have a Left Behind Film Festival. Who knows, it might just change someone's life.

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