Left Behind (2014)
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In 1996, following a career of edgy, left-of-center work in mainstream and independent films such as Wild at Heart, Moonstruck, Raising Arizona and Red Rock West, Nicolas Cage won the Best Actor Oscar for his role in Leaving Las Vegas. It’s fair to say, though, that success went to his head, and after spending his money on some pretty wild things, he got in trouble with the IRS. To pay off his debts, he has had to take parts in some... questionable films.
Before I go further, let me make clear that I’m not interested in discussing the theology behind the Left Behind franchise, in either the films or the books. If you know me, you won’t be surprised to learn I think all of that rapture stuff is bullshit, not to mention dangerous, and I don’t want this to be one long rant against organized religion and the charlatans who use it to keep otherwise intelligent people ignorant and passive. I’d much rather talk about Cage. It’s more fun.
Cage, at his best, is an excellent actor who throws everything he’s got into his roles—and yeah, sometimes it seems like he goes way over the top, but give him his due: he’s rarely boring. Fandom Assembled has responded by turning him into a kind of cult figure, with numerous memes and compilation videos and even merchandise.
He’s aware of this and he’s not thrilled about it, so one can’t help but wonder: is he just exploring untraveled paths in acting, a misunderstood genius whose work will one day be truly appreciated by cinema historians? Or has he gone full retard one too many times?
Maybe Left Behind has the answer. Based on a series of books, it’s inspired by the Christian concept of the rapture—God’s faithful being physically called to heaven—and the rest of humanity being stuck on Earth, witnessing everything go down the toilet. Cage, an airline pilot, must safely land a plane full of his fellow non-believers while on the ground, his daughter searches for answers to the chaos.
Cage plays the whole thing straight this time; while his character is flawed, there’s no room in the screenplay for him to be anything other than a normal husband and father, not a vampire or a criminal or a comic book supervillain—and now that I’ve watched the movie, I think this is one of those rare times where he actually is boring! In his defense, though, he talked like the material genuinely interested him. (My real pity is for childhood movie crush Lea Thompson, who has a small part in this too.)
The script does him no favors. It’s The Ten Commandments meets Airport—one big Irwin Allen-style disaster movie with all the cliches you’d expect, and it’s pretty bland. At first it made me think of that Twilight Zone episode where the plane gets lost in different time periods and can’t find a safe place to land, but the dialogue is awkward, and while it doesn’t preach, neither does it explore the concept of the rapture enough to hold your interest. I don’t think we even hear the word “rapture.”
Left Behind has a puny score of 1 on Rotten Tomatoes and it was nominated for three Razzies, including Cage for Worst Actor, but I honestly didn’t think his acting was that horrible. It just wasn’t that interesting. This movie is actually a remake of a smaller-budget adaptation starring Kirk Cameron, from that 80s sitcom Growing Pains. He grew up to become an evangelical Christian, hence his involvement with this franchise. I’m willing to bet his version is worse, but there’s only so much cinematic self-flagellation I can endure.
I think there are Oscar-winning actors who should surrender their statuettes for crimes against film. Cage isn’t one of them. His career turned the way it did only because he blew all his money on crap and got in Dutch with the government. If that hadn’t happened, he might have made more good-to-great films. After his Oscar, he made, among many others, Bringing Out the Dead with Scorsese, Adaptation with Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman, and recently, Mandy, which got excellent reviews. Here’s hoping more such films are in his future.
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Other “so bad it’s good” movies (a partial and subjective list):
Plan 9 From Outer Space
The Room
Troll 2
Manos: The Hands of Fate
Santa Claus Conquers the Martians
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
I suffered through the Kirk Cameron version oh, so I didn't know if I could suffer through the Nicolas Cage version.
ReplyDeleteNow, after listening to your entertaining review, I may have to suffer a bit more.
As far as camp or kitsch value goes, there’s not a great deal of it here. It’s the kind of film that strives to be earnest— because, I assume, the filmmakers believe they’re serving a Higher Power with it. Jordin Sparks is in it and she gets a freak-out moment, but it’s brief. She does sing a couple of cheesy songs, though!
ReplyDeleteI did see this film and I didn't think Nicolas Cage was that bad. I thought he was one of the best things about this film.
ReplyDeleteI loved your description: "The Ten Commandments meets Airport". Brilliant!
I think the Razzies have a habit of nominating certain actors because they’re either someone they like to mock or they have a rep for bad movies, like Cage. This wasn’t a great movie by any means, but not because of him.
ReplyDeleteI think that Cage gives good performances more often than not. I think his choice of films is a little more questionable but I can understand and appreciate him seeking out the different and unusual. But a film that has the viewers invested in the survival of people who are destined to suffer the end of days regardless just doesn't sound like fun. On the other hand, your review was a fun read. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading. Drop in anytime.
ReplyDeleteI've only seen the original Kirk Cameron version of this. I have known about this version, but have not really had the desire to check it out, since my theological views have changed. But maybe I will now just to see how bad it is.
ReplyDeleteI remember when Cameron was poised to be the next Michael J. Fox, but from what I recall of GROWING PAINS, he didn’t have the same kind of appeal. I can still recall Fox in FAMILY TIES—lines of his, things he did. Can’t do that with Cameron.
ReplyDeleteYour first paragraph made me laugh out loud! I'm quite vocal about my lack of patience with Nic and sitting through an entire film - with the exception of GHOST RIDER - seems to be an impossibility. I had no idea that another version of this movie had been made and although I have not seen the Kirk Cameron version, I've heard a lot about it.
ReplyDeleteI admire your benevolent attitude towards Nic and will try not to give him such a hard time in the future. ;-)
Thanks. I wasn’t necessarily going for big laughs with this post, and yet so many of you found it funny. If only I could learn how to do that more often...
ReplyDeleteI have no idea why they remade this movie in the first place--the first franchise got really dated after 9-11, and it wasn't all that good anyway. So it was an odd choice for a lot of people. Thanks again for joining the blogathon, Rich!
ReplyDeleteIf you say so. Maybe they thought they could attract a bigger audience than they actually had?
ReplyDeleteReally good review, Rich! You provided a good explanation for why audiences have gotten so many weak Nicolas Cage movies. Though, to be fair, 'Matchstick Men' and 'National Treasure' are good films! Speaking of Lea Thompson, I also reviewed one of her movies for this blogathon called 'The Cabin'. Here's the link if you want to check it out:
ReplyDeletehttps://18cinemalane.wordpress.com/2020/02/17/take-3-the-cabin-review/
Yeah, he definitely lucked out with NATIONAL TREASURE becoming a big hit. Maybe I’ll take a look at it one day.
ReplyDelete