Left Behind (2014) Parent Guide

Imagine sitting on an airplane only to have the passenger next to you disappear in mid-flight. That’s what happens on a transatlantic air trip from New York City to London. Understandably the passengers and pilot Ray Steele (Nicholas Cage) are more than a little confused. But unbeknownst to them, things down on earth have gone haywire as well. The instantaneous vanishing of millions of people has left the world in chaos. Unmanned cars crash. Emergency calls for help go unanswered. Navigational equipment fails. Looters storm the stores. And terror grips everyone who has been left behind.

While Ray tries to find a way to safely land his plane and its remaining passengers, his daughter Chloe searches for her mother and brother who seem to have been taken up with the rest of the believers.

This remake of the 2000 Kirk Cameron film is also based on the evangelical novel written by Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye. Like the first movie, everyone is looking for an explanation for the bizarre event. Only those who understand the Biblical prophesy of the Rapture have an idea of what has happened. Unfortunately the script gets a little sketchy about who does and who does not get swept up to heaven. Innocent babies and children are understandable. But things are less clear when it comes to the adults—especially the religious fanatics. From my perspective there were some pretty honorable people that remain. If your views about the end of the world differ from those portrayed in here, you might be a little bewildered too.

From a content standpoint, this end-of-days tale is relatively mild with the worse depictions being the violence that ensues, a robber who is shot and killed, and several large explosions. There’s also the depiction of a drug addict. (She returns to her religious upbringing as the plane is about to go down.)

Personal beliefs aside, this screenplay just stumbles from the get go. Both the dialogue and acting feel stilted, the set-up is unconvincing and motivation is lacking. At least we know why Ray is passed over. The high-flying airline pilot is contemplating adultery.

The biggest flaw however is the unanswered question of what will happen next. Do those left behind get a second chance? Or is it every man and woman for themselves until the last one is left standing?

About author

Kerry Bennett

Kerry Bennett is interested in media from both a journalist and parent perspective. Along with authoring articles for several family-oriented publications, she has written for Parent Previews for over 15 years. As a parent herself, she believes parents play a powerful role in teaching media literacy in their homes.