Ever since I heard that "Left Behind" was being rebooted and that Nicolas Cage was starring in it, I hoped that it was one big April Fool's joke. It wasn't.
The first two "Left Behind" books were made into three movies from 2000-2005 by Cloud Ten Productions. They were terrible (but not as terrible as the new one). They were so terrible that book series co-author Tim LaHaye sued to get the movie rights back. After a lengthy court battle, he won in 2008. Unfortunately, the deal said that he had a few years to make his own movie and he was not able to, so the original producers got the movie rights back. So they decided to make another "Left Behind" movie, a reboot that made "The Amazing Spider-Man" look like a good idea.
The "Left Behind" movies Cloud Ten previously made starred teen heart-throb turned evangelist Kirk Cameron. Other movies made by the company have starred Gary Busey and Mr. T. But with the new "Left Behind" movie, they decided they were ready for the big league and nabbed Nicolas Cage - the actor who never turns down a role. (Actually, he dropped out of "Expendables 3" in order to star in "Left Behind".)
As a big fan of the books, I felt like I was being pranked as every new detail came out about the new movie. When production didn't start as scheduled in spring 2013, I hoped that it wouldn't be made. Filming was pushed to late summer. When it got to be one month before the scheduled June 20, 2014 release and there still wasn't a trailer, I hoped that the movie wouldn't be released. The release was rescheduled for October.
I looked forward to the movie as much as the average "Star Wars" fan would look forward to George Lucas writing and directing a JarJar Binks movie (which would be a better movie than the new "Left Behind" movie). I started watching it knowing that it was going to be horrible. It was worse. I can't even mention everything that movie made me feel. Just know that as bad as it was for you to watch it, it was an even worse for a fan of the books.
To quote one movie review, "Cloud Ten was sued for making a bad Left Behind movie. The newest rendition of Left Behind is not just bad. It’s act of vengeance on Tim LaHaye for the years of courtroom battles." And now he and co-author Jerry Jenkins are forced to break the ninth commandment and say that the movie is really good and that they enjoyed it.
And so I am, and probably everybody who watched the new "Left Behind" movie are, waiting for an apology from producer Paul Lalonde. Expect another bad movie before the apology comes. Or maybe even the Rapture.
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