The New Left Behind Movie . . .
. . . should probably be left behind. As in left on the cutting room floor. No, I haven't seen it. I'm going on my impressions of the first movie. Hokey. Preachy. Bad acting. Of course, I'm not a fan of the Left Behind book series either. So I know that shaded my view.
But what tipped me off is that Left Behind: World at War (which just "opened" this past weekend) hit America "through an entirely new distribution system that will not only challenge fundamental Hollywood rules but also provide churches with an enormous opportunity for outreach into their local communities. This film will be the first ever to open in churches, not theaters, across the nation." (Agape Press)
Give me a break. First, it's not going to challenge Hollywood or the rules of distribution. And second, it's not the first movie to open in churches. Billy Graham has been doing that since the 1950s with World Wide Pictures. Think Time to Run and The Hiding Place.
It can be an outreach opportunity. But let's not kid ourselves. If it's ministry, it's ministry. If it's entertainment, it's entertainment. Very difficult to straddle both sides of the fence.
Oh, and the final reason I think this will be a flop is that the DVD was released following the weekend "theatrical" release. This isn't challenging the rules, this is the new Hollywood rule - send the duds straight to DVD.
(Note to faithful readers, all 3 of you: Yes, I've blogged this entry before, but that was at the old URL and I'm still migrating each post to blogger. So PBPWMGIFWMY. Plus, for many this post is brand new since my readership has exploded. TTLB says I average 18 hits a day. And not one of them longer than 0 seconds!)
TTLB says I average 18 hits a day. And not one of them longer than 0 seconds!)
ReplyDeleteThat's because your readers are so acute mentally, they all read at astounding rates of speed!
Thanks for the review. I will steer clear of this dud. (I think the original was nominated for a Smithee for crummiest ending).