Leave the World Behind movie review

This tense apocalyptic drama is now playing in select theaters and on Netflix.

RATING: R

LENGTH: 2 hours 20 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: B

IN A NUTSHELL:

Barack and Michele Obama are the Executive Producers of the movie. Do they know something we don’t know?

The story is based on a book and is about a family from New York that spontaneously rents a home out in the forest when an ominous cyberattack knocks out their devices. I haven’t read the source material, so I can’t speak to how closely the movie stays to the literature. Have you? If so, comment down below about which you prefer: the book or the movie!

The film was directed by Sam Esmail, who also co-wrote it with Rumaan Alam.

THINGS I LIKED:

The small cast is really great and includes Academy Award winners Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, and Julia Roberts. Kevin Bacon is a very good actor and should have received one by now, but hasn’t.
The music is creepy, and filled with tension.
It’s cute how much the daughter in the story loves the popular TV show “Friends.” We all were, right?
While some people may be frustrated with the ambiguous ending, I thought it was perfect.
I’m not a Doomsday Prepper, but my family and I have thought about various scenarios and prepared some things “just in case.” You don’t have to be fearful or go crazy with it, but just be smart about it. Two sayings come to mind: “Better safe than sorry” and “If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear.” That being said, which of the scenarios illustrated in the movie do YOU think could actually happen?
The musical score forces you to feel tension from the very beginning.
With so many countries that distrust and dislike the USA, the possible scenarios that could cause the events illustrated in the movie are countless.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

The film moves very slowly, which might frustrate viewers waiting for something to happen.
There are a lot of unanswered questions.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

This will probably bore older children and possibly frighten younger ones.
Soooo many F-bombs, as well as other profanity, often spoken by kids. I hate that.
A braless girl many times.
We see blood and dead bodies.
Firearms are shown.
People are placed in dangerous situations.
Talk of Iran wanting to kill all Americans, as well as China and/or North Korea as a political threat.

THEMES:

Emergency Preparedness
Terrorism
Fear
Trust
Helping others
Protecting one’s own
Hopelessness
American culture and society
Racism
Unknowing
The unrealistic feeling of being in control
The destruction of a country

FUNNY LINES:

None. This is a serious drama.

INTERESTING LINES:

“What do you get for being so angry all the time?” – Ruth Scott (Myha’la Herrold)
“When the world doesn’t make any sense, I can still do what’s rational, which is protect my own.” – Danny (Kevin Bacon)
“I have no idea what I am supposed to do right now. I can barely do anything without my cell phone and my GPS. I am a useless man.” – Clay Sandford (Ethan Hawke)