4 of 4

What's Noteworthy
Left Behind: The Movie, which premiered on video October 31 and is supposed to hit theaters early next year, is drawing some superlative reviews from Christian critics. The most expensive Christian-backed film ever, this $17.4 million adaptation of the bestselling end-times potboiler has been called an "exciting and meaningful film" by Preview's John Evans, and "a one-of-a-kind Christian movie that does NOT counterfeit the Truth" by the Childcare Action Project. Ken James of Christian Spotlight says, "both as entertainment and as a catalyst for spiritual truth, it delivers!" But not everything about the film's release is rosy. The movie's biggest publicity to date has been director Vic Sarin and the novel's co-author Jerry B. Jenkins complaining to Entertainment Weekly about the marketing strategy of releasing the video before sending it to theaters. Further bickering between Christians include a lawsuit filed by co-author Tim LaHaye against production company Cloud Ten Pictures and Namesake Entertainment, which Movieguide editor Ted Baehr dismisses as "normal" and "part of the industry," but which hardly reflects well on evangelicals. The early video release also creates a conflict of interest for several Christian movie sites; each of the positive reviews above are posted on sites offering discount pricing on the video. The reaction of the Christian public has been less enthusiastic than the Christian critics. Readers' responses at Crosswalk.com and Christian Spotlight have plenty of quibbles with the movies. Crosswalk.com summarizes that "some viewers rave that the acting and message make it an excellent movie for Christians and non-Christians. Others say the filmmakers have watered down the salvation message and made the plot confusing for those who haven't read the popular book series, and the acting and casting were disappointing." Michael G. Maudlin, executive director of editorial operations for Christianity Today International, says on Beliefnet that while the movie is "pretty good," it's questionable to heavily promote the rapture as a core Christian belief. "This particular end-times scenario is only a hundred years old and theologically embraced by only a minority of evangelicalism's professional theologians and Bible scholars. ... Most lay evangelicals think of the rapture, because of its savvy media saturation, as a doctrine as old and as sacrosanct as the Trinity." Still, most Christian critics encouraged readers to see the film, if not for the story itself, then for chances to share the gospel ("Left Behind is a story that will stir audiences to take account of their own faith and stretch their religious beliefs," says Holly McClure of Crosswalk.com), and for the encouragement of the fledgling Christian film industry (Movie Reporter Phil Boatwright reminds us that "the producers are banking on a groundswell of support from the religious community").

Steve Lansingh is editor of TheFilmForum.com, an Internet magazine devoted to Christian conversation about the movies.

See earlier Film Forum postings for these movies in the box-office top ten: Charlie's Angels, Meet the Parents, The Legend of Bagger Vance, Remember the Titans, Pay it Forward, Billy Elliot, and Bedazzled.

first page |  4 of 4

share this page

November (Web-only) 2000, Vol. 44