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Left Behind: World at War Our rating: Your rating:   MPAA rating: PG-13 (for violence) Genre: Religious, Thriller Theater release: October 21, 2005 by Cloud Ten Pictures Directed by: Craig R. Baxley Runtime: 1 hour 35 minutes Cast: Louis Gossett Jr. (President Gerald Fitzhugh), Kirk Cameron (Buck Williams), Gordon Currie (Nicholae Carpathia), Chloe Steele (Janaya Stephens), Brad Johnson (Rayford Steele) Related: Talk About It/Family Corner

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There's a shot early in the new Left Behind film—the third in the series—of a Time-styled news magazine laying on a desk. It's called Today Weekly. I had to chuckle at this self-contradicting name, but the problem is I can't figure out if I was supposed to laugh. I don't know if Today Weekly is an intentional clever joke or an unintentionally humorous goofball moment. Such confusion typifies this film, which has several touches of both cleverness and cheese.

Kirk Cameron returns as 'Buck' Williams

The mere existence of cheese in a Left Behind film comes as no surprise to some movie fans. However, excluding a few goofy moments, Left Behind: World at War plays out as an average TV drama. Many times, I caught myself thinking of it as 24—with less action and more prayer time. There's impressive acting, some intrigue, mostly decent special effects, and good themes for Christian discussion.

In this episode of the Left Behind saga (based on the last 50 pages of the second book), the Antichrist, Nicholae Carpathia (Gordon Currie), has united the world's 172 countries into a Global Community (or GC) that is ridding the planet of dangerous weapons by just asking all the governments to give them up. The only wrenches in the machine are a mysterious militia and an organized movement of Christians who are both sabotaging the GC's efforts. "The militia thinks I'm big brother and the Christians think I'm Satan," Carpathia laments. "Dissenters sow doubt—the militia does it with fear and the Christians want blind faith."

As the film begins, U.S. President Fitzhugh (Louis Gossett Jr.) is tired of these rebels "who can't stand peace." A loyal supporter of Carpathia, the prez is frustrated that weapons keep disappearing from U.S. stockpiles before they can be turned over to the GC. But soon, he sees there is more than meets the eye about Carpathia, and that he's made a grave error in judgment and leadership.

Louis Gossett Jr. is impressive in his role as President Fitzhugh

Meanwhile, the series' protagonists are facing a perilous disease mysteriously hitting only the underground churches. Hero Buck Williams (Kirk Cameron), his new wife Chloe (Janaya Stepehens), her dad Ray (Brad Johnson) and pastor Bruce (Arnold Pinnock) have to determine God's will for their lives as a war looms and the sickness spreads.

The plotline involving the governmental conspiracy (comparable to Senator Palpatine's manipulations in the Star Wars prequels) makes for the most compelling component of the film. This could be because this plotline contains the most action, intrigue, and drama. It could also be that, for some reason, all of the best dialogue—and some is very clever—is reserved for the President and Carpathia. Or, most likely, it's because Gossett and Currie stand heads and shoulders above anyone else in the movie (although Cameron too is pretty solid), and their scenes together are powerful. Gossett, a former Academy Award winner, still has his acting chops. In fact, he now possesses a veteran road-tested weariness that fits the role well. And Currie is just downright spooky. I would have loved even more U.S. vs. GC stuff if it meant more Gossett vs. Currie scenes.

Chelsea Noble as Hattie, with Brad Johnson as Rayford Steele and Laura Catalano as Amanda White

Of course, another reason why the political intrigue plotline seemed to work so well is because it stands in such contrast to the film's other happenings. To be honest, following the band of Christians is, well, downright boring most of the time. For starters, Rayford Steele and his new wife are just about useless, yet have many scenes of their own. They pretty much have nothing to do in this movie other than riding around in airplanes arguing with Ray's ex-girlfriend.

Secondly, the movie just doesn't handle faith life all that well. While I respect that this movie shows Christians realistically—in corporate prayer, seeking God's will in decisions, etc.—these sequences start to get a bit tedious because of an apparent desire to show them in complete detail. Scenes of a very godly wedding, prayer meetings and an intolerably long communion need an editor's attention. It's pretty weird that the best moments of a Christian film are those involving the non-Christians. But the good news is that there is an effective storyline involving Buck's attempts to discern God's will for him. Although handled a bit heavy-handedly (I know that I always get a vision telling me exactly what to do as soon as a I pray for direction!), the discussion of Buck's doubts and God's plans is thought provoking.

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