Leave the World Behind

Facing the apocalypse in a unique way is not an easy thing to do in movies, but director/screenwriter Sam Esmail takes Rumaan Alam's 2020 novel and turns it into an unrelenting 2023 psychological thriller that captures the current extremist political landscape and isolationist world view with sharp acuity. No one real is explicitly mentioned, but so much of the threat presented in the spiraling plot felt not only relevant but palpable. It starts with a last-minute family vacation in a Long Island mansion and the two strangers who enter their lives. Julia Roberts plays an unapologetically mistrustful woman with familiar conviction, while Ethan Hawke does what he can as her laid-back husband. As the mysterious stranger, Mahershala Ali has to play it close to the vest, while Kevin Bacon has an effective turn late in the story. I could've done without some of the contrived camera angles and predictable music cues, but overall the film got me thinking what I would do under similar circumstances.

People will cry about the ending, but the ending is the best part of the film. I won't go into details but the ending isn't the ending, it's the beginning. How people can't see that is beyond me.

The film is apocalyptic horror comedy essentially. Also a dive into what makes us human and how we judge others but in reality we're just living in our own delusion. It's very meta and most people won't get it. That's fine.

I really liked the tension, the acting, the score and the comedic break scenes (dancing, etc). The other way this film excels is how it uses exposition. They use character, dialogue and subtleties to slowly bring the plot. It's not for everyone but if you like cinema that's not made to be easily digested, you will like it. Well done! 7.3/10.

Amanda and Clay take their kids for a weekend break in luxury home. On The first night, communications break down, and a strange man and woman appear at the front door, claiming to be the home owners.

It's only right that I start by saying, I didn't care for the book, I read it back in January, I couldn't get into it, the film adaptation, however, I rather enjoyed.

We've all seen end of the world films before, it put me in mind of Children of Men, War of The Worlds, The Stands etc, I don't think this is as memorable, or as poignant, but it's worth seeing.

I liked some of the imagery, the ship, the flamingos, and I did like the strangeness, the curiousness of it, at no point do you seem to know what's going on. Teslas at the end of the world, that was funny.

It's so interesting seeing Roberts playing a character like Amanda, I only just finished watching pretty woman, Vivian is sassy, but cute and pretty sweet, nice to see her playing someone a little more unpleasant, I really did enjoy her scenes with Ruth.

That ending.....no comment.

I could watch Mahershala Ali in anything, he's such a fine actor, Ethan Hawke very good also.

I get why some dislike it, and on another day it may have driven me round the twist, but this afternoon, I enjoyed it.

7/10.

Started out with lots of promise for a thoughtful, tense thriller. But unfortunately that didn't come to pass. And unfortunately the ending didn't make up for the thin soup we were asked to digest for the previous hour and a half.

I can't even say the acting was terrific, because it just seemed so . . . Adequate. And the direction was off and on, with some really good moments but way too many closeups of faces just wordlessly. . . Looking.

Bless them all for trying but it just didn't hold my attention. Although I hung in there until what I hoped would be a revelatory and redeeming ending. But alas, no.

Would have made a better series. Some great parts in this film and it has a great cast of actors that somehow keep you watching until the end. However it is very disjointed and just ends without any sort of explanation. Branches of in all sorts of different directions, mini stories shared but not finished. Left with a lot of questions it's like they ended it half an hour too soon. Kevin Bacon has a bit part they could have done more with his character. If you have a couple of hours to kill give it a watch however prepare for the dissatisfaction it leaves you with when the credits roll! 6/10 from me and that's mainly down to the actors.