Netflix Leave the World Behind (2023)

[Joe Wong]

Title: Leave the World Behind (2023)

Genre: Drama, Thriller

Director: Sam Esmail

Cast: Ethan Hawke, Julia Roberts, Kevin Bacon, Mahershala Ali, Myha'la Herrold, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Charlie Evans, Farrah Mackenzie, Vanessa Aspillaga, Josh Drennen, Stephanie Groves, Pavel Frolov, Kevin Kenny, Alex Barber, Heather Lee, Saif Mohsen, Alexis Rae Forlenza, Erica Cho, Madison Jessica Bennett

Release: 2023-10-25

Runtime: 138

Plot: A family vacation on Long Island is interrupted by two strangers bearing news of a mysterious blackout. As the threat grows more imminent, both families must decide how best to survive the potential crisis, all while grappling with their own place in this collapsing world.

Intriguing! Strong cast as well.

https://x.com/netflix/status/1708814191417500013?s=46&t=CNNqKoOtMypmQgv-_woPmw

 

[TravisR]

Sam Esmail is always worth a watch.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I watched it a few nights ago. It's too long and occasionally meanders, and I found the characters all rather slow to catch on to the horrors going on around them. There was a lack of communication between all of the characters which kept everyone rather uninformed about everything that was going on, but that seemed more a contrivance of the writers to keep things suspenseful rather than anything that would have happened in real life. I stayed to the end, however, and didn't feel that my time had been wasted.

While the movie provided plausible explanations for much of what happened, I definitely don't think it was intended to be a realistic portrayal of a devastating national crisis. Even setting aside all of the stuff with the animals, there's no way that any part of Long Island, especially Nassau County, would have so few people in it.

I didn't have a problem with the lack of communication, because it made sense for me in context. The two families didn't trust one another, so it made sense for them to be a cautious with each other. Ali's character was trying to protect his daughter from the reality of her mother's probable fate. Roberts's character was trying to keep her children from realizing that anything was wrong for as long as possible. And Hawke's character, while friendly and chill, was pretty useless throughout.

Anybody know why originally cast Denzel Washington bowed out? It would have been a nice reunion with Julia Roberts.

I don't know, but I think it was for the best. Washington's so immediately likable and engaging that it would have been harder to understand the suspicion of Roberts's character beyond overt racism. I didn't buy Ali as immediately as I would have with Washington as this titan of finance moving in high-powered circles. But him being a bit more enigmatic and unreadable worked to drive some of the tension, without requiring the movie to be manipulative in how it portrayed his actions.

 

[Walter Kittel]

Broke this up into two viewings, which speaks to a general lack of investment on my part, I suppose. Definitely felt like an extended episode of The Twilight Zone (The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street) or an M. Night Shyamalan feature.

The pacing was a little too deliberate for my liking. I understand it was paced this way to create tension and to the work's credit there was a palpable sense of dread or unease at times. There were times when the pacing undercut the drama by lingering too long on shots, at least for me.

I enjoyed the performances, especially the male leads (Hawke and Ali). It was interesting to see Roberts cast against type as a very unlikable character. The other big attraction of the feature was the cinematography and production design. The Scott house felt like what I refer to as "architecture porn". Just a lovely, luxurious house design that can only make me want to win a lottery just a little bit more.

For the most part, I did like the thematic thrust of the film and its commentary on human nature and the nature of the U.S. in contemporary times. The shots of the Earth from the vantage point of the lunar surface tricked me into thinking that perhaps a massive solar flare or electromagnetic storm was the cause of the chaos that was unfolding. The shot of the American flag was probably intended to drive home the point of what America was once capable of achieving; although if that was the intention it ignores the divisions that existed in the country during the sixties.

I absolutely, positively hated the ending. Were the filmmakers suggesting that during a crisis one needs "Friends"? If yes, then give me a break! For me, the ending felt incredibly silly and just undercut everything that had transpired before. Otherwise a somewhat diverting feature.

- Walter.

 

[Greg.K]

I absolutely, positively hated the ending. Were the filmmakers suggesting that during a crisis one needs "Friends"? If yes, then give me a break! For me, the ending felt incredibly silly and just undercut everything that had transpired before. Otherwise a somewhat diverting feature.

I liked the ending. The daughter was just holding on to what brought her joy as long as she could. I don't think there is anything more to it than that.

 

[Walter Kittel]

Agree to disagree.

You are probably correct regarding the daughter's motivations, but I still think the film makers felt like they were being clever with the ending and it just fell completely flat for me.

- Walter.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

That final beat was a punchline, and I don't think any deeper meaning needed to be read into it.

While the grownups were all worried about the end of the world, she just really really wanted to watch the final episode of her favorite TV show.

 

[Greg.K]

That final beat was a punchline

Ending with the Rembrandts singing "So no one told you life was going to be this way..." was pretty darkly funny.

Also, I think the message of the ending may just be "physical media FTW!"

 

[Richard Kaufman]

An incredibly tedious film.

 

[Lord Dalek]

The big problem with this movie is it sets up a big potentially paranormal mystery only for

Spoiler

Esmail to quickly retreat to his "America Bad!" hacktivist BS safespace that he spewed most of Mr. Robot's equally godawful twists from.

Just a waste of two and a half hours.