14 DAY TRIAL // Not even a cheeky endorsement from Satan can save Nicolas Cage’s career right now. His most recent movie, the disaster pic / Bible-based “Left Behind,” which sees him play an adulterous pilot trying to land a plane post-Rapture to go and save his daughter, is shaping up to be the worst reviewed release of the year.
Considering 2014 has seen its fair share of bad movies (yes, Kellan Lutz, I’m looking at you and your terrible “Hercules” flick!), that’s quite an accomplishment.
As of now, “Left Behind” has a dismal 2 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes from critics, though it seems audiences liked it much better, giving it an overall 67 percent fresh rating. I assume most of these people are devout Christians who saw the movie and rated it based on its message, not the way in which it actually delivered it.
Critics are convinced that this disaster pic spells the end of Cage’s career, or whatever is left of it. He’s been making silly films for years because he needs the paycheck, but he seems to have hit rock bottom with this one, they say.
And they’re not criticizing it because it’s tackles a religious theme; on the contrary, some even point out that this is one of its biggest flaws, because it seems as if “Left Behind” goes to impossible lengths to go religious until the very end.
As one critic puts it, it’s “a fire-and-brimstone sermon wrapped in the tissue of a bad disaster thriller,” a film so empty, so badly put together and even worse executed, with such empty dialog and poor performances, that it’s almost painful to watch.
There’s always much to be said about critics’ opinions vs. fans’ impressions of a new release, with many a fan often saying that no one cares what critics have to say because they’re not the ones buying tickets. Would you say this is one of those situations? Do you plan on seeing Cage’s latest release or do you believe the (negative) hype and will skip it?
Let me know in the comments section below.
