LEFT BEHIND II - THE TRIBULATION FORCE

Come and catch "Left Behind II - The Tribulation Force" this saturday 25th March 2006 at 4PM.

For those who missed out on "Left Behind I - The Movie", fret not... Here's the plot to the First Instalment of the Series.

Plot Synopsis: Rayford Steele is an airline pilot whose relationship with his wife has gone sour; she responds by devoting more of her time and energy to the church, while he ponders having an affair with an attractive flight attendant, Hattie Durham. In the midst of a flight to London, a number of their passengers mysteriously disappear, and chaos takes hold as a number of vehicles on the ground and in the air are suddenly unmanned. Meanwhile, Cameron Williams, a television journalist, is pondering the rash of sudden disappearances as he works on a report about Dr. Chaim Rosenzweig, an Israeli scientist who has devised a formula that would make any soil on earth easy to cultivate. However, Cameron wonders if there's more to Rosenzweig than he first imagined when he discovers the doctor is in cahoots with two multi-millionaires who plan to broker the invention to promote their own agenda of international domination.

Some reviews:


Left Behind II - Tribulation Force a great movie, April 28, 2004

Reviewer:

Bob H

I have seen both Left Behind I, Left Behind II - Tribulation Force, and have the entire Left Behind book series. I believe that this is one of the most important series ever. Both movies follow the book closely but not in as much detail. The movies especially Left Behind II - Tribulation Force should be seen after you have read the book for full enjoyment, but is very enjoyable by itself. I really love this movie and hope that the entire series will eventually be put into movie format.

To begin with, one thing has to be made perfectly clear: a novel and a movie are two completely different forms of artistic expression. With that said, I was pleasantly surprised with the movie TRIBULATION FORCE. I really was expecting to totally hate the movie because the book it's based on is nothing more than a glorified romantic novel set against the backdrop of the Tribulation (I think the only reason TRIBULATION FORCE was written was to increase the female readership of the series). However, this movie is better than LEFT BEHIND, correcting mistakes made in that film. Also the filmmakers took enough liberties to make the film much more enjoyable to watch than the book was to read.

The acting in TRIBULATION FORCE is much better than in LEFT BEHIND. Kirk Cameron and Clarence Gilyard were tiers above their fellow performers in the first movie. Their performances still outshine everyone else, but the rest of the cast has developed some acting skills and their characters seem like real people rather than the wooden cut-outs they appeared to be in LEFT BEHIND. The movie's plot is more tight-knitted and not as jumpy as in LEFT BEHIND. The dialogue isn't as cheesy and much of the inexpensive production values are hidden with creative and clever cinematographical tricks.

However, though TRIBULATION FORCE is an improvement upon LEFT BEHIND, the movie makes several mistakes the prevent it from being as good and powerful as it could have been. The mysterious wandering angel was unnecessary and distracting. Her presence isn't justified and there are much better ways that could have explained how Buck visited the Western Wall (a simple scene of praying hands coming together e.g.). The character of Tsion Ben-Judah was highly underdeveloped and the fact that he wasn't a Christian before seeing the two prophets irrated me greatly. Finally, even though the purpose of this film is evangelism, I found that there were too many scenes of witnessing and conversion. The movie would have been more entertaining and therefore reach a wider audience if the only salvation scenes would have been the service at the church and Raymond's talk with his friend.

As a movie, TRIBULATION FORCE is a decent film. It is better than both LEFT BEHIND and the TRIBULATION FORCE novel. The movie is also a better piece of evangelism than the movie LEFT BEHIND. The novice filmmakers are becoming better movie magicians and hopefully if they continue the series, they will again improve in their craft and make a film worthy of showing in movie theatres around the world.

Surprisingly good - much better than the first, March 13, 2006 Reviewer: Troy Heagy (Forest Hill MD) My mom loaned me Left Behind #1 the Movie, and I was not impressed. It felt like a low-budget after-school special & it got a little annoying that characters kept saying, "Here read this book," every 5 minutes. It messed up the pacing and made the overall experience dull. So when I saw Movie #2 I was not expecting much, but it was only a few dollars, so I took a risk. Turns out, it was actually GOOD this time! Perhaps they got a different writer, or listened to feedback from the last movie's audience, but there was far less bible-thumping & far more focus on the battle between good and evil. More akin to what you might find in a Stargate or Buffy/Angel episode. I enjoyed seeing more of "the devil" in this movie, to hear what his motivations were, and why he's seeking to unite the world under one government. Also, I enjoyed the suspense leading up to the confrontation between the Angels & the devil's UN soldiers. Although this movie shows its low-budget roots, overall I still enjoyed it, and recommend it for purchase while it's on sale. (And now I see they have a part 3, which continues the story, so I plan to purchase that next.)

A fine sequel to a low-budget classic!, January 14, 2006

Reviewer:

Engine Joe Eagleson (Rural Arizona, USA)

"Left Behind II - Tribulation Force" picks up right where the first movie left off, with the Antichrist's plans in full motion, and a small group of the faithful trying to figure out how to oppose him. The original cast returns to continue the story, which is as well-acted as the first part, but also a bit slicker, as if the novice production company "Cloud Ten" has hit their stride. Kirk Cameron and Clarence Gilyard carry the movie this time around, as Brad Johnson doesn't have quite as much to do this time around (compared to the first film, anyway).

The tone of the movie is very much like the last half of the first, something like a Christian version of a Clancy thriller, I suppose. That's in keeping with the source material. Of course, it all ultimately serves an evangalistic cause, and in that respect, it seems quite effective. There's enough "meat" here to make anyone think about their lives.