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‘Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist’ Review: Kevin Sorbo Steps Into Nicolas Cage’s Shoes for Sequel, After Rapture of Previous Movie’s Entire Cast

The latest installment in the rapture franchise provides efficient filmmaking at times, but doesn't offer much movie rapture on the way to an altar-call epilogue.

By Chris Willman

Chris Willman

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left behind rise of the antichrist film movie review rapture

If you see just one thriller this year in which a climactic car chase is followed by the director-star breaking character to deliver a five-minute sermon straight into the camera — followed by three more minutes of Mike Huckabee leading viewers in prayer to accept Jesus into their hearts, before the end credits roll — then make it “ Left Behind : Rise of the Antichrist,” the latest in a series of apocalyptic films based on the bestselling Christian book series.

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In this sequel, we’re told the world is quickly going to hell, following the disappearance of all the world’s true Christians, although there’s not much filmic evidence of that beyond the sight of trash bags adrift in the streets on the rare occasions the Canadian shoot ventures outdoors. The chaos is established via CNN-style newscasts conducted by the film’s other leading man, chiseled, cocky TV anchor Cameron “Buck” Williams (Greg Perrow), who, having been established as the one principled newsman alive, starts looking into the nefarious forces trying to seduce and subject the United Nations and entire globe.

In real life, Sorbo is a polarizing enough personality that there could be a few non-evangelicals sneaking into showings for the purpose of a hate-watching. (The actor is so dedicated to right-wing trolling that, on release weekend, he made yet another sneering joke about the hammer attack on Paul Pelosi.) But anyone showing up in search of unintended laughs, because of his participation or because they have fond memories of snickering at no-budget Christ-sploitation movies like 1972’s “A Thief in the Night” at church camp, may be disappointed to find that “Rise of the Antichrist” rarely rises to pure camp.

It sports attractive lensing, dialogue that occasionally has a little snap to it, and even some decent directing of a few of the performances … including Sorbo’s own. That’s especially true in one nicely low-key, church-set scene where the actor performs alongside his real-life wife (Sam Sorbo, very good), both playing characters who lost their spouses in the rapture. His screen presence here has a naturalistic sweetness that feels at surprising odds with the snarky meanness of Sorbo’s social media persona as God’s Angry Man.

Much of the film is spent implicitly or explicitly painting the government’s and news media’s pandemic-era policies or reporting as hoaxes, establishing public fear or gullibility that provided a nice setup for Satan to really do his thing in end-times to come. (In this universe, there’s not even a Newsmax or an OAN left behind to question, let alone own, the libs.)

When the principal antagonist, in the form of Romanian big-wig Nicolae Carpathia (Bailey Chase), finally shows up for what amounts to only about 10 minutes of screen time, we know he’s the Antichrist because a thrilled television reporter tells viewers he’s getting the most enthusiastic greeting of anyone since Obama. (Boo, hiss.) Actually, Carpathia doesn’t appear to have any of the charisma expected of a guy who’s going to seduce the world; he resembles a much more hard-assed Ron DeSantis, crossed with a Bond villain.

Reviewed at AMC Santa Anita, Santa Anita, Calif., Jan. 28, 2023. Running time: 128 MIN.

Production: A 101 Films Int'l, Fathom Events presentation of an Amcomri Entertainment, Stonagal Pictures production. Producers: Paul Lalonde, Michael Walker, Jason Wan Lin, Ed Clydesdale, John Duffy, Kevin Sorbo, James Quattrochi. Executive producers: Paul McGowan, Larry Howard, Andy Lyon, Neal McDonough.
Crew: Director: Kevin Sorbo. Screenplay: Paul Lalonde, John Patus, Jessica Parker. Editor: Chris Bragg. Music: Tyler Bragg.
With: Kevin Sorbo, Neal McDonough, Bailey Chase, Corbin Bernsen, Greg Perrow, Sarah FIsher, Sam Sorbo, Charles Sndrew Payn, Stafford Perry.

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Left Behind Reviews

Cage has little to do but somehow manages to do less with it.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5 | Aug 23, 2023

…Left Behind seems entirely preoccupied with the mechanics of landing a jet aircraft on a motorway rather than any advanced theological questions...

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5 | May 15, 2022

Cage is a practitioner of the Nouveau Shamanic school of acting but here he has dialled it down perhaps out of respect to the religious nature of the material, or perhaps he's saving the wild stuff for Con Air 2: This Time it's Biblical.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Feb 2, 2021

Rather than focusing primarily on the religious aspects, the film mishmashes multiple genres, desperately hoping for a wider appeal.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/10 | Dec 4, 2020

For a film concerning the beginning of the end of times, Left Behind sure is bereft of any kind of tension.

Full Review | Original Score: 0.5/5 | Sep 5, 2019

Left Behind is essentially a bad disaster movie, but I swear to God I've seen worse movies this year, and worse Nicolas Cage movies at that. I can't in good faith tell you to see it, but I'd be lying if I told you I didn't enjoy it.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Aug 28, 2018

The basic premise of the film could have made for an engaging and far-out watch. The very concept of the Rapture could have been depicted with power and mystery, but instead the opposite is achieved in a film that just looks slapdash.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Nov 14, 2017

Overt Christian messages and Cage's omnipresence are not the only reasons why Left Behind is a terrible movie. And yes, it's indeed terrible-god-awful, a less interesting, more convoluted version of the original Left Behind.

Full Review | Sep 21, 2017

This new film is a watered-down and somewhat changed version of the earlier movie with a bigger budget and not much else. There is barely enough undercooked scriptural theology to critique in the vacuous writing and painful acting.

Full Review | Aug 10, 2017

There's no drama. No suspense. No real stakes, even, because most of the movie takes place after the Rapture already happened.

Full Review | Sep 20, 2016

The effects are hilarious, the sets are rinky-dink, and the character names are funnier than a full season of 'Big Bang Theory,' and the "narrative arc" of our heroine is laughably predictable.

Full Review | May 30, 2016

The only prayers Left Behind inspires are for Nicolas Cage's career.

Full Review | May 12, 2015

Ostensibly an exploration of biblical themes, Left Behind avoids any theological debate to revel unsuccessfully in the mass-hysteria created by God's Rapture.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Mar 26, 2015

I never thought I'd write this, but Kirk Cameron's Left Behind, flawed as it is, looks and sounds better in almost every single way.

Full Review | Original Score: D- | Jan 13, 2015

Outlandishly inept in every way, 'Left Behind' is easily one of the worst movies of 2014.

Full Review | Original Score: 0/4 | Nov 9, 2014

My goodness, what on earth is Nicolas Cage doing in this movie?

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/4 | Oct 31, 2014

A very circumscribed, boring thriller that director Vic Armstrong hobbles with a very quiet, non-urgent tone throughout.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/10 | Oct 25, 2014

The first movie made from this material was all about the Anti-Christ taking over the UN. This one's about landing a plane.

Full Review | Oct 20, 2014

I am now relatively certain there is a Hell and it is a darkened theater with no doors showing Left Behind on a loop for eternity.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/10 | Oct 17, 2014

Faith-driven audiences deserve better...

Full Review | Original Score: 1/10 | Oct 9, 2014

Cast & crew

User reviews

Left Behind

Not good but not awful.

mystee_reyne
May 13, 2023

Evangelical Intention Lost in Cheesy Confusion

Oct 12, 2014

I want my money back

louisafontelera

Cage Left Behind by good movies

Oct 22, 2014

Can I select zero stars?

May 24, 2020

When some other people walked out, we 'left behind' them.

Horrible, it does not get any better.

Oct 25, 2014

Basic and Boring...

crimson_knight_7

Soul Sucking

kunalpuri-in

Snakes on a plane - Jesus edition

samuel-a-spiers

Entertaining apocalyptic story

Apr 30, 2020

Not as bad as the reviewers say!

Jan 19, 2022

Rich Movie. Five Aircrafts Involved.

mumufacebook
Oct 27, 2014

Possibly the worst movie ever

orthopodbryan
Oct 24, 2014

It reelly is that bad

the_real_smile
Dec 11, 2020

the worst movie ever

melina-dorri
Oct 28, 2014

You will be never get this time back

jacqui-58006
May 22, 2020

I think god may have walked out on this one

Nov 7, 2014

Can this be the worst movie of all time

serpico-usa-137-946452
Oct 18, 2014

Poof - So bad

arizonacats01
Oct 9, 2014

Very bad beards. Bad timing on the clap along.

jeffreyrobertpilley
Dec 30, 2021

This movie made me an Atheist.

Jan 14, 2019

Not that bad

Jul 13, 2017

Terrible Film - Aviation fails list

Sep 9, 2015

Not as bad as the critics and ratings said

shinsrevenge
Oct 4, 2017

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DVD & Streaming

Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist

Christian , Drama

Content Caution

Left Behind Rise of the Antichrist 2023 movie

In Theaters

January 26, 2023
Kevin Sorbo as Rayford Steele; Greg Perrow as Cameron “Buck” Williams; Charles Andrew Payne as Pastor Bruce Barnes; Neal McDonough as Jonathan Stonagal; Bailey Chase s Nicolae Carpathia; Corbin Bernsen as Steve Plank; Sam Sorbo as Amanda; Sarah Fisher as Chloe; Stafford Perry as Dirk; Braeden Sorbo as Connor

Home Release Date

March 10, 2023
Kevin Sorbo

Distributor

Fathom Events

Movie Review

Thanos didn’t do it this time.

No, when millions of people simply vanished from the face of the Earth on one otherwise fine day, it wasn’t the result of an Infinity Stone-gloved snap . The experts would certainly scoff at that potential explanation. Why, that’s almost as silly (they would say) as believing the disappearances were because of the Rapture .

But if it’s not a Marvel movie and it’s not the biblical End Times, what is it? And could it happen again?

Intrepid reporter Buck Williams aims to get to the bottom of this global mystery. But he’s not getting much help. His boss wants him to stop asking so many questions already.

“The news? It’s no longer about the truth,” Buck gripes to his girlfriend, Chloe Steele. “It’s about the message. As if we’re afraid that [viewers] can’t handle the truth.”

Chloe and her grieving dad, Rayford, are focused on one terrible truth: Half of their family is gone now. Ray’s wife, Irene; and son, Raymie; vanished with all those millions of others. Again, the world has no explanations.

But here’s the thing: Irene told Ray that this very thing would happen. In fact, this very thing was prophesied literally 2,000 years ago. And while the experts say it wasn’t the Rapture, Ray suspects that maybe—just maybe —it was.

But if the vanishings were the Rapture, that means that other, darker forces are at work, too.

The world feels like it’s collapsing in the wake of the vanishings. Violent crime has risen exponentially. Suicides are up tenfold. Stepping into the chaos is Jonathan Stonagal—creator of Eden, the biggest social network in the world. He’s (ahem) generously offered to allow the world to use Eden as a new worldwide banking system—a conduit, he says, to ease financial panic and ensure the world’s citizens get what they need.

All he needs to make that happen is buy-in from two foot-dragging countries: Israel, which needs a Mideast peace treaty in order to sign on; and Romania.

But Romania’s charismatic leader, Nicolae Carpathia, wants some extra-special assurances from Stonagal before he climbs on board.

And those conditions will be a beast to meet.

Positive Elements

We offer a tip of the hat to Buck Williams, a popular cable news personality who returns to his investigative journalistic roots here. He’s unwilling to accept expert talking points on face value, and he’s determined to find out what’s really going on. When a second wave of vanishings allegedly strikes, Buck is immediately suspicious. And his investigations lead to some truly revelatory information. Buck risks both his career and life to bring those revelations to light.

He’s not alone. Buck is joined in his truth pursuit by Dirk, a conspiracy-minded hacker; and Connor, a born-again newbie at Buck’s cable network. All three are willing to go to significant lengths to expose the rotten roots behind Eden, and not all of them make it to the credits.

Speaking of credit, let’s also give some to Ray and Chloe and Bruce Barnes, a pastor of New Hope Church who was inexplicably (but not unexpectedly) left behind. All three had heard about the Rapture well before it happened. Pastor Barnes had even studied it thoroughly. ( Religiously , you might say.) All three—and millions of others—had rejected the truth lurking behind that Rapture, that Jesus is Lord and Savior.

We’ll get into the more explicitly spiritual journeys our protagonists find themselves on in the section below. But here, let’s just acknowledge that it takes courage to admit when you’re wrong.

And while must of the world continues to live in denial, these three, along with a few others we meet, understand that they rejected a truth that they should’ve not just accepted, but embraced and cherished. And by the movie’s end, they and others are determined to follow a new, harder path, and to bring as many other people as they can along with them.

Spiritual Elements

Obviously, Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist is explicitly Christian. It’s based on Tim LaHaye’s and Jerry Jenkins’ incredibly popular Left Behind book series, which itself was based on how many interpret the book of Revelation and other prophetic Scriptures. It’s not the only interpretation—but it likely represents the most popular understanding among many evangelical Christians today.

And certainly, most of the events we see here are intended to point straight back to Scripture. For example: When characters wonder about Eden’s role in biblical prophecy, Pastor Barnes points back to Revelation 13:16-17, which indicates that “no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.” Another example: We hear 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 quoted, where the Apostle Paul talks how during the Rapture the dead will “rise first,” followed by the living. Punctuating that truth, one character digs up a grave of a departed loved one to confirm that, yes, Paul was right. We could point to many, many other instances, but that gives you a flavor.

While Rise of the Antichrist stresses that the bad times are just beginning—we haven’t even hit the hardcore tribulations yet—they’re ramping up. A narrator reminds us, “Jesus told us that the world would hate Christians” as the film shows a vandalized church. “All Souls Matter” is scrawled on its marquee. Inside, the accusation “God is dead” is scrawled on the walls in red paint, and a pig’s head with a crown of thorns hangs on the cross.

“Why do people who don’t even believe in God suddenly hate Him so much?” The narrator speculates. “Because they have nobody else to blame it on.”

But some moments of spiritual beauty take place in the midst of that destruction and persecution. A pastor offers hope and encouragement via video, even though he himself was Raptured. “Whatever you have to face on Earth,” the pastor says, “It’s not too late. You can still spend eternity in heaven.” Several people commit to Christ during the course of the movie, most reciting a version of the Sinner’s Prayer. Pastor Barnes admits, “I may have given up on God, but I’m humbled to know that God hadn’t given up on me.”

We hear other Bible verses read and see well-used Bibles on screen. Some characters, pre-conversion, refer to the Bible as “that stupid book” and its adherents to “religious wackos.” Chloe tells her father, “I’m really not in the mood for church,” and hangs up on him; but a kindly woman manipulates circumstances to bring Chloe to church anyway. A Jewish man talks about his own faith while wearing a kippah, and we hear a few references to the Dome of the Rock, the Islamic holy site sitting where Solomon’s Temple once was. We learn that Solomon’s Temple was originally built right next door—and there are plans (in the film) to build a massive temple on the real original site.

Sexual & Romantic Content

In the books, former pilot Rayford Steele admits that he had a “roving eye” before the Rapture, and we meet the flight attendant upon whom his eye landed.

Hattie visits Ray unexpectedly at his home, wearing a work outfit that reveals her back and a good deal of leg. She wraps her arms around Ray’s neck suggestively, but Ray extracts himself. “What almost happened between us, it doesn’t matter now,” he tells her. “I’ve accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, and you cannot find the truth without Him.”

Chloe and Buck are also dating, but the most physical affection we see between the two of them is an occasional hug or touch.

Violent Content

A man dies in an explosion. Three people are murdered—shot to death. (Guns are fired elsewhere, too.) We hear that one of Buck’s coworkers supposedly committed suicide (though the movie insinuates that that’s likely not true).

Someone is attacked by a knife-toting mugger. The would-be thief knocks the victim down and cuts her arm, and we see a bit of blood. (Later, the victim is told that the cut doesn’t even require stitches—just a bit of antibiotic. We see the wound a bit more as it’s treated.) She sprays the mugger’s face with mace, and he eventually runs off.

We learn that Pastor Barnes was also attacked by the same folks who vandalized his church. He’s lying down in a pew when Ray finds him—not, apparently, knocked out, but nursing a bruised jaw.

We see news clips indicating the world’s chaos and violence—though the most actual violence we see seems to be sequestered to scenes of fires burning in the street and riot police brandishing batons and whatnot. Buck also confronts his boss over horrific footage of people jumping to their deaths being used on his show. We, however, do not see that footage.

We do see the feet of an otherwise unseen character inching to what appears to be a building ledge as the narrator tells us about a drastic rise in suicides. On a news program, we learn that murders have risen by 300%, and suicides are up by 1,000%. (It’s being called a “pandemic of evil.”)

The finale of the film includes a high-speed car chase.

Crude or Profane Language

We hear two uses of the word “h—.”

Drug & Alcohol Content

Stonagal and Nicolae Carpathia sip what seems to be whiskey as they discuss their conspiracy to, essentially, take over the world’s entire financial system.

Other Noteworthy Elements

Rise of the Antichrist has been updated, obviously, from the original books (written in an age before social media was a thing). We hear plenty of references to more modern events, especially COVID (both overt and more subtle nods). And while those more political allusions are not necessarily “negative,” depending on your point of view, they’re certainly pervasive.

When a handful of characters ask Pastor Barnes who or what they can trust in this age of misinformation, Barnes tells them this:

“Trust God. Trust Jesus. Trust the Bible. And for literally anyone else, take what they’re saying to you and weigh it against the word. And then you pray, pray, pray. For God’s help, not to be led astray.”

It’s in moments like these when Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist , is at its strongest—when it leans into the ultimate truth of the movie, and the greatest truth of all. It’s at its best when the characters are on their knees, just like the rest of us should always be.

Rise of the Antichrist has some other strong moments in it, as well. The writing can feel crisp and even funny; it clips along at a reasonably good pace, as a thriller should. And it comes with some pretty decent acting, too. (Neal McDonough, who plays Stonagal, is always a riveting presence on screen, be it in secular or spiritual movies.)

But it’s still a bit uneven. For me, the movie’s socio-political allusions slowed down the pace and felt not just unnecessary, but distracting. And fans of the book—presumably the primary audience for Rise of the Antichrist —may find the movie’s departures from LaHaye’s and Jenkins’ work distracting.

I’d like to see this series continue. The Left Behind books were such a phenomenon back in the day. And because they were written as apocalyptic adventure thrillers, the source content lends itself to cinema. Rise of the Antichrist feels like a modest step up from the Left Behind movies that came before—but I think that future iterations can be better yet.

Paul Asay has been part of the Plugged In staff since 2007, watching and reviewing roughly 15 quintillion movies and television shows. He’s written for a number of other publications, too, including Time, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. The author of several books, Paul loves to find spirituality in unexpected places, including popular entertainment, and he loves all things superhero. His vices include James Bond films, Mountain Dew and terrible B-grade movies. He’s married, has two children and a neurotic dog, runs marathons on occasion and hopes to someday own his own tuxedo. Feel free to follow him on Twitter @AsayPaul.

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‘left behind’: film review.

A big-screen reboot of the direct-to-video, faith-based films based on the best-selling series by Jeffrey B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye

By THR Staff

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The rapture won’t come soon enough for the unfortunate souls forced to suffer through Left Behind , the big-screen reboot of the direct-to-video, faith-based film series starring Kirk Cameron . Essentially playing like a spoof of ’70s-era disaster movies, this adaptation of the mega-selling books written by Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye demonstrates that a bigger budget and a bigger star ( Nicolas Cage ) doesn’t necessarily make ridiculous material any more palatable.

After delivering its first Bible verse within the opening minutes, the film introduces us to its central characters: Rayford Steele (Cage), an airline pilot unhappy with his wife Irene’s ( Lea Thompson ) religiosity; his religion-skeptic daughter, Chloe ( Cassi Thomson ); and Buck Williams ( Chad Michael Murray ), a famous television news reporter who strikes up a flirtation with Chloe shortly before boarding her dad’s flight from NYC to London.

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