Rating: 
Summary: The arrogance of Western world Christians
Review: And I say that being a Christian in the USA. First off, this movie stinks. The books are amusing, even though the writing is bad, the characters often underdeveloped, the action off the assembly line and the lines cliche. Not to mention the ridiculousness of this "band of Christian rebels" being able to obtain such high positions in the Anti-Christ's organization. But such is the arrogance and flights of fancy... Second, it was an offense to Jewish Israelis. They could have at least found some people who looked Middle Eastern, instead of just throwing blankets over the heads of some American extras. Also- and my biggest pet peeve of the whole movie. A rabbi in Israel and for that matter, the Witnesses who were speaking Hebrew would not have said Jesus Christ. He would have said Yeshua Ha'Maschiac (the Messiah). Typical Western arrogance that thinks the whole world revolves around our culture, our words, our language, our way of worshiping, our church structure.... If you see this movie and have read the second book, and actually want to see the second book on film- be prepared to be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Sorry, but Left Behind movies could have been better!
Review: Having read many of the novels, Left Behind movies turned out to be very poor! The reason I say this is because of the way that the directing of the filming deviated from the orginal story line. Please don't tell me that these things happen all the time because they do not.
What made the the novels incredible reading was the tension and build up. Maybe if I hadn't read the novels I maybe a little more graceful, however, I did and I felt that in most part, the hashed story line had been poorly directed and implemented. I found more tension in watching the grass grow.
There's a scene where buck wanted to get Ben Judah to visit the two witnesses was nothing like the orginal story line, and worst, when then Rayford turned up with an angel singing amazing grace hypnotising the guards made me feel sympathic to guards! Very poor! I'm a christian, but that doesn't mean that I will pay hard earned money to watch utter non-sense.
I hope that the Left Behind people take note, and get themselves a director who will follow the story line faithfully!
Rating:
Summary: Actors, YES! Movie, NO!
Review: Let me say first that I liked the first movie in a campy, silly sort of way, the same way I liked "Night of the Creeps" (famous for the line, "Is this a homicide or a bad B-movie?")
Second, let me say that I like the actors. I mean, Kirk Cameron's been miscast and his character badly re-written from the books (he's a print journalist, not a tv journalist. Oh: and by the way, live shots take WORK! You don't just turn on a camera and start beaming to the whole world without telling anyone at the office you're about to break into regular programming)! But Kirk is a trooper and does a good job. Clarence Gilyard and Gordon Currie, the best actors of the original movie, are pretty much wasted in this one (although Currie, as Nicolae Carpathia, gets the best special effect). Brad Johnson comes across as the most genuine of the bunch, and Janaya Stephens' character is a vast improvement over the original movie (which was not a bad jumping off point for her).
So the actors did okay given what they had to work with.
My problem with the movie is that they were working with GARBAGE! The writing in the book is bad enough without being given the Cloud Ten treatment. Bleagh.
Let's see, I'm going to take a trip to see a potential girlfriend, but first, I need to take a detour because the anti-Christ is on my roof and wants to talk to me!
I have to show my ID to a security guard, even though he and I are on a first name basis!
I thought the anti-Christ was the Messiah, but a couple of homicidal "witnesses" spouting a few verses from the New Testament convinced me to consider Jesus instead.
I just recently became a devout Christian, but I've got no problem inviting a woman AND HER FIANCE to stay in my apartment.
Sigh.
Not to mention that characters are supposed to meet, but don't; characters are supposed to marry, but don't; characters are supposed to die, but don't.
And by the way, this criticism really belongs to the book, but how CHEESY is "tribulation force" as a name, anyway? No self-respecting group of Christians would call themselves that. As if four schmoes from Chicago are going to isolate themselves from their church and give themselves such a "cool" name based on... based on what, exactly? Cheesy and stupid. They're a circle of friends. Not to be cliche about it, but they are a fellowship. They are not a "tribulation force." That's stupid and self-important and detracts so much from what should be the characters' appreciation for God in Christ.
The first movie was campy fun, an evangelical tool that works well as a conversation piece and little else. This movie was just bad. An earlier writer noted that they did a better job of presenting a Christian message, and I'll agree. They did get that right, relatively speaking. But at what cost? Bleagh. That's all I can say. Bleagh.
Rating: 
Summary: Better Than Expected.
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Left Behind - It gets better!
Review: Left Behind II picks up where Left Behind closed. The plot has been well thought out but it was a surprise to realize that only half of book 2 was covered by the movie. The acting is as good as any I have seen in "Hollywood" movies, Kirk Cameron & Brad Johnson are particularly good in their roles as Buck & Rayford.
A puzzling thing was the absence of Chaim.
Overall, very good dramatic effect. It will be interesting to see how many movies will be done to cover the whole 12 books.
Keep up the good work guys.
Rating: 
Summary: A LIST OF SPECIAL FEAUTRES!!!
Review: Special Features on the "Left Behind II: Tribulation Force" DVD are incredible! Here's the list of extras: -Film Commentary by Producer Nicholas D. Tabarrok and Production Supervisor Andre Van Heerden
-5 Behind-The-Scenes Featurettes
-8 Movie Trailers
-Deleted and Extended Scenes
-Alternate Ending
-2 Music Videos
-Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0
-Full Screen (1.33:1 Aspect Ratio)
Rating:
Summary: Read the book instead
Review: Blasphemy, thy name is Tribulation force. While the made-for-TV adaptation of the book "Left Behind," the first the best-selling Christian Fiction series of all time, took tremendous strides away from the story presented in the book, "Left Behind II: Tribulation Force" is simply god-awful, no puns intended. This quickly made, straight-to-video film wasted its budget on special effects that were questionably needed at best, and whoever cast this dismal display of visual failure ought to take a quick look at an Arab's actual appearance. The same could be said for their portrayal of Israelis, as everyone in the film appears to be distinctly Anglo-Saxon, with the affirmative-action exception of Pastor Bruce Barnes, the only ethnic actor cast in the films (black, even though he is clearly described as a white man in the books.)
From making Buck Williams a TV reporter instead of a newspaperman, to the severe absence of Nicolae Caprathia's importance as a role in this movie, I must say I was very disappointed. We need to see as much of his character as we do in the book to understand the evil we're meant to see that escapes the public. His scenes were too short, and it's sad because aside of Kirk Cameron, the guy who plays Nicolae is probably the best actor in this film.
It's bad. Just rent the first one to get the message. Maybe they'll spend some time on the third installment and properly cast it, but I am not waiting with baited breath. Being a film student currently studying the adaptation of literature to film, I must say this was poorly done. They should fire their screenwriters, casting director, and budget handlers. If it weren't for the director doing the best he could with what he had, I wouldn't have given this movie any stars.
Rating:
Summary: Boring
Review: Most of the problems associated with the Left Behind series were removed from the first movie - but they came back with a vengeance in this sequel. The dialogue is cliched, the action keeps stopping for these sermons, the hamfisted flashbacks bring pain to viewing audiences. Not only are the silly aspects of the book back with a vengeance but annoying details surface in the movie. The character of Rabbi Ben-Judah was fairly mysterious in the book up until he did the Big Speech that Christians have been waiting to hear from Jews for centuries. In the book he's manipulated by the power of Kirk Cameron's faith. The Witnesses at the Western Wall (referred to in the movie as the Wailing Wall) were fairly integral to the first two books. They were slightly silly as they were old time prophets acted like hopped-up street preachers but that was their charm. In the movie they show up once and recite the Gospel of John. And there's some angel character that helps the heroes get to the wall by singing Amazing Grace - a move that reminds me of the end of season two with Angel - the one episode where the demons fall down clutching their ears whenever a character goes past singing (usually "Somewhere Over the Rainbow") But the prophets breathe fire. THat gives it a second star. But there was entirely too much exposition before we got to Prophet-zilla. And Nicolae Carpathia loses his mojo in this one. Hopefully he'll get it back in the third installment - one that has yet to film if the shoddy trailer is any indication.
Rating:
Summary: Better then the first!
Review: Left Behind II: Tribulation Force was 100 times better then the first movie, although I liked both. When I heard that they were making the second movie, I thought "oh it'll be like the first one, I am not going to hold my breath for a great movie" But I was wrong, It was the best Cloud Ten Picture movie that I saw in a long time since, Judgment.
Rating:
Summary: Never buying another Left Behind film
Review: I heartily _DIS_recommend "Tribulation Force" the DVD. The book is excellent. Even better, IMHO, is the Sound and Drama version of it. I enjoyed the first "Left Behind" movie (albeit not as much as the books) okay. So Of course I wanted the Trib Force DVD. Asked for it for Christmas. Got it. And I must say I am NOT Buying movie 3. They changed the story WAY too much, and in ways that don't make sense. I don't understand why they had to have the characters lying their way into their jobs, and then snooping around, etc to prove they needed those jobs. OR even leading Rabbi Ben-Judah to Christ. I like the way it was written in the books better. It felt more legitimate. The ONE thing I did like about the films was the conversation with "Chris" --> I really get the feeling that was true to life to those who do not want to accept Christ. I see the same attitudes around me, that is. And, as a response to the heavy-handedness, Chris thinking about suicide really felt right as well. I wish they hadn't used Chris for this person-- but the scenes worked for me.
|
