# A Movie That Might Change Your Life . . . **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 2, 2001, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-movie-that-might-change-your-life/52822 "2001-02-02T04:11:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FriendofGod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ee7513/32.png) [@FriendofGod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriendofGod)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2001, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-movie-that-might-change-your-life/52822/1 "2001-02-02T04:11:10Z")
Tomorrow, the movie “Left Behind” will open, based on the New York Times Bestseller. For those of you who are searching for God, or even if you are just curious how some Christians believe the end of time will play out, I encourage you to take a look at this film. You will see not only a dramatic and engaging story, but you will also see characters struggle with the doubts that plague those who don’t believe. You will see some of them come to terms with those doubts, and others who don’t. Whether you change your mind about what you believe or not, it will make you think, and at the same time you will be entertained by a compelling story. DISCLAIMER: Please read carefully what I wrote. Key phrases: “For those of you who are searching for God”, “If you are curious how some Christians believe…”. In other words, if you’re quite happy the way things are and you aren’t interested in learning more about what Christians believe, this post isn’t directed at you. PS: Hi! This is my first thread since I left last August. I thought I’d at least pop in again and let you guys know about this film, even though I’m sure most of you already know about it. Peace 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![romanticide](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@romanticide](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romanticide)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2001, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-movie-that-might-change-your-life/52822/2 "2001-02-02T04:15:29Z")
I sure hope you posted to this forum by mistake. Doesn’t this belong in MPSIMS? Where’s the debate? ---
**Author:** ![FriendofGod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ee7513/32.png) [@FriendofGod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriendofGod)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2001, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-movie-that-might-change-your-life/52822/3 "2001-02-02T04:21:02Z")
Hey Romanticide, I posted it here because I figured it might fall under the “witnessing” category, and the Straight Dope rules say that all such content belongs in this forum even if it’s not a “debate” point per se. Probably because “witnessing” usually stirs up all sorts of debate! ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2001, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-movie-that-might-change-your-life/52822/4 "2001-02-02T04:26:13Z")
Hey, **FoG**! Where ya been? I’ve got a fair idea what you’ve been up to, though. 😉 Think I’ll skip the movie, but I thought I’d say “hey” before things got nasty. ---
**Author:** ![romanticide](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@romanticide](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romanticide)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2001, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-movie-that-might-change-your-life/52822/5 "2001-02-02T04:31:38Z")
Makes sense to me **FoG** and I applaud you for your foresight. I shouldn’t have been so caustic, and I’m sorry. ---
**Author:** ![FriendofGod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ee7513/32.png) [@FriendofGod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriendofGod)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2001, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-movie-that-might-change-your-life/52822/6 "2001-02-02T04:44:55Z")
No problem romanticide, I didn’t take it as caustic, I figure you were just being helpful 🙂 And yes dropzone you can guess by this thread what I’ve been up to eh? Lotsa time at the lb movie messageboard (not the incredibly dysfunctional lb tyndale board). I am pretty pumped about this movie, partly just for myself because I can’t wait to see it on a big screen, and partly for the potential to cause people to think about their own lives! Good to see you again too. Lol to the “wanted to say hi before it got nasty”! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2001, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-movie-that-might-change-your-life/52822/7 "2001-02-02T04:46:52Z")
I hope the movie is better than the series of novels. The first one was ok, but then it bogged down into a survivalist/government conspiracy/socialist one-worldism rant. BTW: I loved the “Late Great Planet Earth” series by Lindsey. ---
**Author:** ![FriendofGod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ee7513/32.png) [@FriendofGod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriendofGod)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2001, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-movie-that-might-change-your-life/52822/8 "2001-02-02T04:53:41Z")
Hey Lumpy, Well to give you an honest review I will tell you I liked the book better. And the conspiracy end is played up even more in the movie than in the book, but I think quite effectively. Having said that, I will say that _every_ person I’ve talked to who hasnt read the books at all just _love_ the movie, while all of us book fans are comparing it to the books and pointing out all the discrpancies. But after 2 - 3 viewings it really grew on me! You might be wondering how on earth I’ve seen it … it was actually pre-released to video to encourage Christians like me to see that it was a quality production and worth supporting in theatres. Kinda backwards, I know. We’ll see if it worked this weekend. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2001, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-movie-that-might-change-your-life/52822/9 "2001-02-02T04:59:30Z")
Is the “LB Tyndale” sponsored by Tyndale Press? I live near Wheaton, IL, and know some people who work at Tyndale. They need to get out more. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2001, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-movie-that-might-change-your-life/52822/10 "2001-02-02T05:11:22Z")
I can’t wait! I hope it’s as good as _The Omega Code_!! :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![FriendofGod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ee7513/32.png) [@FriendofGod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriendofGod)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2001, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-movie-that-might-change-your-life/52822/11 "2001-02-02T05:23:47Z")
> [@](#): > > Is the “LB Tyndale” sponsored by Tyndale Press? Yup … Tyndale publishes the Left Behind books. Their messageboards were quite dysfunctional for several months but actually are better now. > [@](#): > > I hope it’s as good as The Omega Code!! To put things in perspective, I saw Omega Code and was dramatically disappointed. I’d give it a 1 out of 10. Left Behind is significantly better. I’d give it easily a 6 or 7 out of 10. It still has weak spots and things I wished they’d done different, but it’s not abysmally bad like Omega Code. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2001, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-movie-that-might-change-your-life/52822/12 "2001-02-02T05:25:27Z")
Heard of it? I’ve already seen it, m’man. It was amateurish, poorly paced, absurd, uninteresting, predictable, and extremely preachy. It was a pretty standard religious movie, and that’s not exactly a tough crowd to outshine. I’d recommend watching it only if that were a condition set by the madman holding a gun to your child’s head. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2001, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-movie-that-might-change-your-life/52822/13 "2001-02-02T05:29:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by FriendofGod \* > \*\*it was actually pre-released to video to encourage Christians like me to see that it was a quality production and worth supporting in theatres. \*\* Well, there goes its Oscar chances. ---
**Author:** ![FriendofGod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ee7513/32.png) [@FriendofGod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriendofGod)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2001, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-movie-that-might-change-your-life/52822/14 "2001-02-02T05:39:28Z")
Max said: > [@](#): > > It was amateurish, poorly paced, absurd, uninteresting, predictable, and extremely preachy. Ah, I take it you didn’t like it? 😉 I’ve seen a few reviews like this. It’s definately not for everyone, but the vast majority of reviews I’ve seen have been positive. Enderw24 said: > [@](#): > > Well, there goes its Oscar chances. Yeah, a lot of us griped to Cloud Ten Pictures about that, but it was their call to make. To be honest, while the acting by all the principle characters is _good_, I don’t think any are Oscar-level anyway. ---
**Author:** ![FriendofGod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ee7513/32.png) [@FriendofGod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriendofGod)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2001, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-movie-that-might-change-your-life/52822/15 "2001-02-02T05:54:22Z")
[http://www.movieheadlines.net/default.php3?reviewid=55](http://www.movieheadlines.net/default.php3?reviewid=55) The best paragraph from this review: > [@](#): > > I have to admit I sat down to this film expecting it to stink. I have seen several films based on bible stories or prophecies or Christian novels and they have never held the merit or quality to be placed on the big screen. This one does. Finally, a film made by a Christian based group that appeals to non-believers. Imagine the Prince of Egypt meets Patriot Games and you get Left Behind. ---
**Author:** ![Ankh\_Too](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3ab097/32.png) [@Ankh\_Too](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ankh_Too)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2001, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-movie-that-might-change-your-life/52822/16 "2001-02-02T06:13:21Z")
I think you would have been better served to find a somewhat more marginal quote from someone who would at least sign their own name to the review. > [@](#): > > \*From the **Movie Headlines** [review](http://www.movieheadlines.net/default.php3?reviewid=55) > \*\*Reviewed By: MHN Reader Review > Rating: 8 of 10 \*\* Even the most gratuitous of the “Quote Whores” currently ravaging the movie review business are at least willing to have the review attributed to them. How much credibility can one assign to an anonymous review? ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2001, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-movie-that-might-change-your-life/52822/17 "2001-02-02T06:38:49Z")
I took a look over at the IMDB, where the movie is sitting at a 5.8 out of 10. If you read through the “user comments”, you get the feeling that 5.8 is the average of a lot of 10s and a lot of 2s and 3s. There are two types of reviews–gushing declaration of the movie’s brilliance by people who believe in the Rapture (nearly all say something like “This is really how it is going to be!” or “This movie really makes you think about where you stand with God.”), and condemnation by those who do not agree with the movie’s theology. (Many described it as preachy, but to be fair, some people would consider anything remotely Christian-like as “preachy”.) Didn’t the same thing happen over there with “Battlefield Earth”? I’m curious to see some more objective reviews. As for myself, with “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” finally making it here this weekend, it isn’t high on my list. 🙂 Oh, and welcome back, Friend of God. You’re always welcome. Dr. J ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2001, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-movie-that-might-change-your-life/52822/18 "2001-02-02T08:00:37Z")
Ok, checking the IMDB votes, as of this posting, 279 had voted on it, 106 of whom gave it a 10. Another 75 or so gave it a 7-9 rating, and 31 gave it a 1. [http://us.imdb.com/Ratings?0190524](http://us.imdb.com/Ratings?0190524) Interestingly, all the females over 45 who voted gave it a 10, while the IMDB’s “top 1000” voters gave it an average of 3.8 (these were both from very small samples, though.) –sublight. Can you believe half the students tested below the median? This is unacceptable! ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2001, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-movie-that-might-change-your-life/52822/19 "2001-02-02T09:48:51Z")
Hey, **FriendofGod**! Welcome back! Not really looking forward to this film, but I’ll see it eventually. I pretty much see _everything_ eventually. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2001, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-movie-that-might-change-your-life/52822/20 "2001-02-02T12:07:19Z")
I’ve seen it. Bad acting. Bad script. Lousy plot. And a theolgy that makes you want to start whorshipping some volcanoe God. IMHO. Where’s Polycarp when you need him? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-movie-that-might-change-your-life/52822.md?page=2)