Agreed. I liked the ending too as it meant I didn’t have to watch the movie anymore. What a waste of 2:20.
MOVIE: Leave The World Behind
- Thread starter SolterraCyclone
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Ended up watching it tonight, I kind of fell in the "meh" bucket. Great acting, and a cool atmosphere to it. Felt like a realistic way that a total blackout could go down. Wish they had a story to tell in it that matched those cool ideas, it really just kind of laid there for a lot of the movie. So many things happen that have zero bearing on the little bit of story that's there.
Don't understand the "it didn't have an ending" posts though.
Don't understand the "it didn't have an ending" posts though.
It leaves a little bit up to you but they lay out what's happening with the dads convo in the car and then ended with the girl finding the incredibly convenient perfect bunker for them to hang out in. It's completely unearned so it doesn't feel great, maybe that's what people are getting at?
I think it was more there were several open plot lines, including the penultimate scene, that were left unresolved or unexplained. And then the movie just stops. I get the message of the last scene, but it didn’t really constitute an ending.
The two dads in the penultimate scene said they were headed to the bunker (where the daughter conveniently was). So…. Did they go?
Did the son get better? And why was he ill in the first place?
What did Julia Roberts and the daughter do after they saw NYC being attacked? That scene is the last we see of them.
What was going on with the animals? Why were all the deer herding around the house?
What is the significance of the shed?
Where were the Huxleys and Thornes? Why weren’t they home?
What was the piercing sound they all kept hearing?
What was the deal with the drones?
Who was behind the attack? (I realize this was intentionally left vague)
I think I could have mustered some satisfaction if even half those questions were answered during the movie. As is though, it was a very frustrating watch
Since the whole thing is about the isolation and confusion the attack caused I like the idea that we know as much as they do about who is doing it and why. And I might be ok with the rest of that list being unanswered if it felt like it was critical to the plot or caused some character growth, or really was important at all. Instead it all just kind of happens and that's it.
It's how I feel about a lot of big budget Netflix stuff. Great actors, great ideas, mediocre story.
I absolutely HATE vague endings but agree with her on this one exception.
I think in this case, the whole point of the ending is that in this scenario, nobody would have answers, thus no answers provided. It was a huge buildup and they certainly could have taken it the way I think 99% of us usually like closure, but somehow I felt like this ending fit the hypothetical. Maybe it was because I knew the ending was going to be vague based on this thread, but it’s probably the only time I’ve ever felt like the vagueness was the purpose.
I had read the book, really enjoyed it, and was looking forward to this. I was pleasantly surprised by the movie. I really didn’t find the movie all that ambiguous. I think it is pretty easy to deduce what happens with the characters in the near-term, and GH gives a pretty good summary of what appears to be happening.
The book was WAY more ambiguous. While I liked the book and am a sucker for that sort of ominous atmosphere building, as well as these types of disaster themes, the book was too open ended for my taste. I thought the movie did a nice job giving enough hints to have a good idea of what is likely happening more broadly, and what the characters do next. Likely if you were going to get any real closure on this you’d have to flash forward.
It’s not for everybody, but I liked it.
The book was WAY more ambiguous. While I liked the book and am a sucker for that sort of ominous atmosphere building, as well as these types of disaster themes, the book was too open ended for my taste. I thought the movie did a nice job giving enough hints to have a good idea of what is likely happening more broadly, and what the characters do next. Likely if you were going to get any real closure on this you’d have to flash forward.
It’s not for everybody, but I liked it.
In season combined fb an bb. One thread is enough. Worst movie stuff. Jezz, almost cave worthy
I liked it. I even thought the ending was fitting.
Yeah and this movie fits in well with idiotic attempts at cinema.
I hope people aren’t as stupid as the folks in this film. I also love the fact that the writers hadn’t heard of HAM radio. Nothing in it is plausible in the least.
KidSilverhair
Well-Known Member
Don’t get this former air traffic controller started on the hilarious impossibilities of the villain’s plan in Die Hard 2. Or the chances of every controller working furiously on a bad-weather night at Dulles suddenly stopping what they’re doing to listen to Fred Thompson give a solemn “stack ‘em, pack ‘em and rack ‘em” speech.
I like to watch it and laugh.
I was really enjoying the first half of the movie - the ‘ominous tension building’ was spot on and really had me engaged.
But I started souring on it about half way through simply because the characters were so thin and the dialogue and interactions so ridiculous. If you’re going to have cartoonish characters and simple minded stilted dialogue, those pair better with simple linear plot lines. The characters were straight out of a soap opera or comic book. To me, that kills the vibe of really thinking about how I would deal with a slowly unfolding disaster. For comparison, I thought the early seasons of Walking Dead did a much better job of developing and exploring realistic characters, im combination with a slowly unfolding disaster.
By the end of the movie, I was s feeling some tension until the very end (I am a parent after all) but the ending actually made me laugh out loud, so I appreciated that.
But I started souring on it about half way through simply because the characters were so thin and the dialogue and interactions so ridiculous. If you’re going to have cartoonish characters and simple minded stilted dialogue, those pair better with simple linear plot lines. The characters were straight out of a soap opera or comic book. To me, that kills the vibe of really thinking about how I would deal with a slowly unfolding disaster. For comparison, I thought the early seasons of Walking Dead did a much better job of developing and exploring realistic characters, im combination with a slowly unfolding disaster.
By the end of the movie, I was s feeling some tension until the very end (I am a parent after all) but the ending actually made me laugh out loud, so I appreciated that.
Just watched it (credits are still rolling) and overall I liked it. Not amazing, but it was entertaining and I don't feel like I wasted 2 hours. The only thing that really put me off was the scene with the deer at the shed.
ETA: I didn't find myself caring about the characters so much, but I usually don't necessarily get into character development. I did think the plot was good and they kept it moving enough with slow build of tension. I'm more of a story person than a character person.
ETA: I didn't find myself caring about the characters so much, but I usually don't necessarily get into character development. I did think the plot was good and they kept it moving enough with slow build of tension. I'm more of a story person than a character person.
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I enjoyed it because it made me think about some things... but was put off by all the things they introduced into the film and then never followed up on at all. That part didn't make any sense.
And I didn't mind the ending that much either because it also made you think about how you thought it was going to end. If they are making you think throughout the movie, why not make you think about how you think it ends too IMO.
This is definitely not a movie for the people that like all the superhero movies out there that just entertain you and don't make you have to think at all. Those are just 'for fun' movies. This movie is not that.
And I didn't mind the ending that much either because it also made you think about how you thought it was going to end. If they are making you think throughout the movie, why not make you think about how you think it ends too IMO.
This is definitely not a movie for the people that like all the superhero movies out there that just entertain you and don't make you have to think at all. Those are just 'for fun' movies. This movie is not that.
My best description of this movie? All the uncomfortable dialog of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf crossed with doomsday storyline of The Day After.
It's watchable and thought provoking but, at the end of the day, neither parts are as compelling as the originals.
It's watchable and thought provoking but, at the end of the day, neither parts are as compelling as the originals.
The characters were not great, and that was all I felt was a detraction of any significance.
But I disagree a bit on how characters act in a disaster vs TWD. TWD by the time we see characters the disaster has been underway and other than Rick they all know that the **** has absolutely hit the fan. These characters have varying degrees of understanding/denial throughout the movie. They don’t really grasp the extent of what’s going on, so there’s a lot of seeming irrationality, but they don’t have a good handle on the reality.
Totally fair points. As I was writing my post, it occurred to me there probably just isn’t enough space for good character development AND dystopian disaster unfolding over a 2 hour movie. The story could probably do better as a series.
