Over the years, Netflix has entered the blockbuster movie market with big-name actors, big-name directors and massive ensemble casts. Leave the world behind is the next big Netflix blockbuster but it piqued my interest probably more than any other Netflix movie to date specifically because of Julia Roberts. She is typically in a lot of romantic comedies so it seemed really out of her comfort zone to be in this psychological thriller.
The story takes place over a long weekend in Long Island as a family of four look to spend some much needed time alone in seclusion away from the busy city of New York. Amanda and Clay take their kids Archie and Rose to a very luxurious Airbnb. The moment the getaway began, so to do micro events that are warning signs for a much larger problem looming over the planet. The last two cast members to join the story are Father and Daughter, G.H and Rose played by Mahershala Ali and Myha'la. They add a completely new dynamic to the survival film as they must choose whether to trust each other. Each character goes through their own arc and is effected by the events in completely different ways. Some come out stronger than others but in the end, each character must go through a test of self discovery in order to survive.
The film is carried by its casts chemistry, it’s well paced action and high intensity scenes are balanced well with slower more dramatic conversations and interactions. There are many hidden motifs and subtle dangers that are enough to elevate any moment in the film but it also has some of the coolest and cleanest disaster sequences. Is disaster sequences are executed so well because they are keys to the danger ahead.
This is not the first or last post-apocalyptic or disaster film we will ever watch but it is the first one that speaks to the hearts and minds of entertainment lovers. Rosie in the film is obsessed with trying to watch the series finale of friends and it is a running gag throughout the film. It gets a bit annoying but that is the point, kids are naive too larger world problems and Rosie shows that with her constant nagging about the internet while the world around her is burning. The friends references may seem like just a joke at first but they have real implications of the future of entertainment and what life is like without the internet. If I learned one thing from this film its hold on to your physical media because even today, this is something that people are starting to regret with streaming platforms.
Leave The World Behind is an excellent addition to the apocalypse genre. There are a few plot elements that could have been excluded because some are left unresolved but it does not effect the overall viewing experience. The incredible cast and beautiful visual effects carry this film. The constant tension and impending doom looms across the whole film and keep you engaged even in much slower situations.
Leave The World Behind is available on Netflix now.
4/5
Review by: Stefano Bove
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