Netflix's New Film 'Leave The World Behind' Has Shockingly Stupid Ending: REVIEW
Do not waste your time watching "Leave the World Behind."
I was very intrigued when I saw the first trailer for Netflix's latest major production with Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Kevin Bacon and Mahershala Ali.
It was incredibly intriguing and suspenseful. Who doesn't love a great apocalyptic thriller? I fired it up Friday night, and to call it disappointing definitely doesn't do it justice.
"Leave the World Behind" has a horribly botched ending.
The plot of the film isn't overly complicated. Amanda (Roberts) and Clay Sandford (Hawke) rent a luxurious house in a rural area not far from New York City for a vacation with their kids Rose and Archie. When a blackout appears underway, the home's owner G.H. (Ali) and his daughter Ruth (Myha'la) return looking for refuge. Right from the jump, nobody is sure if anyone can be trusted.
Is the blackout real? Is G.H. who he says he is? Why are there no pictures of him in the house he claims to own? Is everything a setup?
These are questions immediately raised, and at this point, I was locked in. I couldn't hit the pause button for any reason.
"Leave the World Behind" was awesome as the plot unfolded. It doesn't take long to realize the blackout is much more serious than some simple hacking.
The country seems to be at war, and civilization has collapsed.
"Leave the World Behind" is a very disappointing movie. (Credit: Netflix)
It's hard to believe how badly the film went off the rails.
Unfortunately, the final 15 minutes absolutely ruined the movie. Following Clay and G.H. going to rural prepper Danny for medicine for the former's son Archie, it's revealed a coup might be underway.
G.H. reveals a client of his always feared one known scenario the government had prepped for: a mass blackout that is the opening salvo of a coup.
That's not the dumb part. The dumb part is the coup relies on Americans hating each other to do the work for whoever is pulling the strings.
The ending of "Leave the World Behind" ruined the movie. (Credit: Netflix)
The entire point of the movie is Americans hate each other so much that we would all start killing each other at the first sign of trouble. In the closing moments, we see Amanda and Ruth watch New York City get bombed and Rose finds herself in a bunker watching the finale of "Friends" - her only goal the entire vacation.
Netflix had an epic story about a war unfolding, a blackout and civilization imploding for 90%-95% of the film. Then, in the last 15 minutes, viewers get a soap opera about how our differences are being exploited to make us hate each other. The film literally went from being awesome to having a shockingly stupid ending.
Why does Hollywood feel the need to lecture viewers with woke nonsense? Why did a movie that was electric for the first two hours need to end with a soap box speech about getting along? It's incredibly disappointing and stupid.
I really liked the majority of the film, but the ending is just too awful to overlook. For that reason, I recommend you DO NOT watch "Leave the World Behind." Anything would be a better use of your time. Let me know your thoughts if you've seen it at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.