Netflix’s new movie “Leave The World Behind” starring Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawk, and Mahershala Ali dives into the reality of what our world would look like if cyber attacks infiltrated our country.
Based on Rumaan Alam’s novel, “Leave The World Behind” finds parents Clay and Amanda deciding to take their kids to a lovely vacation home where they are met with two strangers who seem to know more than what they let on. The production of the movie was funded by former president Barack Obama, which has created some speculations as to why people think that the Obamas are sending warnings to viewers. The movie goes extremely in depth with the hacking of technology as well as a potential civil war. “Leave The World Behind” can be seen in two distinct ways: an ironic outlook of the modern world, or specific views on race, class, isolation, and how society is unable to come together as one.
Because this movie has recently come to be, there are many modern phrases that had me cringing a little bit. With the term “I’m down for that” and the kids being completely addicted to their phones, it was hard to take the movie seriously. I guess I understand that the movie has a lot to do with the downfall of technology, but it would have been nice if the characters were actually educated with tasks that are non-Wifi related. There were moments where I felt a little uneasy when it came to the ominous music and the incredible camera work. This movie definitely gets a couple points for being a psychological and sci-fi based film. Although there are some “scary” aspects that I enjoyed immensely, it was kind of jarring to think about this horrid event happening in real time.
I will say that this movie was a little too long for my liking and that there are a lot of unnecessary scenes. For the movie being almost two and a half hours long, I often found myself getting bored. As for the ending, I am not a fan. We as viewers are just getting to the good part and the movie ends in a terrible cliffhanger that nobody asked for.
This sci-fi thriller is rated R and is a 6.5/10 on IMDb. So I guess this movie is a hit or miss depending on the genres that you are interested in. Even though the backstory and speculations are interesting, I would be fine if I never saw this movie again.
3/5 stars
