Left Behind

When the Christian Rapture comes, millions of people suddenly vanish, leaving behind only piles of clothing and a panicked, confused populace of nonbelievers. Among those remaining are an airline pilot (Nicolas Cage), who loses half his crew and dozens of passengers; and his daughter on the ground (Cassi Thomson), who loses her brother and her mother, the pilot's wife (Lea Thompson). Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins' apocalyptic bestseller was filmed direct-to-video in 2000, and maybe this one should have done the same. The special effects would look less cheesy, the acting less hammy. Director Vic Armstrong and writers Paul Lalonde and John Patus stretch their meager budget by spending most of their time on Cage's airliner, and the results are almost as funny—unintentionally—as Airplane! was on purpose.