First Official Clip for 'Left Behind' Starring Nicolas Cage

When it comes to faith-based entertainment, more often than not, you get the bottom of the barrel as an audience in terms of acting, effects, script, you know...movies. The quality and money behind something like The Passion of the Christ is a complete rarity in the genre. Left Behind feel victim to this in it's original film adaptation with it's star being Kirk Cameron. For those unfamiliar with Left Behind let me speed you up. It was originally a book series that followed several characters through the rapture and seven years of tribulation before the return of Christ. The heavily religious tone of the books kept it's audience mostly to the...well, religious, which is really too bad because the book series, while told through the lines of biblical prophecy, is not at all what you would think as far as being a pulpit disguised as entertainment. The book series delivered a riveting story of war, espionage, and love spanning the globe. Admittedly I only read the first 9 books, I'm sure the preachiness would start to come in heavier after the return of Christ. Still, while reading the books I thought to myself constantly how I'd love to see these scenes playing out on screen...it really could be part Supernatural, part Argo, and part Saving Private Ryan.

As I previously said, the books were already adapted once, with Kirk Cameron in the lead. There was simply no way they would have been able to capture the scale required with a micro-budget. Then it was announced that there would be another, larger scale, more properly funded adaptation. Then Nicolas Cage was attached. Then the above poster was released. You can see where I'm going with this, the first clip had to blow you away. It doesn't. What we get is Nicolas Cage and Nicky Whelan playing Rayford Steele and Hattie Durham, respectively. Phoned in does not even begin to describe what Cage appears to be doing...and Nicolas Cage phoning in is saying something. The two literally seem to be reading out of a book while they talk about Hattie's mom leaving Rayford which they obviously chose to show both 1. That the movie is faith-based and 2. that Cage's Rayford is of the non-faith...ermmm...faith? I don't know, I'll still hope that one day this story gets a decent shot somewhere but unless a miracle happens I don't see that.