Leave the World Behind

The tension is breathless and well-constructed, but since they begin with the dial at eleven, there is nowhere to go throughout the film’s exhausting 140 minutes.

The end of the world is always a valuable thought experiment; it makes us start asking important questions. Alam’s book wondered: “What if?” But Esmail’s movie mostly wants to know: “How come?”

We’re not in control, but Sam Esmail is of his startling, character-driven doomsday story about what happens when there’s the very real possibility everything is about to end.



But “Leave the World Behind” builds slowly to a small denouement, not a big awesome moment, an approach that may frustrate viewers looking for answers. It is best to just appreciate each odd scene for what it is.

America’s sweetheart [Julia Roberts] has sprinted over to the dark side, and it’s a thrill to see what she does with it.

Whatever one takes away from it, Leave the World Behind should trigger conversations beyond whether to hit the “like” button. By that measure, give Esmail credit for a movie that up, down or sideways, makes it hard to look away.

In these times when people see more differences than similarities, it feels important to remember that even when you probably don’t like most people you meet, we are the only thing we have for each other.

a devious film in that it’s just barely mysterious and intriguing enough that you want some kind of explanation, no matter how obvious it becomes that the explanation is going to be incredibly stupid.

The most insolent executive-office musing ever committed to film -- a full-out assault on the nation’s people.

The film has more impossible shots than the Harlem Globetrotters.