Netflix’s latest apocalyptic thriller has divided viewers with its unique cliffhanger ending, with some complaining it was ‘unsatisfying’ while others praising it as thought provoking.
Leave The World Behind stars Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke and Mahershala Ali, Myha’la Herrol as two holidaying families fighting for survival amid a global catastrophe.
What is initially posed as a mass spree of cyberattacks across the U.S. turns out to be something much more sinister, with even the island’s deer acting up by surrounding the holiday home and staring at its inhabitants.
The film is based on the 2020 book with the same name by Rumaan Alam, and was directed by Sam Esmail and produced by Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company Higher Ground.
The 2 hour 20 minute feature currently has a ‘certified fresh’ Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score of 74 per cent, with an audience rating of 83 per cent.
Netflix ‘s latest apocalyptic thriller has divided viewers with its unique cliffhanger ending, with some complaining it was ‘unsatisfying’ while others praising it as thought provoking
Leave The World Behind stars Julia Roberts , Ethan Hawke and Mahershala Ali, Myha’la Herrol as two holidaying families fighting for survival amid a global catastrophe
After its release to streaming platform Netflix on Friday, viewers have been taking to social media to praise the performances, cinematography and tone of the film.
However, many have complained that the movie is spoiled by its ‘random’ and ‘awful’ ending, complaining that it has ‘no pay off’ and wasted their time.
One person fumed: Whoever decided to end Leave the world behind like that ?? I just want to talk to them alone for a minute… @netflix sort it out’ while a second said: ‘Just watched Leave The World Behind.. Did they run out of money for the end of the movie?! Weird.’
Another echoed: ‘Leave the World Behind just messed with my head, why would they end with the biggest cliffhanger’ while a fourth added: ‘There’s two hours I will never get back. Horrible ending. Unlikeable characters. Netflix trash’.
A fifth viewer wrote: ‘Leave The World Behind is a strange one. Enjoyed the acting, it’s shot well, looks great. The build up is so good, it keeps adding layers and layers of mystery. Until it gets to the end, where it has built up to literal nothingness, no pay off at all really.’
A sixth added: ‘I really need to know what the producers of Leave the World Behind were thinking when they came up with that ending?’ while a seventh said: ‘Leave the World Behind just p****ed me off so bad. Where is the rest of the movie?!’
Someone else tweeted: ‘Who else has watched “Leave the World Behind” with Julia Robert’s released today and been on the edge of your seat throughout the chilling thriller but then just absolutely disgusted of how they ended the movie!’
While a ninth penned: ‘These government conspiracy movies always end with open endings. Leave the World Behind was a great watch but man that ending was unsatisfying.’
What is initially posed as a mass spree of cyberattacks across the U.S. turns out to be something much more sinister, with even the island’s deer acting up by surrounding the holiday home and staring at its inhabitants
The film is based on the 2020 book with the same name by Rumaan Alam, and was directed by Sam Esmail and produced by Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company Higher Ground
The 2 hour 20 minute feature currently has a ‘certified fresh’ Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score of 74 per cent, with an audience rating of 83 per cent
After its release to streaming platform Netflix on Friday, viewers have been taking to social media to praise the performances, cinematography and tone of the film
A tenth said: ‘I’m done with Netflix because why would you end Leave the World Behind like that’ while another chimed in: ‘I think my Netflix is broken why would Leave behind the world end like that??!?’
Another person wrote: ‘So I watched Leave the World Behind, and it was a damn good movie for the most part. The end was wholly unsatisfying though. I sat there thinking I just wasted damn near 2 and a half hours totally invested in this, and that’s how it ended?’
And one viewer raged: ‘Leave the World Behind gotta have the most god awful ending of any movie I’ve ever watched…it was such a super dope movie until that end, yikes’.
However, other fans took to Twitter, to explain that people had missed the entire point of the ending, and that it was a deliberate choice with a deeper meaning behind it, advising viewers to ‘take notes’.
One person praised: ‘Leave the World Behind is overall a pretty good movie. The end, is no joke, top five endings of all time. That was a brilliant bit if filmmaking.’
Another agreed, writing: ‘LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND has one of the best endings of any movie from this year. I’ll leave it at that.’
A third wrote: ‘Stop worrying about the end of “Leave the World Behind” and pay attention to what’s being said.’
While a fourth wrote: ‘People who don’t get the ending of ‘Leave The World Behind’ on Netflix are really gonna struggle if they watch the classic ‘Planet Of The Apes’.’
However, many have complained that the movie is spoiled by its ‘random’ and ‘awful’ ending, complaining that it has ‘no pay off’ and wasted their time
Someone else gushed: ‘Just watched Leave the World Behind on Netflix. Pretty good movie…especially the end! while a sixth added: ‘My favourite part of Leave The World Behind is very easily the very end.’
And a seventh pointed out: ‘The fact that everyone is upset about that ending from the movie Leave The World behind instead of actually LISTENING to what might possibly happening in our future as a reality is the real disappointment here. Instead of being angry, people should really take notes’.
Speaking about the ending, Leave the World Behind author Rumaan said that he found it ‘so satisfying and so rewarding’ that it ends with ‘the particular jolt of humour’ directer Sam is so good at.
Speaking to Variety, he said: ‘It’s sort of self-reflective because he’s a filmmaker. He’s also worked in television, and he’s sort of asserting something about the power of that medium, and its hold over this one character.
‘I say it’s funny, but I don’t think it’s a joke. I don’t think it’s a joke on Rose. I don’t think it’s a joke on the audience. I don’t think it’s a joke on Friends.
‘It’s a reminder that art is kind of a salve. The theatrical experience of watching this movie is so powerful because I’ve had the chance to see audiences respond to the ending three times now, and nobody really knows what to make of it.
‘They’re like, is this funny? Is this scary? Is it really over? And I love that so much.’
However, other fans took to Twitter, to explain that people had missed the entire point of the ending, and that it was a deliberate choice with a deeper meaning behind it, advising viewers to ‘take notes’
Speaking about the ending, Leave the World Behind author Rumaan said that he found it ‘so satisfying and so rewarding’ that it ends with ‘the particular jolt of humour’ Sam is so good at