From the DVD box cover:
"Nominated for "Best Movie of the Year", 2003. Christian Beats News! In this post-apocalyptic thriller, three tenacious lawyers are sent to Manila to defend a multi-national corporation; but instead, meet their fate in the last days of the Earth. Great calamities occur while the characters size up the world, humanity, and finally God in this intelligent, fast-paced drama, "GONE". Filmed on location around the world, the movie’s climax takes place in Bataan, near the foot of the world’s largest Cross." (Sourced from GospelDirect.com)
Review:
This is a movie I wanted to like. I had read all of the reviews all of which were positive (at least all the one's on the movies official website) and was sold... I ordered my copy without hesitation. Maybe I was still getting over the so-so release of Left Behind and craving the next endtime classic.
The online trailer (again on the movies official website) reminded me of those early endtimes movies (Years of the Beast, Thief/Night..., etc.) in that it promised to be both exciting and somewhat original as well as scary in a end of the world kind of way. I wondered if this could be A Thief In The Night for the post-modern generation?
Upon receiving my DVD copy of Gone it didn't take me long to rip open the packaging and place the disc in my DVD player. I was filled with the kind of excitement you feel at the beginning of a Spielberg epic and as I pressed play I sat back expecting to be blown away by a low budget chiller/thriller that puts the big budget Hollywood money wasters to shame.
Then the movie started and to borrow a phrase from Because of Winn Dixie... "what on the corn on cob is going on here?" I am still left scratching my head as to why so many people love this movie (just check out the user comments on IMDB.com to see what I mean).
The movie opens with a young ruthless American lawyer, Bill Hampton, who has been sent to Manila in the Philippines to defend a corporation that is being sued for polluting rivers and streams. In a classic film-noir fashion (world-weary narration, a cynical leading man) the movie follows Hampton's journey through the guilt and conviction of serving an evil corporation, the rapture, the chaos that follows (albeit on a low budget over-turned trash can kind of way) and finally his conversion to Christ. Doesn't sound too bad right? Read on...
This is one convoluted messy film. For starters the writer tried to cram way too much into the 75 minute running time; pollution, the rapture, science, faith, action, adventure, horror, a blind Filipino street evangelist... yes, it's all here, but the end result is an eclectic series of vignettes. And it doesn't stop there. The movie's theology is inconsistent, the acting is more wooden than a William Shatner cardboard standee, and the movie quality leaves a lot to be desired, even though the producers proudly proclaimed that they used the same digital movie camera's that George Lucas used on the new Star Wars movies; my DVD copy of the movie was about as good as a VHS copy.
As for the direction... director Tim Chey may not live up to the DVD cover's claim that he's "the Quentin Tarantino of Christian film" but he is definitely the best part of this movie. Some of the directing in this movie is flawless and on par with any Hollywood director. Unfortunately the screenplay, also written by Chey, left a lot to be desired! For instance, an overall lack of depth and feeling, two vital elements that any movie, dealing with subjects Gone deals with, needs. I also had to laugh at the tried and tested "twist" ending that seemed to be ripped right out of the original A Thief In The Night or some tacky 1970's B-horror flick.
Needless to say I was disappointed. I was so disappointed in fact that I vowed I would never again get excited about another endtimes movie as long as I live... unless Warner Bros announced they were going to remake Left Behind with a $100 million budget starring Mel Gibson and Bruce Willis and directed by Michael (The Island, Transformers) Mann:)
I was disappointed with Left Behind The Movie but when all is said and done it's still a good movie unlike Gone. A reviewer on ChristianCinema.com wrote, "I appreciate the effort that filmmakers put into making films, but some films must be considered "test runs" and given up on. This film is one such example." I couldn't agree more.
I absolutely hate giving low marks to Christian movies as I support low budget Christian movies probably more than the bigger budget Christian movies. It's a shame because the scenery and filming locations were awesome and well shot and I can't wait to see what Chey does in the future as he is a very talented and able director. However, I have to be honest, Gone missed the mark for me and on a scale of 1-10 I give this a 3 for effort and 6 for the directing. CSJ