Leave the World Behind (2023)

Leave the World Behind

• I was very excited for this movie, and I wasn’t let down at all (mostly). Is it flawless? Definitely not, but man I loved this. It was so good from start to finish. Before I start with the main review, I wanna get the complaints out of the way first. The total runtime of the movie is 2 hours and 21 minutes. It easily could’ve been 2 hours and been just as good, maybe even better. There were a handful of scenes that went on for way too long, or had to relevance to the plot at all. I usually like long movies, but sometimes useless scenes just drag it out longer than it needs to be. That was the case for this movie. Just a bit too long for its own good. That’s my only major complaint. My other minor one is how there is no explanation for many things that take place, so you may be left feeling confused and disappointed. However, I actually really like the unknown and emptiness of the ending. It might feel pointless, but I loved it. The whole story is like that. It might not feel like it leads to anything, but it’s very well played out. That’s all I’ll say about the plot, because there are several moments that left me shook, so I don’t want to give anything away. The characters were pretty great as well. I didn’t like Archie, but everyone else was pretty solid. The acting was good, and for me, the spotlight was Mahershala Ali. Ethan Hawke and Kevin Bacon were my favorites as well. I love them both immensely, so to finally see them in a movie together was a huge present for me. Finally, the music was extremely unnerving and unsettling. It had my heart beating quickly in several scenes, and without it, this movie wouldn't have been what it was. Overall, this movie was extremely entertaining and nerve wracking, and I can’t wait to watch it again. I’d definitely recommend it to all thriller fans. Plus, the huge references to ‘Friends’ and Atlanta Braves legend Chris Martin had me screaming. This film is officially Berry Approved, so go watch it now!