SummaryA family’s (Julia Roberts and Ethan Hawke) vacation is upended when two strangers (Mahershala Ali and Myha’la) arrive at night, seeking refuge from a cyberattack that grows more terrifying by the minute, forcing everyone to come to terms with their places in a collapsing world. An adaptation of Rumaan Alam's 2020 novel.
Directed By:Sam Esmail
Written By:Rumaan Alam, Sam Esmail
Leave the World Behind
Metascore
Generally Favorable
68
User score
Mixed or Average
4.8
My Score
Drag or tap to give a rating
Hover and click to give a rating
Not available in your country?
ExpressVPN
Get 3 Extra months free
$6.67/mth
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
68
69% Positive
24 Reviews
24 Reviews
23% Mixed
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
9% Negative
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
Oct 26, 2023
90
Leave the World Behind enters the stage as one of the year’s best and no doubt will spark massive amounts of conversation. It’s cast helps take viewers on a journey that, while they’ll feel the length, they’ll be so compelled by what’s happening it won’t even matter. Just don’t expect to sleep easy after seeing it.
Dec 5, 2023
83
Leave the World Behind is a smart, compelling take on the end of the world, and proves Esmail is a writer-director who deserves larger-scale projects like this after his television successes.
User score
Mixed or Average
4.8
40% Positive
131 Ratings
131 Ratings
22% Mixed
72 Ratings
72 Ratings
38% Negative
125 Ratings
125 Ratings
Sep 28, 2024
10
I could never recommend watching a movie so highly.
I loved this movie so much to the point that i'm even writing a review, i am shocked to see how many negative reviews there are.
I don't often watch movies as i find it hard to stay concentrated for that long, but i was hooked for the entirety of this movie.
The ending was only disappointing because we (as viewers) didn't get the closure we wanted, but the fact they left us on a cliffhanger almost carries the suspense, even after the movie has finished.
5/5 stars, i couldn't recommend it more.
Dec 1, 2023
80
Esmail's adaptation of Rumaan Alam's 2020 novel adds a playful Hitchcockian spin and the starry cast of Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke and Mahershala Ali to create a psychological thriller about family, technology and life in the 21st Century.
Dec 8, 2023
70
Adapted from Rumaan Alam’s bestselling novel, Sam Esmail’s film is a dreary, harrowing sit—and all the more invigorating for it.
Dec 5, 2023
63
Similar to other disaster flicks, this film worms through oddball characters, takes interest in the disintegration of society, and the tension that arises from disparate people pushed to survive with each other. But Leave the World Behind struggles where it matters most, fashioning real stakes to accompany the turmoil.
Dec 7, 2023
50
After a while, the movie plays like a bulleted list of everything wrong with America — fair enough — but hurled so relentlessly at the audience that you can only assume the goal is for anyone watching the movie to find something they agree with. In the onslaught, the narrative tension dulls into passivity, both for us and for the characters.
Dec 6, 2023
38
Leave the World Behind is a dumb movie disguised as a smart movie, a middling thriller whose decorated cast and tricky camerawork can’t compensate for its undercooked, overwritten script.
Oct 25, 2024
6
Good cast, great camera work, and phenomenal editing/color grading. Too bad it was all for a so-so plot. This movie looks amazing but by the middle you hit a point of sadness/disappointment over what could've been.
Feb 2, 2024
3
Weird. A list actors but poorly written script. What the heck is with all the unnecessary Michael Bay camera moves for ever single basic shot. The characters don't feel believable at at all. The way everyone acts with each other is bizarre. I laughed at a lot of it. Especially the blatant messaging. Like the shirts. Obey and NASA. Bad CGI Deer. The Tesla car attack. Just a weird poorly written movie.
Jan 27, 2024
3
Character interactions not plausible or convincing, thus undermining to attempt to create tension. Poorly scripted, directed and acted, despite impressive cast. In the end, I was embarrassed for all involved in this movie, and regretted I wasted my time watching the whole thing, all the while hoping it would get better, but it devolved and fell flat, with a predictable, trite ending.
Production Company:
- Esmail Corp.
- Higher Ground Productions
- Netflix Studios
- Red Om Films
Release Date:Nov 22, 2023
Duration:2 h 18 m
Rating:R
Tagline:There's No Going Back to Normal
Awards
Golden Trailer Awards
• 1 Win & 6 Nominations
CinEuphoria Awards
• 1 Win & 5 Nominations
People's Choice Awards, USA
• 3 Nominations
