Netflix Dark R-Rated Mystery Thriller Chills With Shocking Reveals

Starring Ethan Hawke (The Black Phone), Julia Roberts (Ticket to Paradise), Mahershala Ali (True Detective), Myha’la Herrold (Bodies Bodies Bodies), and featuring Kevin Bacon (MaXXXine) in a supporting role, from the moment the movie’s call sheet was announced, it was clear Netflix had a hit on its hands. Throw in the fact that Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated creative Sam Esmail was attached as the project’s director, and Leave the World Behind was set up for success from the gate.

Adapted from Rumaan Alam’s 2020 novel of the same name, Leave the World Behind follows a family of four from Brooklyn who travel out of the city for a little peace and quiet. Upon arriving at their home away from home, they’re hit with a string of bizarre occurrences – like seeing an ocean freight slam into the shore and an unexplainable internet outage. As the pieces begin to come together, the family realizes something is happening on the outside – something much bigger than they could ever imagine. 

Just when they think the strangeness is over, there’s a knock on their front door, and a man (Ali) and his daughter (Herrold) are standing outside. They explain that they’re the owners of the house and, because of the technology breakdowns, they’d like to stay at their home for the night – but the other family can stay too.

Over the next hour or so, Leave the World Behind shows the two families – both suspicious of one another – as they’re forced to face whatever is going on beyond the walls of their safe haven. 

Many may recognize Sam Esmail’s name as the creator, writer, and director of USA Network’s uber-popular sci-fi series, Mr. Robot. The director has a knack for leaning into breaking down the barriers between people and showing our own internal prejudices. In Leave the World Behind, much of that is depicted in the strained and, at times, incredibly uncomfortable dynamic between the two families.

As Netflix has been doing with many of its titles in recent years, the studio not only dropped Leave the World Behind on the platform but also gave it a limited theatrical release for audiences to see the action on the big screen. Upon its arrival on the streamer, the movie skyrocketed to earn the bragging rights of Netflix’s eighth most viewed titles of all time, capturing the attention of 136.3 million viewers in its first 52 days. 

REVIEW SCORE

Like many book-to-film adaptations, if you’re a fan of Rumaan Alam’s original novel, Sam Esmail’s take on Leave the World Behind may not be your cup of tea. But, if you’re into sci-fi thrillers that serve as commentary on deeper themes within society, then you’re likely to enjoy the title as much as we did.