Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

The Remaining Blu-ray Movie Review

Left behind.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman January 19, 2015

Several years ago, a preacher by the name of Harold Camping, now deceased, claimed to have solved Biblical riddle and discovered the exact date for the "rapture," a term which is not explicitly written in the Bible but that is based on passages that suggest the ascension of believers to Heaven prior to the various trials and tribulations that will besiege mankind as outlined in the book of Revelation. When Camping's predicted date of May 21, 2011 came and went without incident, he revised the date to several months down the road in October of that same year. Needless to say, it appears that the status quo remains even several years after, but it is this notion of the modern-day "rapture" that's at the center of The Remaining, a picture chronicling the immediate aftermath of the event as experienced by a handful of young adults who are left behind when God releases the souls of the believers, leaves their bodies behind, and the world falls into chaos. It's similar, then, to the Left Behind series of films, those based off the books penned by Author Tim LaHaye and starring Kirk Cameron (see also the remake starring Nicholas Cage). This film isn't particularly noteworthy, but it's sufficiently gripping and makes for an interesting "what if" glimpse into the beginning of Biblical armageddon.

The beginning of the end.

It's a day of great celebration. Dan (Bryan Dechart) and Skylar (Alexa Vega) are tying the knot in a lavish blow-out of a celebration. Skylar's parents lament the fact that the ceremony is not being held at the family church, but their happiness seems to outweigh their disappointment. Suddenly, however, her parents drop dead, as do many in attendance. Dan and Skylar, along with friends Tommy (Johnny Pacar), Jack (Shaun Sipos), and Jack's longtime girlfriend Allison (Italia Ricci), quickly come to realize that the world is crumbling around them. Skylar, a churchgoer whose faith was never strong, quickly identifies the event as the Biblical rapture. The group makes its way to relative safety where they meet a preacher (John Pyper-Ferguson) who was not taken and further expounds on what's happened and why. As they fight to survive, they come to understand the truths of their predicament and the spiritual failings of their lives.

The film presents itself as something of a spiritually based Horror/Survival film in which the characters fight to escape various calamities while at the same time slowly coming to understand what has happened, why they were not taken, and what they can do to remedy the situation after the fact. Couple that with what is a mixture of straightforward point-and-shoot third-person filmmaking and the occasional bit of first-person "found footage" style and The Remaining makes for a cinematic oddity that seems more intent on scaring its audience into believing rather than expounding on what it means to find personal salvation in a time when demons aren't literally zipping around the sky but are rather only tempting the body, mind, and spirit from the shadows. The picture follows a fairly generic set of characters, including the preacher who was not raptured, the daughter of a taken couple who is the first to understand what's truly going on (identifying it as the rapture rather than terrorism or alien attack), and several nonbelievers, or those on the fringes, who were also not taken at the moment it all began. The character arcs are predictable and absent much depth, filling a need rather than developing to a greater, more intimate purpose. The film lacks dramatic creativity as well, instead holding on to basic structure while filling the screen with bits of mayhem.

Fortunately, the movie does work rather well on a purely superficial level. Discounting the odd bits of amateur footage and cell phone video, the movie is externally polished and frequently exciting, making good use of what are admittedly stereotypical genre pieces -- such as the plane falling from the sky -- while creating a haunting, believable atmosphere of doom, doubt, panic, and the grim realities that quickly become apparent when the supernatural takes hold and complicates the situation for the survivors. Production values -- sound design in particular -- are hugely impressive for what is a rather small film, helping to create a fully believable atmosphere of destruction and dread in the wake of everything from pounding hail to swooping demonic entities. The movie, then, feels substantially larger than it is, and if the filmmakers could have paired the sensory excellence with a tighter dramatic center and better developed character, The Remaining may have been something special rather than a watch-and-forget oddity of Horror meets Christian cinema.

The Remaining Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Remaining's digital photography, flat and glossy though it may be, translates well to Blu-ray. The image is clean and precise, with well defined details evident not only on close-ups of skin and clothes but also in various bits of damage and debris to urban areas as well as clean, fancy bits at the wedding ceremony and reception. Colors in brighter segments -- the open in particular -- are strongly defined if not a bit flat and unassuming. Darker moments, of which there are many, handle shadow detail nicely enough, though viewers will note some moderately thick banding and light noise in select shots. There's a bit of amateur video scattered throughout the film as well that lacks the precision, stability, and consistency of the general production. Overall, this is a solid transfer, particularly considering the sources and photographic style.

The Remaining Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Remaining's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is stellar. It's active and robust, effortlessly placing the listener in the middle of the chaos. There's good energy to music, a commendable robustness and wide spacing that's equalled by natural, effortless clarity. Even deliberately muddier background nuance beats at the wedding are nicely realistic and play with natural depth and body. Light ambience at the wedding -- chatter, clanking silverware -- help set the stage, but the track's fullness truly shines once the action shifts to the rapture's aftermath. Screaming people, crashes, explosions, and the general confusion and chaos are richly integrated and complexly detailed in many scenes. Information easily moves around the stage and creates a naturally immersive 360-degree field of sonic terror. The track features some quality dialogue reverberation inside a church in chapter nine while loudspeaker announcements and music naturally drift through the stage in a sequence near film's end. Dialogue is firm and healthy with natural center placement. This is a terrific listen that more than anything else helps draw the audience into the film's chaotic world.

The Remaining Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Remaining contains a featurette and a deleted scene.

• Deleted Scene: Tommy Apologizes to Jack (1080p, 1:48).
• Divine Revelations: Making The Remaining (1080p, 19:44): A look at the film's core story, filling a gap in the mainstream cinema world, story and film origins, basing the story on the Bible, Writer/Director Casey La Scala's work, cast camaraderie, casting and performances, technical details of the shoot, crafting some of the special effects, costumes, shooting locales, and the film's greater purpose.
• Previews (1080p): Additional Sony titles.

The Remaining Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Remaining has its moments, which are largely limited to solid production values and a very tangible sense of fear, doubt, uncertainty, and end-times destruction. At the same time, the film lacks better characterization and deeper dramatic relevance. It feels like its purpose is to frighten people into accepting Jesus after the fact rather than trying to show why they should before the end of the world. There are moments when characters do have personal reevaluations about their lives, which only come in the wake of epic tragedy. The movie means well, and it's a relatively fun watch, but it could have been so much more than a curiosity. Sony's Blu-ray release of The Remaining features good video, stellar audio, and a couple of extras. Worth a rental.