Left Behind is a 2000 religious thriller film directed by Vic Sarin and starring Kirk Cameron, Brad Johnson, Gordon Currie, and Clarence Gilyard. The film was based on the best-selling 1995 Christian eschatological end-times novel of the same name written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, adapted for the screen by Alan B. McElroy. The film was released first direct-to-video, followed by a limited theatrical release. At the time of its release, the film was promoted by its creators as the "biggest and most ambitious Christian film ever made." The film received generally negative reviews, holding a 16% score on review-aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes. Despite this, the film managed to spawn two additional sequels based on the second novel in the series, Tribulation Force and World at War. Plot GNN television journalist Cameron "Buck" Williams (Kirk Cameron) reports from Israel about a new technology which will allow food to grow in inhospitable environments. He interviews Israeli scientist Chaim Rosenzweig (Colin Fox), and praises him for creating a miracle. Suddenly, Arab and Russian fighter jets fly overhead in a surprise air raid. A missile hits near Buck and Chaim as they retreat to a military bunker. The sun disappears even though it is still mid-day. The Israeli military is unable to counterattack, but the attacking jets start spontaneously exploding and crashing down. Buck runs outside with the news camera and records the drama as some GNN executives and reporters watch back in Chicago. The entire attacking force is destroyed. The story shifts to pilot Rayford Steele (Brad Johnson), who has been asked to fly from New York City to London at short notice, causing him to miss his son Raymie's birthday party. Despite his wife's and his daughter's protests, he agrees and leaves his family behind. Rayford's daughter, Chloe Steele (Janaya Stephens), is leaving for her college exams. Buck, having decided to go to London for an investigation of the attack, boards Rayford's plane. On the flight, a flight attendant, Hattie Durham (Chelsea Noble), who is having an affair with Rayford, reveals she's taking a job at the UN and this is her last flight. Later during the flight, some passengers awaken to realize that several of their fellow passengers are missing. Panic sets in, and Buck helps Hattie try to keep the passengers calm. Upon returning to the cockpit, they discover that people (later revealed to be Christians) are