Leave The World Behind Review: Mahershala Ali & Julia Roberts Thrillingly Tackle Tense Armageddon

Getting away from it all, in theory, can be a freeing thing. Shutting off your phone, unplugging the Wi-Fi, and truly being in the moment — it’s what we all want out of a vacation. That’s the idea Leave the World Behind begins with. Julia Roberts’ high-strung marketing exec Amanda wakes up her husband Clay (Ethan Hawke) and announces that she’s booked them a vacation, and they are leaving that morning. She figures if she packs the family’s things and has everything in order, it gets every obstacle out of the way that would lead them to reject the relaxing weekend. But when they get to the rural Long Island house adorned with slate gray wood floors, marble counters, and a locked liquor cabinet with a top-shelf selection, things begin to go terribly wrong. It’s certainly not what Amanda had in mind when she envisioned a relaxing weekend with her family.