The destination isn’t worth the journey in the latest much-watched Netflix “Leave the World Behind,” which wastes an all-star cast in an apocalyptic story that doesn’t so much end as just stop.

‘Leave the World Behind’ (IMDb)

The setup is really interesting, and that’s what makes the final scene all the more disappointing.

A family (Ethan Hawke and Julia Roberts are the parents) head to a beautiful AirBNB to get away from the noise of their home in New York City. They spend their time swimming in the pool and relaxing.

That is, until their cell phones don’t work anymore. And one night, a stranger (Mahershala Ali) shows up with his daughter in tow to deliver some disturbing news: New York City is in chaos. The two strangers are really the homeowners … or so they claim.

Meanwhile, a herd of deer that seems to expand as the hours go by continues to watch the humans as if the animals want to communicate something. And unexplained events continue to frazzle the characters and puzzle the audience.

One of my favorite episodes of the classic “Twilight Zone” series is “The Monsters are Due on Maple Street,” and this reminded me quite a bit of that – although it’s not nearly as smart. It has elements of “Knock at the Cabin,” too.

The first part of the movie is engaging as it teases the idea that some kind of doomsday event is afoot. And there are some good performances that deserve to be acknowledged. I especially liked the skepticism of Julia Roberts’ character that’s at odds with her husband’s more accepting reactions to the goings-on.

But the ending is one of the biggest disappointments of any movie this year.

You might want to leave this film behind.

2 stars

Running time: Two hours and 14 minutes.

Rated: R for foul language and disturbing imagery.

Streaming on Netflix.

Watch the trailer here.

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