Left Behind: Next Generation. Are you excited yet? If you remember those awful, never ending books by Tim LaHaye, then you already know how awful this will be. For those who aren’t familiar with those awful ’90s books, they can be found in dusty, remaindered stacks just about everywhere.

The new faith-based film “Vanished: Left Behind – Next Generation,” is expected to make waves in cinemas this September. The movie tells the story of Jesus Christ’s second coming through the eyes of young adults.

Make waves? I have some doubts here. One thing about young people? They grow older, and generally, they have a good, long time in front of them. I had a fevered moment as a Jesus Freak in my teens (tent days at Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa. Yeah, Chuck, Romaine, Lonnie, all that.) I lived at Mansion Messiah in Newport Beach. I believed in the rapture. I waited. And that right there is the whole problem – people have been waiting. Everyone thinks it’s going to happen in their generation, because of course, it’s the worst one yet! It would have saved me some time, and got me back to reality quicker if anyone had bothered to point out that the whole ‘Jesus is coming back’ business was supposed to be in the apostles’ lifetimes, and it had zero relevance all these centuries later, and that the whole rapture gig was made up fairly recently.

The movie is inspired by The New York Times bestselling book series “Left Behind,” which is written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, according to The Christian Post. The series was translated into film by Kirk Cameron 16 years ago. Another movie based on the same book series was made in 2014 starring Nicholas Cage.

Really? Huh. Well, glad I missed that one.

It might seem like there’s nothing new to add to “Vanished: Left Behind – Next Generation.” But the film still managed to put a unique spin to the tale of the apocalypse by presenting it through the perspective of millennials.

No, that’s not a unique spin. That’s not even out of the ordinary in any way.

The film’s synopsis reads: “When a billion people around the globe suddenly vanish and chaos engulfs the nation — headstrong 15-year-old Gabby (Amber Frank) is thrust into adulthood way too soon. The event forces Gabby, along with her younger sister Claire (Keely Wilson) and the two teen boys vying for Gabby’s affection, Josh (Mason Dye) and Flynn (Dylan Sprayberry) — to try to figure out what has happened and how they fit into this dangerous new world.”

Minus the Jesus juice, this sounds like every other teen / coming of age flick ever made.

Full story here.