One of my favorite sub-genres of movies
are the post apocalypse films. This extremely specialized part of
the dystopian science fiction genre, and often crossing over into
horror, has its own unique feel that attracts a strong cult following.
There are many really bad post apocalypse B-movies, but there are
also some great gems out there. Some are popular because they are
really underrated movies that show a post-apocalyptic world in detail,
and others are popular because of their "campy" feel.So the rules for what is and is not
a post apocalyptic movie. In general: if the apocalypse is taking
place during most of the movie (Dawn of the Dead, Day After Tomorrow,
The Stand) then it's disqualified because that is an apocalypse
movie, not post apocalypse, and there is a difference! The main
event should already have passed, and the setting should be a major
consideration in the movie. That said, let's sift through the countless
crap B movies and see some real great post apocalypse action!
#10 "Escape from New York"
(1981). Manhattan is now the largest prison in the world, and
Air Force One crashes into it. Snake Plisskin, played by Kurt Russell,
is an ex-war hero who hates the govt. So they implant bombs in his
body, set to a timer. If Snake can't find and rescue the President
in time, he'll blow up. These guys don't mess around. This movie
is dated, as the special effects will seem campy by today's standard,
but that's part of the fun of the film, and it's not nearly as bad
as the cgi in "Escape from New York." Kurt Russell makes
this film. His big, larger than life persona as a tough guy is what
carries the films. Similar to some early Clint Eastwood characters
in that regard, the movie revolves around his character and it is
this aspect that keeps it finding fans in the future. A great introduction
to post apocalyptic films, going more with the fun over the dark,
and making the "world after" setting a major character.
#9 "The Quiet Earth"
(1985). A man, Zac Hobson, wakes up to find that he may be the
last person left in the world. He is involved in a government experiment
that involves taking power from the planet's surface through various
new technologies and turning it towards a military purpose. This
is a classic example of a science fiction themed warning of science
used for the wrong purposes leading to man's destruction. Zac, convinced
he is part of a great wrong, commits suicide. Problem is, he wakes
up alone. As in he might be the last person on Earth. He eventually
finds two others, and all of them find they were in the process
of dying when the accident occurred. The plot continues to unfold,
ending with some stunning graphics and an ending that many science
fiction enthusiasts believe is one of the best of any movie ever.
This is a great movie about a post apocalyptic world, and will leave
even hard core fans of the genre in contemplation.
#8 "Akira" (1988).
This is a much different movie than the others in the top ten. For
one thing, it's an anime film. This movie was far ahead of its time,
and many new generation fans of anime can trace back their influence
to this film. Akira is the name of a secret government project.
This is based on an over 2,000 page anime comics, so the adaptation
is hard for the true blue fan, but it is a movie that stands alone.
The story takes place in a new city rebuilt over the remains of
Tokyo, and involves "psionic" powers-individuals whose
minds evolve them beyond normal humans. Dragged into the middle
of a war between the government and the resistance, a youthful gang
finds out one of their teenage friends is far more than he appears.
This film is intense, and tackles such a large scale of graphics
and action sequences that it comes across as more than a movie,
but an interactive experience. Fans of the comic are split, some
love it, some hate it, but as far as a post apocalyptic movie, the
anime format allows for an intense setting and an excellent, if
complex, story.
#7 "Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome"
(1985). Two men enter, one man leaves. This catch phrase may
very well be one of the most recognized movie quotes of all time.
Beyond Thunderdome is the third movie in the Mad Max trilogy, but
this trilogy is nice in that each movie can stand completely on
its own. This movie is thoroughly entertaining, as often for its
campy 1980s feel as for anything else. Mel Gibson plays Mad Max,
an ex-cop who has survived well in the post apocalyptic world, though
can't seem to keep out of trouble. He runs into Bartertown, a city
in the desert passing for a semblance of civilization. There is
a power struggle between Master Blaster and Aunt Entity (Tina Turner).
Max agrees to help her in return for his stolen goods back, but
then finds himself directly in conflict with Aunt Entity. Some critics
feel the first half of this movie is excellent, but the second half
shifts gears too far for them, while others disagree and feel this
is the finest movie in the series. As far as drawing out a post
apocalyptic world, few movies match the setting of this one. The
rest is just plain fun.
#6 "Day of the Dead"
(1985). Why can "Day of the Dead" make the list when
"Dawn of the Dead" is disqualified? Because in "Dawn
of the Dead" there are people still dying, and the zombie infestation
is taking place. By "Day of the Dead," the dead rule the
Earth with only small pockets of human survivors left. Because of
this, most of the movie isn't even about the zombies, but about
the tension and conflict between three small groups of people locked
in a military base to protect themselves from a zombie infested
world. The tension comes from the military men versus the scientists,
and from the continuing unhinging of more than one character towards
insanity. Out of the Dead series, this is Romero's favorite of the
movies, and has one of the most impressive and jolting opening scenes
of any film. A great allegory for how humanity's enemy is really
humanity.
#5 "12 Monkeys" (1995).
This film is an amazingly complex film about a post apocalyptic
world where most of the survivors are underground, in a tyrannical
police state after a super virus has wiped out most of the world's
population. Bruce Willis is a prisoner who "volunteers"
for special missions that involve time travel in a desperate, but
futile, attempt to stop the unleashing of a virus that will destroy
most of humanity. This is a complex film that jumps from the "present"
of the dystopian and depressing future to the "past,"
which is the world around the current year. Brad Pitt plays a radical
animal activist whom they thin may be responsible, but turns out
is not. The time traveler ends up having to fight his own mind,
between dreams, time travel, and premonitions, he isn't sure what
is real and what isn't anymore. This is a deeply threaded film that
demands your full attention, but is well worth it.
#4 "The Postman" (1997).
A lot of people are going to disagree with this one, but this was
a movie that really received a bad wrap, and as far as a post apocalyptic
film, there is an interesting world drawn out in detail after an
unspecified war laid civilization to waste. There is no standing
government, a roaming militia turned army led by General Bethlehem
invoking special rules terrorizes survivors, while the hero is a
drifter who can quote and perform Shakespeare. He stumbles into
a mail truck, claims to be from the restored United States, and
what begins as a con in order to get some food and shelter spawns
into a grass roots attempt to reestablish something important, starting
with communication.
This leads to a final confrontation
between Bethlehem, and the drifter who often just goes by the name
Shakespeare. This was a movie that was trashed by film critics,
yet found a large following from positive word of mouth that led
to large video sales. While this is not a movie for everyone, it
invokes a strong post apocalyptic world, a good set of action sequences,
and a humorous cameo by Tom Petty as mayor of one of the surviving
settlements. This is a movie that had a bad rap, but is a solid
post apocalyptic movie. Now "Waterworld" . . . that was
a stinker.
#3 "Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior"
(1982). "The Road Warrior" is a fantastic movie, second
and probably the best, out of the Mad Max series which introduced
the world to an actor named Mel Gibson. The original Mad Max movie
takes place in Australia during a time when things are beginning
to really fall apart, but aren't completely unraveled yet. "The
Road Warrior" begins with Mad Max and his souped up car and
faithful, well trained dog. A nuclear war has decimated the world,
and now he travels through a devastated Australia looking for fuel
to keep wandering.
Max stumbles into a situation where
a small band of good, but tough, people are defending a small settlement
built around an oil refinery. Fuel is more valuable than gold, and
the settlement is under siege by a biker gang that is terrorizing
them, killing any men they get a hold of, and raping the women before
killing them, as well. Max is forced into confrontation against
his will and ends up fighting the biker gang while leading a group
of fighters as a distraction while the rest escape.
This movie won a wide range of awards,
and introduced the world to a tough anti-hero. In this desert world
filled with anarchy, Max is a strong character who is not unlikeable,
and this movie is packed full of action, an incredibly weird villain,
and great moving fight scenes. This is one of the best post apocalyptic
movies ever made, and provides a lot of the self-parody humor that
appears in "Thunderdome." This movie found critical acclaim,
and despite a low budget it won several awards and a long time following.
#2 "The Omega Man" (1971).
"The Omega Man" is a remake of a 1964 movie entitled "The
Last Man on Earth." Omega is the last letter of the Greek alphabet,
so it is a fancy way of saying "the last man." Charlton
Heston plays the part of Robert Neville, who appears to be the only
uninfected survivor of a plague that has wiped out the world population.
Neville is the last human on the face of the earth, since all other
survivors have changed into a race of vampire like mutants who can
only emerge from hiding during the night. The reason Neville is
the only survivor is that a group of scientists each tested a serum,
and Neville was the lucky one whose serum worked.
Now every day Neville drives through
the empty streets of Los Angeles scavenging for food, fuel, and
other needs, while at night he returns to a highly fortified house
where he must nightly fend off the mutants, who taunt him and desire
to one day kill him.
This constant existence is in one
of the starkest, and most dark, post apocalyptic movies out there.
The opening is one of the most memorable of any movies, as is the
ending. This movie is not only unnerving and chilling, and very
dark, but it brings up the questions of what "survival"
is. Humanity would survive-but as mutants, while what we understand
as humanity might have to die first.
The metaphors can be a little heavy
handed, especially in leading up to the final scene, but still maintain
a degree of strength despite that. Even when some other humans appear,
they look different, and confess that once they reach a certain
age they turn into the same vampiric mutants at the others-so even
temporary hope is dashed again. While costumes and special effects
may be a little dated, the movie remains powerful and a great show.
#1 "Planet of the Apes"
(1973). And Charlton Heston movies take the gold and silver.
The original "Planet of the Apes," not that monstrosity
of a remake, is the single finest post apocalypse movie ever made,
and amazingly is still an interesting, fun, and powerful movie even
thirty-five years later.
"Planet of the Apes" is
about three astronauts who crash land on an unknown planet in the
year AD 3978. The planet looks bleak early on, but the land goes
from semi-desert and undrinkable water to a large oasis that turns
into solid land. They follow mute, seemingly primitive people, and
end up pursued and hunted down by a pack of armed gorillas. He comes
to discover that apes are the dominant species and can talk. They
have a civilization that isn't necessarily advanced, but it is certainly
the dominant one on the planet.
The movie moves strongly and though Neville manages, with the help
of some sympathetic chimpanzees, to escape, he is led to an ending
that turns every assumption made about the world upside down, in
a Twilight Zone type twist. This is perhaps the most famous ending
of any movie in history, and even many people who have never watched
the movie are familiar with the ending, involving a destroyed statue
of liberty. He comes to realize that he is not on another planet,
but on Earth itself.
This is an excellent film that should
be viewed by any science fiction buff, and paints an incredible
world that stands on its own, and becomes stunningly intriguing
in light of the great revelation at the end, and ending that made
movie history.
Honorable Mentions- A Boy and
His Dog (1975); Delicatessen (1991)
Really, how can anyone survive in that world with such s loud !@#$$y partner?
Other than the lack of a destination, and the unbelievably annoying child, it was a great idea.
depicting two groups of people rebuilding after an epidemic.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kk9fGI90qdM
It is one of the best movies I've ever seen so I had to mention it even though it may not be perfect kandidate for this category.
Wish someone would make a movie version of Fallout game :-)
How about we from this moment on call all movies with zombies in, "zombie movies" and everything else apocalyptic for "post apocalyptic movies" Deseases, virus, abombs, starvation and climate changes.
post apocalyptic movies with Aliens in them is now called "space movies"
OK good, so we're all agreed :)
I very much recommend seeing it.
greets to all
also any gamers out here? you might wanna try fallout3 it is excellent in giving you the post apoc feeling.
btw i think we might be nearing a time where we have to scavage in rubble which was once towns and city.
Also, with regard to a comment made that zombie films and post apocalyptic are different genres, I partially agree.
While many zombie movies are not of the scale to be considered "apocalyptic", some are. Case in point, Zombieland.
While it was mostly a comedy, the scale of the zombie infestation and the general breakdown of society coupled with the very limited number of apparent survivors places it firmly in the post apocalyptic genre in my book.
http://www.movieswatchfree.net/2009/10/watch-tooth-and-nail-online-free.html
I'd love it if you watched it today and wrote me we could talk about it.........
There are some films on the fringe of Post-Apocalypse, more dystopian sci-fi. Blade-runner is wonderful, but it isn't even very dystopian and certainly not post-apocalypse. Code 46 is one of my favorites of all-time, but isn't post apocalypse either.
The Road has to be among the top. I am Legend is a tad bit cheesy (not that cheesiness bother's this crew) but belongs in this list. Delicatessen is not mentioned here, but should be. Anyone else know of any actual GOOD PA films?
for fans of mad max, a boy and his dog, the quiet earth. probably my favorite post apocalypse film. also not mentioned are "the omega man" ( harleton heston in the will smith role from "i am legend") i also read the comic book adaptation of i am legend, and it is wildly different from both movie versions, and really really awesome.
i kind of take issue with the whole zombie movie as post apocalypse movie thing that has been going on in this discussion. zombie movies are zombie movies, not TRUE post-apocalypse. i really love zombie movies, but a line needs to be drawn. NOTLD sequels and 28 days later, etc etc deserve a list all their own.
1. 28 Days Later
2. 28 Weeks Later
3. Carriers
I love these movies because they are so realistic(kinda)movies like these make you think, what if that was my family, or what if that was me? I love movies that make you think and feel like that. I wish they would make more movies like the ones i listed.
If anyone has any current apocalypse movies that they would like to tell me please help me out. Thanks.
This genre really ought-ta have its own category, which would ultimately make it easier for true fans to find the hidden gems that many have listed here
Here are the best post-apocalyptic films in my opinion that I have seen:
Water World
The Matrix
The Postman
Mad Max
p.s. War of the worlds is not a post-apocalyptic film and wasn't very good anyway.
Not only my favorite P.A. book but favorite book of any genre.
The very BEST P.A. story told to date!
12 monkeys - mostly in present day
The Matrix - mostly in virtual world
Dr Strangelove - the movie has very little of it besides some planning on woman to man ratio
Terminator Series - Grey area is most of it takes place in the present and may not happen
Dark City - (SPOILER) aliens reveal they took the people from earth on a quest to find immortality.
genre. I just saw Carriers the the other day and it was really good. I don't even remember it in the theaters but I think it would make my top ten list.
"salute of jugger" would be my addition, gotta love a sport show in the wastelands
Especially back in the day when Jan-Michael Vincent was hawt!
28 days later is a good film 28weeks later is not.
If you haven't seen both of these, you need to WATCH THEM NOW
I found Omega Man portentious, and difficult to take seriously, especially the heavy handed ending.
And I disagree with Dawn of the Dead not being post-apocalyptic. The film is about a small group of survivors trying to stay alive in a post-apocalyptic world over-run by zombies. The 2004 remake is a cl!@#$$ic!
Exodus II is my fiction blog.
Bannana Republican is my nonfiction blog.
Other then that Fantastic list
Nice site. I love this stuff. -- ejw