The Best Apocalyptic Movies
Only in the Movies Can the Apocalypse Be Loads of Fun
Why wait for the end of the world when you can experience it through the movies? Here are some fun apocalyptic films to make you appreciate your humdrum life.
I'm not sure what it says about the human race that we like to revel in our own potential demise and destruction, but there's no denying that the masses love a good apocalyptic film. Whether on a grand scale or a smaller one, studios release multiple films each year detailing the death and destruction of the human race.
Whatever it is that makes us so masochistic, I can't say I begrudge it. It's given us some fantastic and, dare I say, fun films. Films about the apocalypse offer us a way to witness the end of the world as one filmmaker knows it and still feel fine.
28 Days Later - There's nothing quite like the images of a desolate and deserted London to make your stomach sink. Yet, it's brilliant and Danny Boyle's scenes featuring Cillian Murphy aimlessly wandering around an empty London are some of the best apocalyptic scenes ever committed to film. Pair that with a group of remaining survivors evading those stricken with a zombie symptom inducing virus and you've got a truly engaging horror/apocalypse film.
Independence Day - Okay, so it's campy. It's cheesy, but it also has Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum and Will Smith facing down alien psychopaths together. Tell me when that will happen again? Not to mention, the scenes of alien destruction throughout New York City and one memorable shot of the White House being blown to smithereens make the film all the more, well, fun. Yes, fun.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day - Terminator 2: Judgment Day's brief scenes of a nuclear holocaust are both disturbing and unforgettable. They give an urgency to the present day action of the film and provide a glimpse of a potential world's end that, for some, is all too close to home.
On the Beach - Now here's one that gets overlooked quite often. While many of today's apocalyptic films focus on visions of destruction and desolation, On the Beach is one that deals more with the human drama of knowing the end is all too close. As a group of nuclear fallout survivors attempt to live out their final days before radiation poisoning claims them, they must struggle with the attempt to make their last days on earth ones that are truly worth living.
The Stand - Truth is, if you watch this one, you're really only going to get half of your money's worth. But it's a good half, at least. While the latter half of the film fails miserably at capturing the desperation and isolation of the novel, the first half of the film has some surprisingly fantastic scenes including mass death in the Lincoln Tunnel and streets covered with the bodies of the citizens who once haunted them. Of all the possible routes to mass annihilation, King's "Superflu" might be one of the most terrifying.
Red Dawn - Let's face it. This movie is downright ridiculous. Not to mention it's not so much of an apocalyptic film as it is one detailing what appears to be the breakdown of American government and society. That being said, you can't help but enjoy the cheesy acting and the ludicrous plotline - a band of amateur militants (who were high school kids, no less!) protecting their country from invading Soviet forces. To call it silly is an understatement. To call it a guilty pleasure is absolutely correct.
Shaun of the Dead - It's rare that a film can bridge camp and comedy with a poignant storyline, but Shaun manages to do just that. At times funny and at others, moving, Shaun proves that camp and story can go hand-in-hand. Shaun of the Dead treats the zombie and end-of-the-world as we know it genres with a tongue-in-cheek humor that will have you laughing at the break down of civilization. Oh and did I mention that it also stars the incomparable Bill Nighy? That right there is reason enough for you to run to the store right now and pick up a copy.
With the film version of "I Am Legend" and J.J. Abrams now titled, "Cloverfield," on the horizon, we can be sure to see more and more apocalyptic films making their mark. There's still plenty of room for an apocalyptic film to come and sweep all its predecessors off the map. When it comes to the movies, there's more than enough film-goers that can't wait for the end of the world.
