Post Apocalyptic Movies

[rockabilly]

Heres my top post apocalyptic movies
1. Mad Max trilogy
2. Tank Girl
3. Six String Samurai
4. Cyborg( w/ JCVD)
5. The Stand
6. The Postman/ Waterworld ( Costner tried this genre twice)
7. Day of the Dead (original)
8. Resident Evil Apocalypse
Well thats all i can think of.

[crossingoceans]

I don't know many post-apocalyptic movies but one of the most creeping was The Day After Tomorrow. And the reason is.... because it can happen, well, maybe not that dramatic but it could happen in certain degree.

Another nice movie was The Happening... people just started to kill themselves apparently because of a chemical compound that was on the air, generated by plants. Also, I am legend was just... fantastic! Actually, that's one of my favorite movies lol

And what about equilibrium? you missed that one too

[transjen]

3 of these made my top 10 in another thread Jennifer

1. Planet of the Apes [1967 verson]
2. Beneath the Planet of the Apes
3. Logan's Run
4. Omega Man
5. Mad Max

[aa2239]

I dunno if the Terminator or Matrix movies can be considered post-apocalyptic, but they are my favourites... the idea of mankind's own creations (i.e. machines) rising up and overthrowing their human masters has always shocked and intrigued me. I'm looking forward to seeing the new Terminator movie, I'm expecting big things!

[violet lightning]

Wow, you really picked up the ball! :D

1. A Boy and His Dog
2. On the Beach
3. The Road Warrior
4. Tankgirl (love Lori Petty!)
5. 12 Monkees
6. The Quiet Earth
7. Omega Man
8. Testament
9. Terminator (yes it counts!)

I haven't seen "I am Legend" or "The Happening" yet, but both sound good.
Probably more I'm not thinking of at the moment...

Also related: "The Day the Earth Caught Fire". Not exactly post apocalyptic, but nuclear bomb testing knocks the earth out of orbit....

[rockabilly]

I left off Equilibrium because in my opinion it's not post apocalyptic. It feels more like a dystopian future film to me. But thats just my opinion. It is a great movie though, thats why it's on another movie list here.

[JenniferParisFan]

1. Mad Max series
2. Terminator 2
3. Planet of the Apes

I was wondering if zombie movies technically count as post apocalyptic or not. If so then I'd have to put Night of the Living Dead(1968), Dawn of the Dead(2004).

I also saw Terminator Salvation in theatres last week and it was really good in my opinion.

[worlock1422]

1 - Nausicaa - Masterpeice
2- Firefly, Its kinda post since the war and stuff
3 - Titen AE was a great movie
4 - Matrix? Would that be a post movie?
5 - Demolition Man
6 - Judge Dredd



BTW Violet I am Legend SUCKED, total waste of time..

[violet lightning]

Thanks worlock, I am forewarned!
I wish to add "Reign of Fire" to my list. I think it fits in Post-Apocalyptic" the best.
(btw-imo "post apocalyptic" means post nuclear (or other) apocalypse. Some kind of mega-disaster that destroys the earth or wipes out mankind. For example in "Tankgirl" a comet hits the earth, knocking it out of its normal orbit causing massive drought)

[johny89]

well here it is
1 Children of men
2 I am legend
3 28 days later
4 28 weeks later
5 Waterworld (really don't know why people don't like it)
6 Mad max (all of them)
can't think of any more that I like

[ARIES666]

Originally Posted by violet lightning

Thanks worlock, I am forewarned!
I wish to add "Reign of Fire" to my list. I think it fits in Post-Apocalyptic" the best.
(btw-imo "post apocalyptic" means post nuclear (or other) apocalypse. Some kind of mega-disaster that destroys the earth or wipes out mankind. For example in "Tankgirl" a comet hits the earth, knocking it out of its normal orbit causing massive drought)

Rockabilly...I am with Violet on this...somewhat.

Is this strictly a world/continent/country after "all-out nuclear warfare, toe to toe with the Rooskies" (I just had to quote Slim Pickens in Dr Strangelove). Or, can it be a natural disaster either from space or here on earth (either way, I hope Morgan Freeman is in charge). What about a total break-down of society caused by any number of factors, either world-wide or one particular country?

[rockabilly]

To me Post Apocalyptic could be a result of...
1. War ( Nuclear or Biological )
2. Natural Disaster ( Meteor Impact or Global Warming Flood/ Weather related
To me the determining factor is breakdown of society and lack of recognized authority. Anarchy in the streets, Chaos and desperation. A world where survival of the fittest is the norm. The Mad Max films pretty much sum up post apocalyptic for me. But thats just my opinion , Has anybody else seen Six String Samurai ? It's a cult classic.

[ARIES666]

I just looked through everyone's picks. There are some "deviations" from the main theme, so that leaves some my choices safe from criticism!

VioletLightning...great picks! "On The Beach" was one of the first ones I thought of! Anyway, here goes....


ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK
ON THE BEACH (1959)
MAD MAX
ROAD WARRIOR
SOYLENT GREEN
OMEGA MAN
PLANET OF THE APES (1968)
THE MATRIX
WATERWORLD
TERMINATOR 1,2,3 (have not seen the new one yet)
SILENT RUNNING
RADIOACTIVE DREAMS

There's probably more, but after more than 50 years of watching movies, the filing cabinet in my head is jammed!

[transjen]

Escape from New York is a great movie but i feel it doesn't fit in this cat Jennifer

[ARIES666]

Originally Posted by transjen

Escape from New York is a great movie but i feel it doesn't fit in this cat Jennifer

Well, well, well...aren't we a little "smarty-pants"! (Just kidding "transjen"!) I knew there would be a few "purists" around. Stickler for details, T.J?

[aa2239]

Originally Posted by rockabilly

I left off Equilibrium because in my opinion it's not post apocalyptic. It feels more like a dystopian future film to me. But thats just my opinion. It is a great movie though, thats why it's on another movie list here.

Yep, Equilibrium is definitely dystopian rather than apocalyptic... good movie though!

I'm also in agreement with ARIES and Rockabilly's assessment of what counts as "post-apocalyptic"... basically anything (natural or man-made) that leads to an anarchic breakdown of society as we currently know it.

Nice thread by the way, the movie buffs amongst us (myself NOT included lol) are definitely making themselves known!

[violet lightning]

:Dhowdy!
No criticism. just a few points of discussion...

First of all, I like everyones lists. Just a few thoughts...

"Matrix" definitely counts. Reality is not what it would appear...
"Soylent Green" is a great movie, as is "Escape From New York". (all time great movie name "Snake Pliskin"! Its right up there with "Slarty
Bartfarst"!)
I think in Escape, society still exists in a normal fashion, just not inside New York City. (the city definitely does have a post-apocalypse feel and look to it)

"Soylent Green" is similar. Its not strictly post-apocalypse, but the world is overcrowded and in trouble and society is close to breaking down.

"Silent Running" is one of my old favorites. The world and society are still there below the space nurseries, just no more plants, trees, etc.
They are all very related and totally worthy of being discussed and remembered.
(one thing I think they all have in common, is they could all be called "futuristic" movies)

I haven't seen "Radioactive Dreams" or "Six String Samurai" but they sound interesting. (how about "Steamboy"?)
Re: "Mad Max" trilogy... I thought Mad Max was ok, not great. "The Road Warrior" was kick ass, everything falls into place. "Beyond Thunderdome", meh.

I feel movies like "On the Beach" "Fail Safe" and "Dr. Strangelove" (my all-time fave regardless of genre) may have helped avert nuclear war. Surely JFK and Krushev and others would have seen them...

[ARIES666]

Violet, how come you are always picking movies that I love? Doesn't matter what type, it seems. Dr. Strangelove and Fail-Safe...etc, etc. And...."Snake Pliskin"!!?? That is my all-time favorite character name in movies!! Up until Escape From New York, Kurt Russel was doing "Disney_Type" movies. He was contracted to Disney, I believe.

[rockabilly]

Its off topic but what about Kurt's performance in Death Proof? Back on topic if they do a sequel to Escape from L.A. it would be post apocalyptic since Snake "shut down the world" with global EMP's.

[ARIES666]

Twenty years before "The Terminator", an episode of "The Outer Limits" aired entitled "Demon With A Glass Hand". For those who have seen it (VioletLightning, I bet), you can see where I am going with this. Anyway, without giving away too much of the plot/storyline, it involves some "baddies" from the future travelling back to the present to "terminate" another "time traveller". This "time traveller" is on a mission to save the human race of the future.

I have only seen The Terminator in the theatre, on cable and on VHS...I have not seen the DVD. I don't know if James Cameron or Gale Anne Hurd (they wrote the screenplay) discuss their influences and inspiration for The Terminator, but I'd bet a million bucks Cameron saw "Demon With A Glass Hand" as kid/teenager!

Anyway...if you want to see some incredible 60's SciFi TV...check out "The Outer Limits: Demon With A Glass Hand"

[violet lightning]

:D Hi!
I only vaguely remember the episode, but never connected that with "Terminator", but I bet you are right! ( I need to rewatch that episode)
One thing I know, is there are very few truly "original" ideas...
We all are influenced and tend to build on what we like or inspires us. (with our own unique twist of course) Might be conscious or unconsciously.
Some of the people who come to mind as being truly original in sci-fi or film were writers like Phillip K. Dick (Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report, etc) and Rod Serling and directors like Stanley Kubrik and Ridley Scott, but of course, they had their influences too.
I haven't seen the DVD, but I'd like to hear what did influence him.

I still haven't seen "Deathproof" or the other drive-in feature,(can't think of the name off hand) even though I own a copy of each.(gifts) I just can't seem to get in the mood. Old crappy drive-in movies were fun because they were unintentionally bad and exploitive, but when they purposely make ones like that, the kitsch factor is missing.
:D...Snake... he rocks! And he even hooked up with older woman Goldie Hawn!

[ARIES666]

Great post, VioletLightning....

Most directors are inspired or influenced by other great directors. Inspired to first...make movies, and then...to use them as a template for some of their own screen efforts. For example, George Lucas was influenced by the chariot race in Ben-Hur...he incorporated that into the first Star Wars film (I think it wa the first). The list goes on and on.

Agree with you on the "Deathproof/Planet Terror". Tarantino has access to millions of dollars of financing for his movies. The true "B" movies are made on "shoestring" budgets and many times they look it....hence their charm!

[cdp206]

Hi folks,

I'm relatively new to these boards so won't go barging in! Some good suggestions, although I'll admit, not being an avid film-goer ot TV watcher, some title have passed me by - sorry folks!

However, one film which seems to be missing from these lists is Barry Hines' "Threads". It's both pre- and post-apocalyptic, in terms of nuclear war and was for a long time, banned by the BBC. I think it was shown recently on BBC 4 though. The full movie is on Google movies but I don't think I can due to lack of posts (or dare, in case I'm modded off!) put up a link to it. For the time (1984) and it's very low budget, it's quite a thought provoking piece of work.

What makes it chilling is, it centres around the ordinary lives of two families and the first half centres around them - you hardly notice the build-up to nuclear confrontation going on until it's too late. Unlike many post-apocalyptic films, the second half, after the bomb(s) have been dropped, it continues for ten years after, charting the progress of the daughter of one of the main characters.

Another aspect, which makes it more believable, is the science behind it. The battery of advisors listed at the end of the film, including Carl Sagan, is huge. It's also made like a documentary and uses real locations in a British northern industrial city. Also, what hammers things home is - there's absolutely NO music at all.

Just don't watch it before bed time. I'm in my mid-forties and it still scares the willies out of me!

A Google search for "Threads+nuclear war" should find it

It's also listed on IMDB. The user comments are very telling.

Now to try and think of something to lighten the tone...........

[violet lightning]

No worries, join in on the fun!:D

I looked up "Threads" (1983 BBC Teleplay)and indeed, it sounds very scary. It looks like they really made an effort to be realistic and do some deep research on the aftermath effects on society, individuals, etc. (the play goes 13 years after nuclear war)

Interestingly, it also came out at around the same time as the U.S. "The Day After" (also 1983) which also made a strong impact on people who saw it.

Posters for each....