Before I started I wanted to set some rules and a bit of discretionary balance by myself for what makes the list. This list is not going to be all-embracing. I am super familiar with every movie on this silly, pointless list. However, some of them leave room for interpretation. I didn't want to include dystopian movies here. Which sucks because I love Blade Runner. While I think there's a couple that go hand in hand, I didn't want to rely on that. The same goes with apocalyptic films. I guess I'll save those for another time.
So, the rules I tried to adhere to are:
- The film takes place in the future. That means, a time beyond when the movie was made. So in this case, post-apocalyptic means post-apocalyptic EARTH and the HUMAN race.
- But, not just "The future". There are some movies that happen in a Dystopian (Blade Runner, 1984) or Utopian (Time Machine, kind of) future that sort of imply that the reason was theapocalypse. But these movies aren’t really about the apocalypse, they are about the future.
- The bounds can be preposterous. The reason can be Zombies, natural disaster, giant lizards, space bugs, robots, Sandra Bernhard, etc. Post-apocalyptic movies don't always have to be nuclear fallout.
- The reason can't be just a lame cover. Most movies are fine, action, comedy (to an extent) and B movies are fine, but movies that are just total pieces of shit don’t get to go on the list.
- There is some kind of vision. By that I mean that I’m interested to see an interpretation of the apocalypse from someone who really thought about it and had some ideas about it.
- It's a movie. There are some really great post-apocalyptic shows that have been on TV. But this list is for movies. Made for TV movies or mini's count. Not series.
- It can be pre-apocalyptic. Just as long as at LEAST half of it is post-apocalyptic. Like DayAfterTomorrow, which luckily will not be on here either.
I'm not going to include the plot in most of these. That's clearly what IMDB is for. Most of you who wou
ld be reading this should have seen most of these anyway. Obviously, this isn't brain surgery and the edges are a bit blurred insome of the plot lines. People are going to differ in opinions.
So there's that. Here is the list:
20.) The Day After - TV (1983)
This little ABC television movie came out on my birthday in 1983. I vaguely remember the build up to this. I remember watching it later on and being creeped out. It has Robards and Guttenberg in it for crap sake! I have to be honest, it is a pretty chilling movie. Plus, Guttenberg!
19.) The Stand - TV (1994)
Yes, it's another one from TV. I debated being able to include this one. It's not really a series. It's adaptation from one of my favorite King books into a mediocre one billion hour television event. I include this because it's a great story and Stephen King is a Red Sox fan.
18.) Five/5ive - (1951)
One of the first movies of it's kind and for it's time was horrifying. Not so much anymore with todays standard. Worth a watch, nonetheless. The world is destroyed in a nuclear holocaust...from a "super bomb" no less. Only five Americans survive, including a pregnant woman, a neo-Nazi, an African-American man and a bank clerk. The five fight each other, fall in love, and pretty much are depressed a lot. For good reason.
17.) Day of the Dead - (1985)
Alright. I don't really feel like there's too much to explain here. You should have already seen this Romero film. This is here in place of Dawn of the Dead because the apocalypse has happened in this as opposed to happening. Good zombie times and the undead eating some
innards.
16.) The Postman - (1997)
Kevin Costner comes across and old postal uniform and tries to resurrect the postal service. I guess that's a lot better than stealing completely from Mad Max but and making the awful Waterworld. A decent portrayal of David Brin's novel, even by Costner standards.
15.) A Boy and His Dog - (1975)
The first movie with a canine on this list. A pre Miami Vice Sonny Crockett wanders around the wasteland with his...wait for it...telepathic dog. A lot of people I have talked to about this movie have it in their top 10. It's a nutty movie. I can't really explain it. Just watch it for the ending alone.
14.) Book of Eli - (2010)
This originally had a spot in the top 10. The cinematography in it is beautiful and the story line is pretty decent. It's not Denzel's best work, but he is a bad ass in this movie. The environmental surroundings in this are eerie. Pretty solid work based from Gary Whitta's screenplay.
13.) The Matrix - (1999)
Maybe you've heard of this movie before. I'm sure some people will argue that this should be in the top 10. Before you get your leather underwear in a bunch, it's because it doesn't really delve into it too much. This movie is great and almost makes up for the other hunks of crap that were in this series. It almost started a dance craze called 'The Neo'.
No, it didn't, but it might have looked like this if it did:
12.) On the Beach - (1959)
The residents of Australia after a global nuclear war must come to terms with the fact that all life will be destroyed in a matter of months in this Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner classic. A great little movie.
11.) Logan's Run - (1976)
I had a slightly hard time with this not being in the top 10. I loved this and the original Time Machine when I was younger. Still do I guess. People are living in a city within an enclosed dome, there is little or no work for humans to perform and inhabitants are free to pursue all of the pleasures of life. There is one catch however: your life is limited and when you reach 30, it is terminated in a quasi-religious ceremony known as Carousel. There is a remake in the works with Ryan Gosling slated to play the lead. I have mixed feelings about it. It should be alright if they do it well. See this one if you haven't.
That brings us to the Top 10.
10.) Last Man on Earth - (1964)/The Omega Man - (1971)/I Am Legend - (2007)
I had to put these together for a number of reasons. For one they are all based on the same novel. Though each one is a bit different (Vincent Price's character's name is different in the first one) they are adapted from one of my favorite books of all time I Am Legend by Richard Matheson. The book influenced the horror/zombie genre and helped usher in a concept of world wide apocalypse due to disease. I enjoyed all of them for what they were. The latest version of the movie shares the title and close depiction. I recommend the book then the movies to draw your own conclusion though.
9.) 28 Days Later - (2002)
This movie honestly was just great. Freak out?!? Yes! It was almost omitted because it's pretty much just London inhabited by the victims of the "Rage" Virus. No, not zombies technically. It really was fantastic. The scenes of a desolate london are spectacular. It's a fun movie. I wish the follow up would have been great as well. This one would still stand alone.
8.) The Quiet Earth - (1985)
I absolutely love this movie. It was hovering in the top 5 for a while. It's a movie that dates itself somewhat and could be even more amazing if someone had the direction to pick it up. However, it's also the reason that makes it so fantastic. It's influences were a bit of the novel of the same name, I Am Legend and it has been called an unofficial remake of The World, The Flesh and The Devil, which was almost on here. A man wakes up finding himself alone...blah, blah, blah. Watch it. The ending will have you saying "What the Hell?!?"
7.) The Road - (2009)
Ahhh, The Road. I had grand, grand hopes for this movie. The book in which it was based is one of, if not my favorite book of all time. The film is based off of the 2006 novel The Road by Cormac McCarthy. He is also responsible for the book No Country for Old Men, which was also adapted into film. He also wrote All the Pretty Horses which, you guessed it, was adapted for the screen. I could not wait for this to come out. Looking back I maybe shouldn't have put so much faith in it transitioning from page to screen. That being said, it's still a great movie. If you don't know the story behind it I will place it here so I don't waste your time and take too much space up...and I don't start crying. It's a bleak and, in my opinion, most realistic vision of what would happen in a post-apocalyptic world. The story is amazing and if the film would have been a little more spot on it would have been my number one hands down.
6.) La Jetée - (1962)
I was somewhat amazed by this when I first saw it. A French film by director Chris Marker. It really captures a lot considering it is comprised primarily of still photos. This black and white story about a post-nuclear experiment in time travel is short. 28 minutes is all it takes to screw your mind. It was the primary inspiration for the next film on this list. I recommend taking the whopping 28 minutes to watch it.
5.) 12 Monkeys - (1995)
As stated in the previous post, this film is directly influence as loosely based off of La Jetee. Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt are amazing in this. Maybe one of Brad Pitt's best roles in my opinion. I watched this over and over when it came out. Just a good, thrilling, crazy movie.
4.) Children of Men - (2006)
Absolutely. I would say that if infertility spread world wide and no one had been born for the last 18 years, it would be as about as apocalyptic as you can get. I can't say enough about this movie. Just an overall great movie across the board. I'll just leave it at that.
3.) Planet of the Apes - (1968)
Chuck Heston's gun toting ass gets a second spot on here. Who hasn't seen this. At first you are like "This isn't a post-apocalyptic movie, Jason." Then you remember "Oh, shit. It totally is."
A pretty great one at that. The remake left a lot to be desired. Really the entire series should be on here. This one is the best, so those ones have a place here as well.
2.) Akira - (1988)
One of my favorite all time movies, period. This movie is one of the reasons I wanted to be an illustrator. Simply amazing story, look, everything. Katsuhiro Otomo's story about a 2030 Neo-Tokyo after a 1992 disaster was a wildly successful manga and this adaptation was done fantastically. A lot of purists of the manga might disagree, and I can see some points. However, the collection was so large I think they did a great job of condensing it. I don't want to list anything about the plot because it's a bit complicated. Not super complicated, but enough to take a while. Plus, if you have not seen it, I highly recommend it. The fact that the Hughes Brothers (they did Book of Eli as well) are trying to do a live action remake with Zac fucking Efron makes me puke in my mouth and wish Tupac was still alive to beat them up...again and again.
1.) Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior - (1981)
You know that Mr. Max Rockatansky had to be on here somewhere, right? Before he was a whiskey swilling, anti-semetic slur spilling, face paint wearing, crazy man, Mel Gibson was Mad Max. Well, maybe not completely. These movies pretty much defined the genre for me. The first movie, Mad Max, was a fantastic movie. Hell, I thought Beyond Thunderdome was good. They are all essentially included at the top. This one was my favorite of the series. Very gritty and visually appealing. There are many movies that have imitated, but I don't think they can get the feel of this one. Truly a classic in my eyes. I guess they are making a fourth film titled Mad Max: Fury Road is in pre-production and is supposed to be released sometime in the near future. They have their work cut out for them.
So, that's that. Enjoy the end of the world...someday...maybe.
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