The Best Post Apocalypse Films

With "The Road" now in production, I'd like to offer up a list of my favorite post apocalypse films you may or may not have seen.

Nuclear Apocalypse

On the Beach

(...50s style)

A Boy and His Dog

(...70s style)

Viral Apocalypse

Omega Man/I am Legend

(take your pick, I like them both)

Zombie Apocalypse

Night of the Living Dead

Viral Zombie Apocalypse

28 Days Later

It Came from Outer Space-a-lypse

War of the Worlds

(take your pick, I like them both)

Night of the Comet

(A great 80s B Movie)

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Primate-a-lypse

Planet of the Apes

Miscellaneous-a-lypse

Mad Max

Delicatessen

 

Imminent Nuclear Apocalypse

The Miracle Mile

 

War Games

Imminent Destructrion of the Human Race Apocalypse

Armageddon

 

I think you have to draw a line between the apocalypse narrowly averted genre and the post-apocalypse genre.

Global Warming Apocalypse

Day After Tomorrow

Waterworld

 

If you ever get the chance, there's a canadian made flick called "Last Night" that is pretty neat..

 

I don't think this qualifies as apocalyptic as the rest of the world was fine, only England was infected. Its only if you take into account the end of 28 Weeks Later does it become apocalyptic and both films take place before what could be viewed as apocalyptic.

And no Dawn of the Dead??

 

Both versions of Dawn of the Dead are lovely.

28 Days Later is post apocalyptic with hope - industrial civilization has survived somewhere.

Here's my least favorite post apocalypse movie, filed under Nuclear Apocalypse:

Damnation Alley

It makes Land of the Dead look like a work of genius.

And an interesting and quirky film filed under miscellaneous:

The Quiet Earth.

 

I think there's a bit of a genre split based on the type of apocolyse, if it actually happens, and what the majority of the film is based in if it does.

Mad Max is Nuclear, happens (ed), and primarialy post.

The Miracle Mile is Nuclear, happens (ed), and primarily pre .

Something like the harrowing British mid-80s miniseries Threads would be Nuclear, happens (ed), and pre/post .

 

Human Condition Apocalypse

Children of Men


Oh yeah, 28 Weeks Later > 28 Days Later.

 

Not a film, but

Group of Rag Tag Survivors on the Run Apocalypse

Battlestar Galactica

 

No Dr. Strangelove?

And I second Children of Men - possibly one of the best films that I've seen.

 

Children of Men - good catch. I haven't seen the movie, but the book is excellent.

There are also two notable tv miniseries:

Nuclear Apocalypse

The Day After

Viral Apocalypse

The Stand

I tend to think of Mad Max as apocalypse unspecified. Is it spelled out in Road Warrior? I know it's explicit in the godawful Beyond Thunderdome.

 

All civilization has survived elsewhere. Only a single nation is in ruins. Thats hardly apocalyptic.

 

Ok. I concede the point.

However, 28 Days Later follows the typical post apocalyptic film structure: cataclysmic event with a few survivors trying to make it in a depopulated/dangerous/ruined environment.

I can recategorize it as Localized/Regional Viral Zombie Subapocalypse

 

The most disturbing post apocalypse movie I have seen is "Threads", and it's possible the most disturbing movie I have ever seen, because it is so real.

 

They are a trilogy, so it's kinda of a moot point if one of the films in the series explicitly says what happens.

 

Agreed. Children of Men is an outstanding film. I am excited to see what David Eick does with his Children of Men TV project.

 

They are a trilogy, so it's kinda of a moot point if one of the films in the series explicitly says what happens.

The first Mad Max is an anomaly. Not only is the nature of the apocalypse irrelevant to the movie, but you don't even need to think of it as a post-apocalyptic film at all. It takes place in some kind of unspecified dystopian near future. It almost shouldn't be included on the list at all. Road Warrior definitely belongs on the "best of" list. Beyond Thunderdome belongs on the "worst of" list.

I'd love to see Threads but I'm thinking it will be hard to find a copy. Netflix doesn't seem to have it.

 

I understand and agree with you about Mad Max. It doesn't really seem post apocalyptic at all. Maybe the bad **** happened between that film and the Road Warrior. Why do you hate Beyond Thunderdome so much?

 

Why do you hate 'Beyond Thunderdome' so much?

To be honest, I haven't seen it since 1985. What I remember: half the entertainment value of Road Warrior at ten times the production budget.*


*This is just a guess. I don't know how much it cost.

 

Maybe you should watch it again to see if your view of it has changed.

 

Maybe you should watch it again to see if your view of it has changed.

I'm holding out for Fallout, the Motion Picture

[image=http://www.gameguru.in/images/fallout-ip-bethesda-1.jpg]

 

ok

 

Fallout is hands down the best post nuclear apocalypse role-playing computer game ever made.

I promise I'll watch Beyond Thunderdome the very next time it's on A&E.

 

I've had friends that played it, but I never got around to it.