Top and Bottom Post - Apocalyptic Films

Movies
41

Oooh, this is fun. Let’s see, the top six from the last ten years or so, from newest to oldest:

It Comes at Night

Fury Road

The Rover

Z for Zachariah

Carriers (represent, @Tin_Wisdom!).

28 Weeks Later

The worst? I couldn’t say. I dig bad horror, and especially bad apocalypse horror, so I tend to find some value even in the crappy ones. For instance, The Day is a YA apocalypse cannibal siege movie. Pretty bad. But it’s where I fell hard for Ashley Bell, the sweet little girl from Last Exorcism. Holy cats, turns out she’s quite the bad-ass! So, The Day is terrible, but I’m sure glad I saw it.

-Tom

42

I didn’t realize you limited yourself to the last decade at first and was really surprised that The Quiet Earth didn’t get a nod.

43

I’m afraid I can’t count myself among the fans of The Quiet Earth. :( But I know someone who can! Let’s see if we can summon @ChristienMurawski to get in here and post his top apocalypse movies.

-Tom

44

Sorry, I remembered one of the two of you being a massive fan. Now I can’t wait to find out how Rushmore and Midnight Run fit the genre.

45

Just watched this and you’re not wrong. Do you like dirt bikes? Do you like dirt bikes exploding? Do you like literal torture porn? Well you’re in luck, because that’s all that happens in the entire movie.

46

I was starting to think you were talking about the last Star Trek movie.

But then you only got close with this.

::Actually I enjoyed the last movie, but it had, umm, flaws.

I think someone put the Postman up there… I have to guiltily admit I kind of like that movie.

47

Destructocycles, dude…and Carradine was definitely drunk on set.

48

Deathsport makes The Postman look like Citizen Kane.

49

Neither The Postman nor Waterworld are bad movies, they’re just unambitious I guess. They take interesting premises and then don’t really do anything with them.

50

Also wasted fine source material; a MUCH better novel by David Brin.

51

I find Waterworld to be a lot worse. I can have the Postman on during work and just sort of half pay attention and still enjoy it. The dialogue, the acting, the survival want but clearly they’re suiciding characters in need of a rescue all the time it’s… bad. The idea though seemed not terrible.

52

Yeah, the book is way better, one of my favorite post-apocalyptic books.

53

Me too. Hence my major disappointment when I saw it in the theater.

54

I didn’t even see it in theater, I probably would have been more bummed if I had spent ten bucks on it.

I did see Waterworld on the big screen though, and enjoyed it for spectacle and not a lot else. Still, didn’t feel like I wasted my money.

55

I always wondered why no one has tried to make a film adaptation of Lucifer’s Hammer? Would work quite well as a limited series, I think. I mean, pseudo-autocratic post-apocalyptic militarized agrarian survivalist refuge in California? Lots of subplot possibilities there.

56

Agree. I’d throw that in with Canticle for Leibowitz (which @divedivedive mentioned earlier) as absolute candidates for a film/series, that have just never happened. Canticle would make a great 3 part arc.

57

I don’t think I’ve read Lucifer’s Hammer, pretty good?

58

It’s…fine? Not as good as Footfall or The Mote in God’s Eye as far as Niven/Pournelle collabs go.

Better than average post-apocalyptic sf.

59

It hasn’t aged too well IMO. Very era-specific, sexist, etc.

60

Oh hey, looks like we might have a new one to throw into the rankings. Though it sounds like this may not be one of the best -