As if the world we’re living in wasn’t horrible enough, some people like to imagine what it would be like to live in a post-apocalyptic future. And what better way to share one’s twisted vision than through cinema?
Here are some of the most exciting movies about natural and technological disasters that will make you wonder if humanity has a future.
1. Escape from New York (1981)
Kurt Russell’s badass character, Snake, is on a mission to rescue the US president, whose plane has been shot down over post-apocalyptic Manhattan, which has now been turned into a mega-prison. To make Snake’s life easier, he is given all kinds of tech gadgets, but to make things spicier, his bosses put an explosive device in his head. Time to shoot some bozos!
2. 28 Days Later (2002)
If you’ve seen a hundred movies about a science experiment going wrong, this one will be at the tippy top of that pile. This time, the deadly virus from the lab turned almost all of humanity into zombies. A young man wakes up from a coma 28 days after the disaster, and now he needs to stay alive and find other survivors.
3. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
George Miller’s original Mad Max trilogy with Mel Gibson was great as it reflected humanity’s difficult life in a post-apocalyptic, fuel-scarce Australian outback. But its reboot with Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron became even more vivid thanks to the amazing special effects.
4. The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
Roland Emmerich loves his post-apocalyptic movies probably because he likes to see the world burn or, in this case, freeze. That’s right, in The Day After Tomorrow, global warming leads to the global freezing of our planet. Don’t ask questions just enjoy watching a handful of characters try to survive in a world encased in ice.
5. I Am Legend (2007)
In this universe, scientists thought they had finally found a cure for cancer, but instead, they turned people into bloodthirsty monsters, but only at night. Will Smith’s character and his dog managed to survive in this chaos by scavenging for supplies during the day. But the monsters are not as stupid as they seem – they are looking for a way to hunt down a lone fighter.
6. A Quiet Place (2018)
One day these horrifying monsters came from space and destroyed most living things on the planet, using their supersensitive hearing. So, to survive, you must move quietly, stay silent, and watch your surroundings carefully. But how do you make kids and babies stay quiet? The answer is – you take the aliens on.
7. Snowpiercer (2013)
In the world of frozen wastelands, the only way to survive is to stay on the move constantly. And what better way to do it than hop on a huge train that runs on eternal fuel? The bad news is that the passengers are strictly divided by class – rich people travel in comfy cars, and poor people struggle to survive in the slums. This sounds like a perfect setup for a revolution to restore justice. Whatever that may mean in a dying world.
8. The Matrix (1999)
The Matrix has so masterfully subjugated humanity and destroyed its reality that almost no one even realized that people are now used in it as AA batteries. But, thankfully, a few rebels still know the truth. And now, they need a chosen one to defeat the machines and free the human race.
9. Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
In order to become a super soldier, a frail and selfish reporter must die time and time again in a battle against alien invaders that terrorize our planet. He slowly learns how to fight from Emily Blunt’s character, dying and repeating the same time loop. Gradually, Cruise’s character has to become an overpowered badass to break the cursed loop.
10. Elysium (2013)
In this reality, society is clearly divided into classes: the poor live on Earth, which is gradually dying, and the rich live on the Elysium space station, with every comfort imaginable. Refugees from Earth try to get up there all the time, but they are brutally persecuted. Now, the main character, played by Matt Damon, receives a task to get there.
