Loonatic's Favorite Post-Apocalypse Movies
1. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
In a wasteland ruled by the unforgiving environment and psychotic warlords, life is unpredictable, violent, and usually short. Enter Max, a lone survivor haunted by his dead family and captured by the War Boys of the cruel Immortan Joe. When Furiosa, one of the dictator's commanders, frees Immortan Joe's wives and flees, Max is unwittingly catapulted into the conflict. What follows is a high-octane chase pitting Furiosa's crew against a series of bandits, killers, and weirdos. If they're to succeed it will take as much grit, resourcefulness, and bullets as they can muster.
It wouldn't be a list on post-apocalyptic films without including at least one of the Mad Max films. And though I love the western-style siege warfare of Road Warrior and the zany world-building of Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, the most recent film is perhaps my favorite. The plot is tight and streamlined, the characters layered and compelling, and the action is a glory of practical and special effects. Tom Hardy is an excellent Max, communicating much more in expression and action than words ever could, and Charlize Theron is fantastic as the fiercely determined Furiosa. Every time I watch this movie it's a treat, a visual and visceral spectacle about a few people figuring out what's worth fighting for. Also the soundtrack rules.
2. Zombieland (2009)
Welcome to the end of the United States and the beginning of Zombieland. With no government, no communities, and no families, all that's left after the zombie plague are individual survivors pinballing across America. Those left over are known by the cities they're from or were headed for. Tallahassee is hunting for the last ever Twinkie, sisters Wichita and Little Rock are searching for a few moments of childish fun, and Columbus is looking for any kind of meaning to keep him going. Chance encounters and complications turn into a strange road trip, and eventually they have to decide who to trust, what's important, and of course figure out some creative ways to kill the undead.
Also had to have a least one zombie movie on this list. Not that zombies are a terribly likely way for the world to end, but it at least gives survivors something to fight other than that crushing feeling that nothing will ever be the same. Zombieland hits a great sweet spot between serious post-apocalyptic tone and comedy. Following the narrator Columbus around, we get into his headspace of trying make sense out of chaos. We get all the comedic bits mixed in of the internal monologue, along with the rules he makes up along the way to keep himself from becoming dead meat. Which is kind of neat, because it mirrors a book I really liked called The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks, which writes up several lists but also has a very simple list of rules on surviving zombies. And it also mixes the seriousness (what can you do to survive the breakdown of civilization) with humor (the ridiculousness of zombies). Which came out in 2003 so Zombieland very well could've been inspired on that? Anyway, also a great script, small story with high stakes, and an all-star cast.
3. Reign of Fire (2002)
Turns out that when the world ends in fire it's of a draconian rather than nuclear origin. When dragons waken and burn down the modern world, humans retreat into simpler ways and ancient keeps. In one community Quinn and his friend Creedy hold things together, hiding from the dragons and trying to scrape enough together for the next meal. Just when prospects get dire, things finally seem to change and a ragtag troop of dragonslayers roll up and save the day. But with few resources and more mouths to feed, tensions rise between Quinn's people and the soldiers. Even more dangerous is a hope circulating that perhaps the dragons can be killed once and for all. Question is, can the humans unite and achieve the impossible, or will they all be doomed to live and die in this hellscape?
4. Postman (1997)
OK, so this isn't the best movie. There are a lot of choices in script, pacing, and acting that could have gone better. And there's definitely a few scenes that go-for-broke on making it roll-your-eyes dumb. Kevin Costner is laughably bad. And I love it, but why on earth is Tom Petty in it? That said, the message is still pretty powerful. I think a core construct of the post-apocalyptic genre is to determine what parts of the modern world are worth reviving. People need food, shelter, and security, but they also need something to believe in and strive for. The Holnists cling to a stunted belief system, embracing a simple, self-assuring creed that tells them that it's OK for them to usurp power from the powerless. And it leads them into blindly following a dictator's whims. And yet those at the bottom rediscover ideals of equality and liberty, and with the merest breath of an idea find an organic and useful way to foster free speech and cooperation among people of all background. Dumb movie, yes. But if you can't find something worth fighting for here you might want to rethink your priorities.
In a wasteland ruled by the unforgiving environment and psychotic warlords, life is unpredictable, violent, and usually short. Enter Max, a lone survivor haunted by his dead family and captured by the War Boys of the cruel Immortan Joe. When Furiosa, one of the dictator's commanders, frees Immortan Joe's wives and flees, Max is unwittingly catapulted into the conflict. What follows is a high-octane chase pitting Furiosa's crew against a series of bandits, killers, and weirdos. If they're to succeed it will take as much grit, resourcefulness, and bullets as they can muster.
It wouldn't be a list on post-apocalyptic films without including at least one of the Mad Max films. And though I love the western-style siege warfare of Road Warrior and the zany world-building of Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, the most recent film is perhaps my favorite. The plot is tight and streamlined, the characters layered and compelling, and the action is a glory of practical and special effects. Tom Hardy is an excellent Max, communicating much more in expression and action than words ever could, and Charlize Theron is fantastic as the fiercely determined Furiosa. Every time I watch this movie it's a treat, a visual and visceral spectacle about a few people figuring out what's worth fighting for. Also the soundtrack rules.
2. Zombieland (2009)
Welcome to the end of the United States and the beginning of Zombieland. With no government, no communities, and no families, all that's left after the zombie plague are individual survivors pinballing across America. Those left over are known by the cities they're from or were headed for. Tallahassee is hunting for the last ever Twinkie, sisters Wichita and Little Rock are searching for a few moments of childish fun, and Columbus is looking for any kind of meaning to keep him going. Chance encounters and complications turn into a strange road trip, and eventually they have to decide who to trust, what's important, and of course figure out some creative ways to kill the undead.
Also had to have a least one zombie movie on this list. Not that zombies are a terribly likely way for the world to end, but it at least gives survivors something to fight other than that crushing feeling that nothing will ever be the same. Zombieland hits a great sweet spot between serious post-apocalyptic tone and comedy. Following the narrator Columbus around, we get into his headspace of trying make sense out of chaos. We get all the comedic bits mixed in of the internal monologue, along with the rules he makes up along the way to keep himself from becoming dead meat. Which is kind of neat, because it mirrors a book I really liked called The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks, which writes up several lists but also has a very simple list of rules on surviving zombies. And it also mixes the seriousness (what can you do to survive the breakdown of civilization) with humor (the ridiculousness of zombies). Which came out in 2003 so Zombieland very well could've been inspired on that? Anyway, also a great script, small story with high stakes, and an all-star cast.
3. Reign of Fire (2002)
Turns out that when the world ends in fire it's of a draconian rather than nuclear origin. When dragons waken and burn down the modern world, humans retreat into simpler ways and ancient keeps. In one community Quinn and his friend Creedy hold things together, hiding from the dragons and trying to scrape enough together for the next meal. Just when prospects get dire, things finally seem to change and a ragtag troop of dragonslayers roll up and save the day. But with few resources and more mouths to feed, tensions rise between Quinn's people and the soldiers. Even more dangerous is a hope circulating that perhaps the dragons can be killed once and for all. Question is, can the humans unite and achieve the impossible, or will they all be doomed to live and die in this hellscape?
If you'd thought they had run out of ways to end the world as we know it, this movie exists to says "yeah, but what if it was dragons?" Which turns out to be a lot more convincing and interesting than a most zombie movies combined. Once you've made the cognitive leap that dragons somehow exist and are not so great to have around, what follows is a reasonable interpretation of what might happen afterwards. I'm kind of surprised this movie doesn't come up much, for all it's got an A-List cast of Christian Bale, Gerard Butler, and a nearly unrecognizable Matthew McConaughey. The pacing gets a little slow at times, but there are some clever ideas, rivalries, and of course plenty of dragon action to go around. Also they reenact Star Wars as a play to entertain each other, which of course would totally happen.
After the bombs and the long nuclear winter, the American government is dead and it's people are scattered. As if life afterwards weren't difficult enough, those who remain are under the jackboot of the ruthless General Bethlehem and his Holnists, an army of brainwashed believers and conscripts. One of those conscripts manages to escape, and by happenstance finds shelter in an abandoned mail truck. In an effort to beg for food he adopts the persona of the dead mailman and spreads tall tales of a Restored States of America. And while he might have started the idea, others step in and build up an entire service of postal carriers to reestablish communication. Unwittingly this postman sparks a hope for unity and stability, one that upholds the values of the old world and rejects the racist and divisive rhetoric peddled by General Bethlehem. But will these ideals stand up against the might of Bethlehem's armies, or will all hopes of a renewed America be silenced?
OK, so this isn't the best movie. There are a lot of choices in script, pacing, and acting that could have gone better. And there's definitely a few scenes that go-for-broke on making it roll-your-eyes dumb. Kevin Costner is laughably bad. And I love it, but why on earth is Tom Petty in it? That said, the message is still pretty powerful. I think a core construct of the post-apocalyptic genre is to determine what parts of the modern world are worth reviving. People need food, shelter, and security, but they also need something to believe in and strive for. The Holnists cling to a stunted belief system, embracing a simple, self-assuring creed that tells them that it's OK for them to usurp power from the powerless. And it leads them into blindly following a dictator's whims. And yet those at the bottom rediscover ideals of equality and liberty, and with the merest breath of an idea find an organic and useful way to foster free speech and cooperation among people of all background. Dumb movie, yes. But if you can't find something worth fighting for here you might want to rethink your priorities.
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