Starbat's Favorite Post-Apocalyptic Movies

Alright, you've already seen the Loonatic's favorite post-apocalyptic movies, now it's time for mine! I've decided to take something of an opposite tack from her. Where the Loonatic chose a relatively small number of well-made movies (except for Postman. That movie is just...ugh). Anyway, I'm planning to do more of a flash flood of movies, some good, some bad, but all worth watching at least once.

Wall-E

Wall-E: Robot contemplates humanity as other robot fails at stalking

This is it, the marquis attraction, and by far what I would consider the best movie on this list. Wall-E is that story of a robot, the last robot on earth, trying desperately day in and day out to clean up the horrid wasteland that humans have left the planet. Sounds like something out of the Twilight Zone, doesn't it? But in a bizarre twist of fate this animated movie, which is largely without dialogue because the two main characters are non-verbal robots, is one of the funniest, sweetest, and most hopeful movies I've ever seen. If you haven't seen it already, please go ahead and do it.

Also Wall-E: Robot leads revolution among the defective to save a budding romance (and humanity)

The Invasion

Nicole Kidman seen from a weird angle. Spooky things are obviously afoot.

This is the 2007 movie loosely based on the science fiction classic Invasion of the Body Snatchers, starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig. This movie gets something of a bad rap, but it's actually one of my favorites. Following the classic story line, a mysterious organism crash lands on Earth and begins to infect the populace. Unlike other versions of this movie, the organism merely takes over its hosts, rather than duplicating them. In both, however, the organism spreads its hive mind throughout the population and begins to systematically take over the world. I love this version because the star is Kidman, acting as a well-educated single mother who both strives to remain hopeful for human resilience, but who does not hesitate to take action for herself and her son (or to take off her heels and put on practical clothing when shit goes down). Daniel Craig, though delightful, is not the knight in shining armor, and Kidman survives largely through her own drive and cunning. Although a rich white woman isn't the most inclusive hero, she represents a step towards diversity in science fiction, a genre often lacking in such (see the other versions of Invasion of the Body Snatchers).

Beware the invasion

Tank Girl

Let's not beat around the bushes, this is a pretty stupid movie. Some people love it, some people hate it, and the people who prefer the comics can be...vociferous. But at the end of the day, it's also a fun post-apocalyptic romp where our heroine (a character notable for unapologetically expressing her personality and sexuality while not being a ridiculous sex object). Lori Petty is quirky and fun, and Malcolm McDowell shines as another over-the-top villain (his resume is impressive on that account). Watch them clash over the distribution of water and power after a catastrophic asteroid devastates the world and mutant kangaroo-men rage in the background.

This pair of screencaps sums up the entire movie pretty well.

Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome

So the Loonatic already highlighted the sequel/reboot/glorious thing that is Mad Max: Fury Road, and I agree with her completely. We were both raised on the Mad Max movies, and we were utterly gobsmacked when presented with a long overdue sequel that was just as good as we could have hoped for, and better. However, I have a soft spot for the fantastic and ridiculous Beyond Thunderdome. I mean, really. It had the best world-building of the original three, opening up the story beyond Max and his immediate problems to many of the ways other people have found to survive in the new wasteland. The scruffy, dictatorial Bartertown, the child-based messiah cult of plane crash survivors, and even the father-son airship pirates all serve to demonstrate the resilience of humanity. Plus, Tina Turner.

Tina Turner! In chain mail!

Blast from the Past

Fun in the bomb shelter

I'll admit, this is kind of a weird addition to this list, for more than one reason. For one, it's, uh, kind of stupid. I mean, you should pretty used to that, but this is a little more stupid than usual. Plus, the story follows a man born and raised in a fallout shelter as he experiences the 90s for the first time. While there is no actual apocalypse, Adam (because of course that's his name) was raised in what he believed to be the shadow of a major nuclear event, and he reacts to the strangeness of the 90s as a bizarre new world. It's a dumb comedy, so sue me. But there is a strange little soft spot in my heart reserved for Blast from the Past, with Brendan Fraser and Alicia Silverstone at the height of their power and a bit part for Nathan Fillion before his Firefly glory. If you need some mindless fun, or a non-depressing post-apocalypse film, this is a great option.

Night of the Comet

Welcome to the valley motherf***ers

This is another cult classic from the 80s that I really appreciate. As the title implies, it tells the story of life after the Earth passes through the tail of a comet. For some reason, dust from this particular comet kills outright or turns people exposed to it into zombies. Our brave protagonists are a couple of valley girls who accidentally survive and must now survive in a largely empty city, contending with zombies and evil scientists. It's fun, it's weird, it's horror and it's comedy. It's actually a pretty perfect example of what I consider peak post-apocalyptic work. It's the story of utterly normal people (mostly useless, kind of annoying) facing the destruction of their civilization and just, you know, doing what they can. The valley girls have a shopping montage that ends with a firefight in a mall. It's beautiful.

This is all that's left of Doris!

Solarbabies

 

See that dumb, confused look? It's going to be on your face before the end of this movie too.

Okay, like some of the other movies on this list, this movie comes with a disclaimer because it is really very stupid. But it's a so-stupid-you-giggle-like-a-madman, better-with-tequila kind of movie, so I still love it (especially getting to see young Peter DeLuise and Jason Patric). And really, most of these kinds of lists are either the same 5 genre-defining movies over and over again, or they're people trying to dig up really good unknown films. Which are both fine, but sometimes you want to watch something stupid. And this is that movie. Honestly, it's kind of like if Tank Girl took itself seriously (both feature an evil corporation controlling the planet's water and everything). Although the "serious" one has child soldiers using roller skates as their main means of transportation, so let's just agree that the 80s were a weird time.

You know, I could (and probably should) include a plot-related picture here, but I really need you to understand how stupid these costumes are, and how badly I want to wear one.

Panic in Year Zero!

Watching the apocalypse from the sidelines

And to round out this rather excessive list (you should see the outtakes), I'm going to bring it back to old school post-apocalypses. Panic in Year Zero, from the glorious 1962, is an old-fashioned tale of terror and survival from the atomic age, when just about every other horror movie was based on the fear of nuclear war/fallout/mutation/etc. It follows a suburban family who escape the bomb by dint of being out camping in the mountains. But survival in the wake of catastrophe doesn't come cheap, and the family spirals from domesticity to violence as they face the tattered and vicious remains of society. It's a grim movie, but anyone who's watched more recent post-apoc (like The Walking Dead, The Road, etc) will see obvious echoes here (small group escapes madness in the wilderness, faces the darkness of humanity and fights to retain their own values). Also, I don't know if this is good or bad or just weird, but the movie stars Frankie Avalon of Beach Party fame!

As opposed to the destruction caused on the home front