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Post-Apocalypse Movies

Flesh eating cockroaches and Hannibal Smith and Stringfellow Hawk driving around in an armoured truck. What's not to love about Damnation Alley?

Ever wanted to know what happened to that armoured truck, the Landmaster?

landmaster-damnation-alley-670x447.jpg


It’s still running, and the current owner intends a full restoration:

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Full story here.

maximus otter
 
The guy who owns it acquired it in a highly unusual way. Full marks to him for initiative, originality etc.
 
It Comes at Night. (2017) Gas masks and gloves with what could be some pandemic - Way to close to home. A Sparten approach that suggests so much more than is seen.

A father, his wife and son live in a house in the forest following a deadly pandemic. What is going on is this looter safe or is he something else?

Always like Joel Edgerton - much better actor than given credit for and put in some cracking performances ovef the years.

Very classy and the makers understand showing less is way more scary than CGI 8 out of 10.
 
It Comes at Night. (2017) Gas masks and gloves with what could be some pandemic - Way to close to home. A Sparten approach that suggests so much more than is seen.

A father, his wife and son live in a house in the forest following a deadly pandemic. What is going on is this looter safe or is he something else?

Always like Joel Edgerton - much better actor than given credit for and put in some cracking performances ovef the years.

Very classy and the makers understand showing less is way more scary than CGI 8 out of 10.

Yes, good film with a nice, menacing atmosphere. Some had problems with the ending, or maybe because there were no zombies (there's no pleasing some people) but I thought it was refreshing they didn't resort to the obvious.
 
To The Lake: Virus runs rife, people coughing and dropping dead, you can tell they're infected by the reds of their eyes, so don't shot until you can see that. Moscow is sealed off, a plague city. Law and order breaks down, security units start looting. A group try to journey to a lake where they hope to find refuge on an island. Internal tensions in the group doesn't help. Quite violent with disturbing scenes. Interesting to see a Russian pandemic TV Series. On Netflix. 7/10.
 
Cadaver: The aftermath of a nuclear disaster in Norway, likely war. Things are bleak food is short, the city looks bombed out, there's a const gloomy fog/mist. A strange man arrives offering people food and entertainment in a local hotel. People are fed and an interactive theatre ensues. That's when reality becomes difficult to separate from the performance. People start to disappear, strange things happen. Some really horrific scenes as what is really going on becomes all too obvious. Not a totally original story but the execution gives it a fresh flavour. Some heavy handed allegories though and the running time could have been pruned. Once again a horror film which might have worked better as an episode of The Twilight Zone. Written and Directed by Jarand Herdal in his feature debut. On Netflix. 6/10.
 
An interesting selection, I've seen 8 of them, still have to view This Is The End and WALL-E.

10 of the Best: Post-Apocalyptic Movies
Some upbeat January movie recommendations.


Post-apocalyptic movies seem to go through phases of popularity with filmmakers, and the themes and issues they explore are often tied up in the fears of the time in which they're made.
In the '70s, it was civil unrest and political disintegration. In the '80s, the threat of nuclear war loomed large, while the '90s and '00s were more concerned with ecological disasters and the threat of pandemics.

Yet, in all of them, the focus is often on ordinary people survive in extraordinary circumstances, and how humanity survives adversity.

Here's our pick of ten of the best post-apocalyptic movies.


10. 'THIS IS THE END' (2013)
This one might be bending the rules somewhat, but it is technically post-apocalyptic as it's set immediately after the rapture. What makes it so unique is how it places it not in some all-American family, or even some crack military protagonist, but rather utilising dumbass, self-centred celebrities just trying to survive. All the surprise cameos aside, this is an incredibly well-crafted, blackly funny comedy.


9. 'A BOY AND HIS DOG' (1975)

Way before 'This Is The End' explored the idea of comedy in post-apocalypse, 'A Boy And His Dog' did it, albeit it with a far more absurdist take on it. Starring a pre-fame Don Johnson and based on Harlan Ellison's novella of the same name, 'A Boy And His Dog' served as a major touchstone in the development of the landmark role-playing game series 'Fallout'. It's a completely bizarre idea, one that barely makes sense when written down. Essentially, Don Johnson's character is traversing the wastelands of Kansas with his dog, Blood, who just so happens to be able to speak to him telepathically. After that, it just keeps getting weirder and weirder.


https://entertainment.ie/cinema/movie-news/10-of-the-best-post-apocalyptic-movies-471731/
 
An interesting selection, I've seen 8 of them, still have to view This Is The End and WALL-E.

10 of the Best: Post-Apocalyptic Movies
Some upbeat January movie recommendations.


Post-apocalyptic movies seem to go through phases of popularity with filmmakers, and the themes and issues they explore are often tied up in the fears of the time in which they're made.
In the '70s, it was civil unrest and political disintegration. In the '80s, the threat of nuclear war loomed large, while the '90s and '00s were more concerned with ecological disasters and the threat of pandemics.

Yet, in all of them, the focus is often on ordinary people survive in extraordinary circumstances, and how humanity survives adversity.

Here's our pick of ten of the best post-apocalyptic movies.


10. 'THIS IS THE END' (2013)
This one might be bending the rules somewhat, but it is technically post-apocalyptic as it's set immediately after the rapture. What makes it so unique is how it places it not in some all-American family, or even some crack military protagonist, but rather utilising dumbass, self-centred celebrities just trying to survive. All the surprise cameos aside, this is an incredibly well-crafted, blackly funny comedy.


9. 'A BOY AND HIS DOG' (1975)

Way before 'This Is The End' explored the idea of comedy in post-apocalypse, 'A Boy And His Dog' did it, albeit it with a far more absurdist take on it. Starring a pre-fame Don Johnson and based on Harlan Ellison's novella of the same name, 'A Boy And His Dog' served as a major touchstone in the development of the landmark role-playing game series 'Fallout'. It's a completely bizarre idea, one that barely makes sense when written down. Essentially, Don Johnson's character is traversing the wastelands of Kansas with his dog, Blood, who just so happens to be able to speak to him telepathically. After that, it just keeps getting weirder and weirder.


https://entertainment.ie/cinema/movie-news/10-of-the-best-post-apocalyptic-movies-471731/

Hmm, you can have 28 days later but no NOTLD or DOTD? Also, Fury Road should not be at 3.
 
They should remake Damnation Alley a la Fallout. Also, add Testament and Threads to lists, together with Fail-Safe and Dr. Strangelove.
 
Love and Monsters: A comedy but also a pastiche of the Post-Apocalypse movie genre. Killer asteroid, broken into bits by missiles but chemicals from missiles come back into atmosphere. Insects and cold-blood animals mutate into monsters. People get literally eaten alive by a swarm of termites. Anyway 95% of the human population is killed off. Joel was 17 on Doomsday and was separated from his girlfriend Aimee, 7 years later he's in a bunker the only single among couples but he has contacted Aimee over a radio. A giant ant attacks the bunker and though only one occupant is devoured Joel heads off overland to find his girlfriend. He really isn't survivor material but meets up with a friendly dog who saves him from a Toad Monster. Later he teams up with Clyde, a survivalist and a young girl, Minnow, an ace shot with a crossbow. A quest film with flashbacks to how the Apocalypse unfolded. Some great monsters, the toad, a boulder snail, a giant crab among others. Homage is paid to film and TV portrays of such creatures, in particular a scene of fighting the crab reminds me of Journey To The Centre Of The Earth (1959). An enjoyable romp. Directed by Michael Matthews from a screenplay by Brian Duffield and Matthew Robinson. On Netflix. 8/10.
 
Love and Monsters: A comedy but also a pastiche of the Post-Apocalypse movie genre. ... Some great monsters, the toad, a boulder snail, a giant crab among others. Homage is paid to film and TV portrays of such creatures, in particular a scene of fighting the crab reminds me of Journey To The Centre Of The Earth (1959). ...

Love-and-Monsters.jpg

The Crab Scene Must Have Been Filmed In Cromer!
 
Sweet Home: South-Korean TV series, mostly set in an apartment block. There is a conspiracy at work here, some state actors new things were wrong before the outbreak. People transform into different types of monsters, zombies, giant spiders, gel creatures, shape-shifters. A motley crew try to survive in the block, infighting, suspicion are rife but people also co-operate. Dark in more ways than one with the tower block interiors. Some of the back stories are a bit soapish but others contain elements of existential terror. Some great fight scenes with the mnsters but there are also tangles with marauders and soldiers. Great fun. Multipe directors and writers based on the Naver webtoon of the same name by Kim Kan-bi and Hwang Young-chan. On Netflix. 8/10.
 
Awake: Like the protagonists you won't fall asleep during this film. No getting sleep can be tough, not getting sleep for days with no end in sight could bring down civilization. From being a minor irritant to crowds attacking pharmacies to get sleeping pills (don't work). Demented people torturing others, military personnel shooting at imaginary enemies or anyone they so perceive. The few who can sleep become experimental subjects. A taut apocalyptic thriller with some interesting plot twists. Directed and Co-written by Mark Raso. On Netlix. 7/10.
 
Sweet Tooth: Have to admit that I thought this would be fantasy but it's Science Fiction in a Post-Apocalyptic setting. The Great Crumble occurred ten years ago, a virus killed most of humanity and no more humans are born, just human-animal hybrids (there are flashbacks showing what happened around the time of the Crumble). How are these two events connected? That is teased out in the series but many, especially the vigilante Last Men blame Hybrids for causing the the virus. The story centres on a special Hybrid who can speak but also touches on those trying to rebuild civilization and find a cure for both the virus and the possible end of humanity. Conspiracies, secret genetic experiments and teens dedicated to save the Hybrids also play a part in the unfolding of the narrative. The Showrunner is Jim Mickle. Eight episodes on Netflix. 8/10.
 
Awake: Like the protagonists you won't fall asleep during this film. No getting sleep can be tough, not getting sleep for days with no end in sight could bring down civilization. From being a minor irritant to crowds attacking pharmacies to get sleeping pills (don't work). Demented people torturing others, military personnel shooting at imaginary enemies or anyone they so perceive. The few who can sleep become experimental subjects. A taut apocalyptic thriller with some interesting plot twists. Directed and Co-written by Mark Raso. On Netlix. 7/10.

This film was panned by many but I quite liked it even with some of the plot holes.
 
Greenland: Instead of a big asteroid there are a whole load of fragments of varying sizes, one of them is big enough to cause an Extinction Level Event though. At first it's projected that some of the fragments will strike the ocean but instead they take out Tampa. Panic ensues, some are picked to be flown to shelters in Greenland and elsewhere. Those not picked riot, interesting scenes of attacks on military bases. But not just on the macro level, the film perhaps best succeed when it concentrates on the travails of one family. Again nothing new in it but the tension is kept up until the final credits. Directed by Ric Roman Waugh & written by Chris Sparling. 7/10.

On Prime.
 
Sweet Tooth: Have to admit that I thought this would be fantasy but it's Science Fiction in a Post-Apocalyptic setting. The Great Crumble occurred ten years ago, a virus killed most of humanity and no more humans are born, just human-animal hybrids (there are flashbacks showing what happened around the time of the Crumble). How are these two events connected? That is teased out in the series but many, especially the vigilante Last Men blame Hybrids for causing the the virus. The story centres on a special Hybrid who can speak but also touches on those trying to rebuild civilization and find a cure for both the virus and the possible end of humanity. Conspiracies, secret genetic experiments and teens dedicated to save the Hybrids also play a part in the unfolding of the narrative. The Showrunner is Jim Mickle. Eight episodes on Netflix. 8/10.

Another 8 episodes in S2 on Netflixand just as good. More hybrids are discovered, the back story of the Crumble us gradually revealed. Work continues on a cure but at a terrible price. The war against the Last Men goes on. 8/10.
 
There's The Bedsitting Room based on a play by Spike Milligan and John Antrobus, which is a very British apocalypse, absurdist, surreal with a streak of whimsy.


I always assumed that The Bedsitting Room was a gritty post WW2 film set in London, which is better idea for a film than the one we got!
 
Carol & The End of The World: An American adult animated apocalyptic comedy drama television miniseries dealing with an approaching apocalypse and the effects it has on society. With a mysterious planet Keppler hurtling towards Earth, extinction is imminent for the people of the world. While most feel liberated to pursue their wildest dreams, one quiet and awkward woman, Carol, stands alone—lost among the hedonistic masses. Carol comes out of her shell, goes to work in an office for a mysterious company. Her parents ho ob a cruise, encounter pirates, her sister lives ab adventurous life. Like many others trying to make the most of their last few months. Carol niw has an enlivening effect on others. Very much a quirky comedy with lots of eccentric characters. Created by Dan Guterman. Ten episodes on Netflix. 8/10.
 
Badland Hunters: A South Korean dystopian action film which is a sequel to the 2023 film Concrete Utopia , I missed Concrete Utopia and wasn't aware of it's existence until after I watched Badland Hunters. Maybe I would have gotten more context if I seen the originak film first but Hunters is entertaining. World destroyed by mega-earthquakes. Mad Max style settlements plagurd by bandits, a mighty hunter who fights them off. There's also a mad scientist who carries out weird experiments on humans and has an army od super soldiers. We also get to see fast moving quasi-zombies. There's a quest and battles, some good hand to hand fighting and dastardly decapitations. Not to be taken too seriously but it's a goodish SF B movie with a line of humour running through it. Directed by Heo Myung, Screenplay by Kim Bo-tong & Kwak Jae-min. On Netflix. 6.5/10
 
The End We Start From: We see the great floods developing, Jodie Comer, about to give birth is trapped in her London flat , the waters rise as hers break. She does get to hospital where she is joined by her husband Joel Fry. They head to a rural area where Fry's parents Matk Strong and Nina Sosanya) live eventually having to split up when Comer and her baby go into a refugee camp run by the army. Along with a friend she meets at the camp, Katherine Waterston, she goes in search of a commune. Along the way she meets another traveler, Benedict Cumberbatch. We see a devastated Britain, vast areas under water, societal breakdown. People riot and trample others as food is distributed ny the army. Resources are so strained that only one adult per family can enter camps with their children. Gangs attack and overrun camps to steal food. Much of the narrative covers quests, for shelter, for company, for lost loved ones. But also about what to do next, to live in small groups or to try and rebuild. Great performances from an ensemble cast especially by Comer, Waterson and Cumberbatch (even though his is a small part). Directed by Mahalia Belo, screenplay by Alice Birch adapted from the novel by Megan Hunter. 8/10.

In cinemas.
 
The End We Start From: We see the great floods developing, Jodie Comer, about to give birth is trapped in her London flat , the waters rise as hers break. She does get to hospital where she is joined by her husband Joel Fry. They head to a rural area where Fry's parents Matk Strong and Nina Sosanya) live eventually having to split up when Comer and her baby go into a refugee camp run by the army. Along with a friend she meets at the camp, Katherine Waterston, she goes in search of a commune. Along the way she meets another traveler, Benedict Cumberbatch. We see a devastated Britain, vast areas under water, societal breakdown. People riot and trample others as food is distributed ny the army. Resources are so strained that only one adult per family can enter camps with their children. Gangs attack and overrun camps to steal food. Much of the narrative covers quests, for shelter, for company, for lost loved ones. But also about what to do next, to live in small groups or to try and rebuild. Great performances from an ensemble cast especially by Comer, Waterson and Cumberbatch (even though his is a small part). Directed by Mahalia Belo, screenplay by Alice Birch adapted from the novel by Megan Hunter. 8/10.

In cinemas.
That sounds really good. Shades of Children of Men and The Road.
 
For a more art-housey spin on the post apocalypse movie, I loved the German film, In My Room.

It definitely will not be for everyone, but I find myself more and more drawn towards the European style of eschewing the cliches, and not having to explain everything, and found this movie far more haunting and atmospheric, and genuinely thought-provoking, than any blockbuster.

The Roger Ebert review is spot on.

 
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