Best Post-Apocalyptic Movies

[AKbruin]

The amusing thread about Waterworld got me thinking about post-apocalyptic movies, a genre that I love. Below are, in my humble opinion, the four best post-apocalyptic movies of my time.

Notes: (1) I'm only considering movies made from the 1980's forward. Sorry, I'm shit about watching older movies. (2) I generally define post-apocalyptic movies as those in which most or all of humanity has been wiped out, although the edges of this genre are easily blurred. (3) I distinguish between post-apocalyptic movies and dystopian future movies--e.g., Blade Runner, 1984, Running Man, etc. (4) Yes, it has been a slow day at work.

My favorite four:
Delicatessen (very weird and entertaining)
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (this movie shaped the way I thought about Australia and Australians for at least a decade)
Akira (great movie, although it's definitely on the future/sci-fi end of the post-apocalyptic genre)
12 Monkeys (weird and suspenseful; Terry Gilliam is the perfect post-apocalyptic director)

Others
Time Bandits (really wanted to include this film which often feels post-apocalyptic, but probably isn't)
The Terminator (only parts actually dealt with the post-apocalyptic future, but those parts were terrifying to me as a kid)
Rise of the Machines
Mad Max
Mad Max 3: Beyond Thunderdome (I loved this movie, but Mel Gibson's hair hurts it)
The Matrix Trilogy
The Animatrix (underrated animated shorts based on the Matrix. I liked it it better than the trilogy.)
Waterworld
Book of Eli (just saw it on DVD; wasn't impressed)
The Postman
Planet of the Apes (Marky Mark version)
Children of Men (perhaps it better belongs in the mid-apocalypse genre?)
Escape from New York
Reign of Fire
Wall-E (the cuter side of the post-apocalypse)
Steel Dawn
9
The Road (haven't seen it yet because I intend to read the book, which I've put off because I hate Cormac McCarthy)
Daybreakers

Others: Zombie Division
28 Days Later
Zombieland
Day of the Dead
Resident Evil
I Am Legend

Whacha got?

[systemoverblow'd]

Don't really know if it really fits your criteria but I absolutely love "City of Lost Children".

[AKbruin]

Don't really know if it really fits your criteria but I absolutely love "City of Lost Children".

Great movie! But I think it's probably more dystopian.

[HankScorpio]

As depressing as "The Road" was, I really enjoyed it.

[DeathVan]

Good list, here are a few more (some good, some not so good)

A Boy and His Dog (Don Johnson gets some and he has a talking wise-ass dog)

The Man Who Fell to Earth (post apocalyptic for the alien Bowie character)

Soylent Green (I won't spoil it for you)

Cherry 2000 ("perfect sex machine")

Death Race 2000 (the original)

Omega Man (before Will Smith ruined I Am Legend)

Dark City (before 12 Monkeys)

Brazil (coolest mechanic ever)

and...

BLADE RUNNER (simply the best)

[OSECS]

Oh my God !! What ? No love for "Logans Run" ??

[DeathVan]

OSECS, you have wisdom

[AKbruin]

Oh my God !! What ? No love for "Logans Run" ??

Read note #1. I'm sure Omega Man, Planet of the Apes (NRA-approved version), Logan's Run, etc. are great movies and all, but they're so . . . old!

[AKbruin]

BLADE RUNNER (simply the best)

Again, I'd put this one into the dystopian genre. The Phillip P. Dick novel was a little closer to post-apocalyptic. We'll have to compile a dystopian movie list another time.

[DeathVan]

Battlestar Galactica (the original)

Starblazers

Thundarr the Barbarian (it's got a Mok named Ooklah for pete's sake)

....don't you know? Old is the new young

[OSECS]

Read note #1. I'm sure Omega Man, Planet of the Apes (NRA-approved version), Logan's Run, etc. are great movies and all, but they're so . . . old!

Ouch !!......

In the other aforementioned films, they are among the best no matter their age.

[Jer]

Planet of the Apes


followed by


The Road Warrior


followed by


That movie that Bob and Doug McEnzie started showing at the beginning of Strange Brew. "All the bowling alleys have been destroyed - so's I spend all my time lookin' fer beer!"


...and I'm sick of douchebags talking about how depressing The Road was. Any film based on a Cormack McCarthy novel that doesn't end with somebody getting raped and murdered or cannibalised or raped, murdered then cannibalised is a comedy.

[dookeyXXX]

this list ain't sh!t.

why?

because it's missing the single greatest post-apocalyptic film of all time:

HELL COMES TO FROGTOWN!

[slim]

My random list of films not yet mentioned. Some are post-apocalypse some are apocalyptic in nature.

- Maximum Overdrive
- Night of the Comet
- Miracle Mile
- The Day After (TV movie)
- Threads
- On the Beach (the original)
- Def Con 4 (super low budget canadian movie)
- Red Dawn
- The Quiet Earth

[summit]

Reign of Fire sucked ass.
Defcon 4 was awful.
Animatrix is really actually very good in a dark way.

[surfingdirt]

The MadMax series is definately number one.

Other good un's:

Terminator
12 Monkeys
28 Days Later

[surfingdirt]

Reign of Fire sucked ass.

I remember being very disappointed when this movie came out. Dragons rule, but this movie doesnt.

[AKbruin]

My random list of films not yet mentioned. Some are post-apocalypse some are apocalyptic in nature.

- Maximum Overdrive
- Night of the Comet
- Miracle Mile
- The Day After (TV movie)
- Threads
- On the Beach (the original)
- Def Con 4 (super low budget canadian movie)
- Red Dawn
- The Quiet Earth

Maximum Overdrive was a definite oversight on my part. It wouldn't make it in top 4, but it made me afraid of cars, vending machines, and other inanimate objects as a kid.

Night of the Comet qualifies, but so do all zombie movies, and I didn't want to include every zombie movie made since the 80's. Zombie movies really are their own genre.

I considered Red Dawn, but it doesn't quite fit. (I agree that it feels somewhat apocalyptic.)

Another one that arguably fits within the general list is Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

[Ripzalot]

Tank Girl made me afraid of surfer chicks and Ice-T

[systemoverblow'd]

Maximum Overdrive was a definite oversight on my part. It wouldn't make it in top 4, but it made me afraid of cars, vending machines, and other inanimate objects as a kid.

Night of the Comet qualifies, but so do all zombie movies, and I didn't want to include every zombie movie made since the 80's. Zombie movies really are their own genre.

I considered Red Dawn, but it doesn't quite fit. (I agree that it feels somewhat apocalyptic.)

Another one that arguably fits within the general list is Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Maximum Overdrive isn't even close to a post-apocalyptic movie. Red Dawn either. Both kick-as in their own right, but if you aren't going to include City of Lost Children, neither of these can come close to the list.

[AKbruin]

Maximum Overdrive isn't even close to a post-apocalyptic movie. Red Dawn either. Both kick-as in their own right, but if you aren't going to include City of Lost Children, neither of these can come close to the list.

Sorry, my memory is a little fuzzy on Maximum Overdrive as I haven't seen it in like two decades. But from what I remember, the machines kill a heck of a lot of people at the beginning leaving only a few at a country gas station. I guess it's more mid-apocalyptic than post-apocalyptic. Like I said, the edges of the genre are blurry.

I didn't include Red Dawn. I only said that it felt like post-apocalyptic film at times.

[Joey Joe Joe Junior Shabadoo]

Cyborg
The Blood of Heroes

These are more action movies that take place post-apocalypse but are sufficiently awful to make the list.

[pappag]

Wow ... no love for The Stand?

[Viva]

Atomic Cafe

[systemoverblow'd]

Wow ... no love for The Stand?

The tv mini-series? No. The book was great but how can you even compare that tv mini-series to these movies? And if they have made the movie than it must suck because I haven't seen it.