Until March 2020, nobody ever imagined that the world can come to a standstill at a moment's notice. We never thought the whole world can shutdown and life can stall as quickly as it did. The ongoing COVID19 pandemic has taught us many valuable lessons like how we take things for granted and how we should appreciate the blessings that have been bestowed upon us. However, the pandemic also told us how fragile our society is and that it doesn't matter how advanced we are compared to the several decades ago, you never know what unexpected event can threaten human existence on earth.
During the lockdown, just like everyone I have seen several movies. I started to notice several movies that included a deadly virus that triggered a mass-level extinction event. I personally love watching the end of the world movies where human society takes a tumble and comes to an end, Here is a list of some of the most entertaining end-of-the-world movies in no particular order that you can enjoy.
1. Greenland (2020)
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Gerald Butler starred in this 2020 American film along with Morena Baccarin in main leads. This movie follows the journey of a structural engineer and his family for survival as earth destroying comet is about to strike the earth. The movie rated 6.4 on IMDB, 73% on Rotten tomatoes, and is currently streaming at Amazon Prime and is worth the 119 minutes of its run.
2. The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
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Dennis Quaid starred in this classic movie that shows that due to global warming, the earth transforms into a new ice age resulting in extreme climate changes. In the movie, the whole world witnesses extreme climate changes that make a big chunk of the world into a frozen ice sheet deeming cities like New York, Washington and a majority of US states inhabitable. The effects are amazing for a movie that was released in 2004. The Day After Tomorrow was the sixth highest-grossing film of 2004 and is currently rated at 6.4 on IMDB and is available on Disney Plus to stream.
3. Armageddon (1998)
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One of my all-time favorites, Bruce Willis starred in this 1998 classic which shows a bunch of deep core drillers who make a trip to space with the aim of nuking a fast-moving asteroid moving towards the earth by drilling a precision hole several kilometers deep to avoid the asteroid hitting the earth. The movie has some great funny bits along with a lot of emotional moments towards the end. Armageddon grossed over $553 million and was ranked number one on the box office when it was first released. The movie is ranked 6.7 on IMDB. It was the highest-grossing film of 1998 worldwide and is available on Disney Plus to stream.
4. A Quiet Place (2018)
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John Krasinski from The Office fame starred and directed this 2018 gem of a movie. This movie also stars John’s real-life wife Emily Blunt. This movie shows the struggle of a family that is trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world with blind monsters who can kill you if they hear you. Since these monsters are blind, they have an enhanced sense of hearing. The movie is rated 7.5 on IMDB and 96% on rotten tomatoes and won several accolades after it released. If you haven't watched the movie yet, now will be a good time to watch this movie as part 2 is slated to release in 2021 after being delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
5. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
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Mad Max stars Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron in title roles. The film depicts the earth as a desert wasteland due to nuclear wars and therefore the civilization has collapsed. For those of you who have seen the original films and liked them, you would fall in love with this movie. While leading up to the film many speculated that this movie, just like other action movies would a solid narrative but the film went on to receive ten academy award nominations and won six Academy Awards. The movie is rated as 8.1 on IMDB and currently holds 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. While this is not your typical end of the world type of movie, Mad Max: Fury Road is an action masterpiece and is ridiculous in all the right ways that make it a must-watch.
6. Interstellar (2014)
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Probably the most popular on this list. Interstellar, just like any other Christopher Nolan movie needs to be watched with the utmost attention and no distractions. This Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway starred movie is about how the nitrogen-breathing microorganisms slowly kill off most of the world's crops leaving a question for human survival. The only option for mankind is to look for alternate planets that can be our home but require a team of astronauts to travel through a wormhole to test the feasibility of which of the shortlisted planets by the scientists can be our last hope.
Interstellar is currently streaming on Netflix and holds a rating of 8.6 on IMDB and 72% on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects and was the tenth-highest-grossing movie of 2014. The movie also contains some of the most amazing soundtracks by Hans Zimmer.
7. War of the Worlds (2005)
Image Source: IMDB
Tom Cruise starred in this 2005 movie along with Dakota Fanning as his daughter. War of the Worlds is based on H.G. Wells' seminal sci-fi classic about an alien invasion threatening the survival of mankind. The movie shows aliens invading our precious earth and destroying cities with giant war machines. The near-extinction event is shown from the eyes of one American family fighting for survival. The movie was directed by Steven Spielberg and received three Academy Award Nominations. It was one of the top grosser of 2005 and made over $603 million worldwide.
With a 6.5 rating on IMDB, I think the movie is vastly underrated. The movie is 75% on Rotten Tomatoes and is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.
Conclusion
I personally feel that a lot of the movies that depict the end of the world are vastly underrated as the audience perceives logic and sometimes is dissatisfied with the special features or CGI in these movies. However, I think the end of the world type movies are some of the most action-packed movies that one could watch. There are several other movies that are not on the list like 2012, I am Legend, Sunshine, Reign of Fire, and almost every Zombie movie that are great and an entertaining watch.
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