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Dawn of the Dead (1979) |
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Here's the deal with Zombies: They almost always win. You can keep them at the gates for awhile, but eventually they'll get their zombie-stomp on and overrun you and your friends. It's the natural order of the food chain. No one does zombie food buffets better than George Romero (he pretty much created the zombie genre as we know it), and he never did it better than with Dawn of the Dead, a film as hilarious as it is gross. It's also a film saturated with messages about consumerism. The world may be ending, but that doesn't mean you have to stop shopping, even after you're dead.
Chance of Apocalypse via Zombie infestation: 45%
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Children of Men (2007) |
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First of all, apocalypse genre or not, Children of Men is one of the best sci-fi films of the last 30 years. Director Alfonso Cuarón packs the script and screen with metaphor in almost every corner he can, all without wielding a cumbersome heavy hand. The story pivots around an ingenious idea for croaking the entire human race: Women can't get pregnant. The youngest person on the planet is around 20 years old. Humans know the species is circling the drain and this propels a fascinating examination of a civilization under distress. If that doesn't interest you, Children of Men also delivers some of the most jaw dropping action sequences in recent memory.
Chance of Apocalypse via Failure to Knock Up Females: 20%
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Dr. Strangelove (1964) |
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Leave it to a brilliant eccentric like Stanley Kubrick to find the humor in nuclear holocaust. There's nothing I can really say about Dr. Strangelove that hasn't already been said. It's one of the great satires of the 20th century. And frankly, I'm shocked life didn't follow art when George W. Bush was in office. Well, I guess the world can have another shot at blowing itself up if Sarah Palin ever finds herself in the war room.
Chance of Apocalypse via Moronic Politicians and Military Brass Who Went a Little Funny in the Head: 90%
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Road Warrior (1981) |
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I never bought into George Miller's post-apocalyptic world of the first Mad Max film. It seemed too normal, as if the bombs dropped, but were duds, and everyone went on riding their motorcycles. However, in the better funded sequel, Miller set the benchmark for what all future post-apocalyptic films set in a nuclear wasteland would look like: Mean, gritty, barren, and full of welded metal. For the last the last 28 years, filmmakers have borrowed and flat-out ripped off the punky visuals of The Road Warrior. Its dominating influence over the genre is enough to secure the number 1 spot. However, Miller also delivered one of the most kinetic, badass action films to ever roar across the screen. The film has a rewatch factor of 10.
Chance of Apocalypse via Nukes, No Gas, and Plenty of Assless Chaps: 85%
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There were several films that just barely missed the cut due to whatever mood I was in when I composed this list. But now it's your turn to tell me how where I screwed the pooch and where I hit the sweet spot.
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