Apocalypse: 73

The American epic post-apocalyptic adventure film, The Postman (1997), was produced and directed by Kevin Costner in which he also plays the lead role. Set in a post-apocalyptic world in 2013, an unidentified nomad roams the scattered communities of the Utah flatlands, trading performances of long-forgotten Shakespearean plays for food and water. After being held at gunpoint by the Holnists, a neo-feudalist militia, the nomad is forcefully recruited into their ranks and marked with their emblem, a figure 8, on his shoulder. Led by General Bethlehem, the Holnists hold control over the region and demand tribute and new ...

Independence Day (1996) is a sci-fi action film directed by Roland Emmerich. On July 2, an alien mothership enters Earth’s orbit and deploys saucers over major cities, including New York City, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C. U.S. Marine Captain Steven Hiller and his unit, known as the Black Knights fighter squadron based in MCAS El Toro, are called back to defend Los Angeles. His girlfriend Jasmine Dubrow decides to flee with her son Dylan. Meanwhile, retired combat pilot Russell Casse sees this as vindication for the alien abduction he claimed ten years ago. In New York City, technician David Levinson discovers ...

Waterworld (1995) is an American post-apocalyptic action film directed by Kevin Reynolds and co-written by Peter Rader and David Twohy. In the year 2500, rising sea levels have submerged every continent on Earth, leaving only rugged, floating communities known as atolls for human civilization to survive on. Many believe in the existence of a mythical ‘Dryland’ somewhere in the vast ocean, but others dismiss it as mere legend. The Mariner, a lone wanderer, arrives at an atoll on his trimaran with a valuable ...

Directed by Terry Gilliam, 12 Monkeys (1995) is an American science fiction thriller film that depicts a world devastated by a deadly virus. The survivors are forced to live underground while rumors circulate about the Army of the Twelve Monkeys being responsible for the outbreak. In 2035, James Cole is chosen from among the prisoners living in an underground compound beneath Philadelphia to travel back in time and locate the original virus. He agrees to do so in exchange for a reduced sentence. However, he is troubled by recurring dreams involving a foot chase and shooting at an airport. When he finally arrives in ...

The Stand (1994), an American post-apocalyptic television miniseries based on Stephen King’s 1978 novel of the same name, features King himself as a minor character and also includes his teleplay. In the series, on June 13 at a top-secret government laboratory in Northern California, a weaponized version of influenza named Project Blue accidentally escapes. This causes U.S. Army soldier Charlie Campion, along with his wife and daughter, to flee and unknowingly spread the virus across the country. On June 17, Campion crashes near Stu Redman and his friends at an ...

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), an Australian action film directed by George Miller and George Ogilvie with a screenplay by Miller and Terry Hayes, is set in a post-apocalyptic world devastated by ecocide and nuclear war. In this barren landscape, Max Rockatansky is traveling through the desert pulled by camels. However, his journey is interrupted when he is attacked by Jedediah, an airborne bandit, and his son who steal his vehicle. Determined to get it back, Max tracks ...

Day of the Dead (1985), an American post-apocalyptic zombie horror film, follows a group of survivors years after the events depicted in Dawn of the Dead. The world has been overrun by zombies, with very few societal structures remaining. In a secure underground missile bunker located in the Everglades, a team of scientists and soldiers work together. While the scientists search for a cure to the zombie pandemic, the soldiers protect them. This team includes Dr. Sarah Bowman, her lover Private Miguel Salazar, radio operator Bill McDermott, and helicopter pilot John. Together, they leave their underground base and travel to Fort Myers in hopes of finding other ...

The Day After (1983), an American television film, originally aired on ABC. Dr. Russell Oakes works at a hospital in Kansas City and spends time with his family, despite his daughter Marilyn’s plans to move away. In Harrisonville, located approximately 40 miles (64 km) southeast of Kansas City, the Dahlbergs prepare for their eldest daughter Denise’s wedding rehearsal with Bruce, a University of Kansas student from Lawrence. However, the young couple becomes preoccupied with sexual desires and family issues arise when Denise’s younger sister takes her birth control and Jim catches her sneaking back home the following morning. Meanwhile, Airman First ...

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981) is an Australian post-apocalyptic dystopian action film directed by George Miller. Following a global war that resulted in oil shortages and ecocide, society crumbled and gave way to chaos. Now, Max Rockatansky, a former policeman haunted by the loss of his family, navigates the desert of Australia in his supercharged black V-8 Pursuit Special with his faithful Australian Cattle Dog. He cleverly outmaneuvers a group of marauders led by the deranged biker Wez using his driving skills and a sawed-off shotgun. In need of fuel, he takes some from the wrecked vehicles of one of his ...

The dystopian action film, Mad Max (1979), was directed by George Miller and produced by Byron Kennedy. Set in a near-future Australia facing a breakdown of civil order, caused by widespread oil shortages and ecocide, the film follows the story of Max Rockatansky. As a member of the poorly-funded Main Force Patrol (MFP), Max witnesses the death of a rookie officer at the hands of berserk motorbike gang member Crawford ‘Nightrider’ Montazano. Nightrider escapes with his girlfriend in the dead officer’s Pursuit Special, successfully eluding the MFP until ...

Dawn of the Dead (1978) is a zombie horror film that follows a group of survivors in the midst of a mysterious plague. The outbreak has ravaged the United States, turning recently-dead individuals into flesh-eating zombies. Reports indicate that millions have already perished and risen again as undead creatures. As society crumbles and the government’s efforts prove futile, rural communities with natural defenses like Johnstown are able to hold off the zombie attacks. However, cities like Philadelphia descend into chaos. Amongst this chaos, WGON-TV’s traffic reporter Stephen Andrews and his pregnant girlfriend Fran Parker hatch a plan to escape via the ...

The War of the Worlds (1953) is an American science fiction thriller film directed by Byron Haskin. It is the first of several feature film adaptations of H. G. Wells’ 1898 novel with the same title. A large object crashes near the small town of Linda Rosa, California, where Dr. Clayton Forrester, an atomic scientist, investigates and meets Sylvia Van Buren and her uncle, Pastor Collins. The three then attend an evening square dance but soon return to the crash site where they witness a hatch unscrewing and falling off of the object. As three men try to make contact ...

The American science fiction film, The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), was produced by Julian Blaustein and directed by Robert Wise for 20th Century Fox. Upon a flying saucer’s arrival in Washington, D.C., it quickly becomes surrounded by the United States Army. A humanoid emerges from the spacecraft and assures that he comes ‘in peace and with good will’. However, his unexpected opening of a small device leads to being shot and injured by a jittery soldier. Suddenly, a towering robot appears from the saucer and effortlessly destroys the ...