Prerna Singh
Shraman Mitra
There is something very alluring to us about the end of the world as we know it. Imagine you were the Will Smith of ‘I Am Legend’ and you were one of the few last people alive on the surface of Earth. What would you do, if you were the only last faith of humanity? Now c’mon, you cannot deny that being the last person on Earth would have its own advantages: you could do whatever the hell you want to do. But it sure is a struggle when you have to sit trapped inside your own house because the world outside has all kinds of weird monsters lurking around and also the people who are not exactly people anymore; they’re the walking dead.
Some movies like ‘Zombieland’ and ‘Shawn of the Dead’ give us a rather funny approach towards this not-so-funny situation that makes us realize that the world may not be such a bad place even when there are half-dead bloodthirsty humans all around us. Then there are others that give us a speck of the depressing reality of a post-apocalyptic world. This includes movies like ‘10 Cloverfield Lane‘, ‘2012’ and ‘World War Z’. So we’ve made a list of all kinds of these movies that are available on Netflix right now. You can watch some of these on a fun night out with your friends or some just for the scares and the thrills. Whatever your reason may be, just scroll down and choose what suits you best. Here’s the list of really good post-apocalyptic movies on Netflix that are available to stream right now.
20. The Colony (2021)
Set on Earth in the aftermath of a global catastrophe, ‘The Colony’ showcases a future in which most humans desert life on Earth in order to travel to the Kepler-209 space colony. Yet, with radiation turning people in the space station infertile, humanity is on the brink of extinction. In such a setting, astronaut Louise Blake along with her colleagues Tucker and Holden, arrive on Earth to figure out of the planet is habitable. However, things don’t go according to plan when a group of humans, called the Muds, attack them, leading to Tucker and Holden’s death. Hence, the fate of humanity comes to rest in Blake’s hands, and while she believes it is an easy decision, she soon learns of her fertile nature and discovers a forced breeding program that fills her with determination to fight for whatever is left.
19. #Alive (2020)
This South Korean zombie film might just be the most relatable movie on quarantine you will see in 2020. ‘#Alive’ is the story of a video game live streamer, Joon-woo (Yoo Ah-in), and how he survives a zombie apocalypse when he is forced to live alone in his apartment. What makes this film even more relatable is not just the quarantining protocol, but the extensive use and dependency on social media and technology. This film will reaffirm the significance of sharing information, which can even prove to be life-saving. The film is based on Matt Naylor’s script, ‘Alone’ which he co-wrote into the script for this film with Cho Il-Hyung.
18. I Am Mother (2019)
‘I Am Mother’ is yet another science thriller set in a post-apocalyptic world. A girl, Daughter (Clara Rugaard), lives in a bunker and has been brought up by a robot called Mother (Rose Byrne’s voice) who is helping to repopulate the Earth and instilling the appropriate skills and values that a person must have to exist on the planet. The world of Mother and Daughter is disrupted by a Woman (Hillary Swank) who brings some jarring news. This film spins an unusual angle on ethics, responsibility, parenting, and what it means to be out there in the world. This film first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2019.
17. ARQ (2016)
A couple gets stuck in a time loop inside a lab where they get attacked by a bunch of mask raiders at the beginning of each day. They have to adapt and learn to fight off these raiders and at the same time develop a technology that can act as a power source to save the world from its Judgement Day. Every time the couple wakes up to find themselves at the beginning of the time loop again, the film offers a new plot twist that will keep you engaged and at the edge of your seat. The concept of time loops has been repeated a lot of times now and this is one of those movies that does to its ideas.
Read More: Best Zombie Movies on Netflix
16. Awake (2021)
Awake takes place in a world where a global catastrophe wipes out any and every electronic device available to humankind. Along with that, people also lose their ability to sleep and stay awake for days on end, which automatically leads to death. Amid such a crisis, mother of two Jill Adams discovers that her youngest child, Matilda, is still able to sleep. Naturally, the news causes a stir in the community, and while some want to take Matilda to a facility for further tests, religious fanatics believe that sacrificing the girl would help solve the problem. The rest of the movie documents Jill’s frantic battle against humans of all nature to keep her little girl safe.
15. What Happened to Monday (2017)
Set in 2043, there is a strict one-child policy due to overpopulation, and all children except the firstborn are put into a cryosleep. Every citizen is tracked by an electronic bracelet to ensure this. At a time like this, a woman died giving birth to seven identical septuplet sisters. In the care of their grandfather, they were meticulously taught to pose as a single identity, and the key to that was communication. If the government found any more than one of them, it would lead to their death. However, all hell breaks loose when one of the sisters is detained, and her communication is cut off. Is life given a chance under such a stringent rule?
14. Cadaver (2020)
The Norwegian film ‘Cadaver’ is set in a city that is razed to the ground post a nuclear disaster, where misery is the norm. With no food, people are starved, crimes are rampant, and seeing decaying dead bodies on the street is an everyday phenomenon. The only way to survive in that world is to “stick together.” Leonora (Gitte Witt) and Jacob (Thomas Gullestad) have an only daughter, Alice (Tuva Olivia Remman), and are very protective of her. Unexpectedly, a famous theatre director, Mathias Vinterberg (Thorborm Harr), announces an exclusive show, ‘The Hotel,’ with the promise of a good meal. Seeing this as an opportunity to take a break from reality, they decide to go for the show. When fact merges with fiction, chaos ensues, revealing the truth behind surviving in the world that believes in “eat or be eaten.”
13. Last Man Down (2021)
‘Last Man Down’ portrays a reality in which a deadly pandemic has wiped out almost all humankind on Earth. The crisis even forces special forces soldier John Wood to leave his duties and retire to a life in the Nordic wilderness, although he keeps remembering how Commander Stone murdered his wife at the beginning of the pandemic. Years later, a wounded woman visits John in the wilderness and begs for his help, claiming that she escaped her captors who were experimenting on her blood as a cure for the pandemic. Although John initially refuses to believe the woman’s story, he soon learns that the man leading her captors is none other than Commander Stone and realizes it is the perfect opportunity for revenge.
12. The Silence (2019)
A chilling survival horror film set in a post-apocalyptic world, ‘The Silence’ chronicles a reality in which the Earth is swamped by creatures who attack at even the faintest of noises. While the situation forces humans to adapt to a soundless life, Ally Andrews, a teenage girl who had her hearing taken away by a car accident, decides to move to the countryside with her family. Although Ally’s father’s best friend, Glenn, and their family dog lose their lives during the journey, the group is finally able to take refuge in a small shelter. However, with a nearby cult looking to make use of Ally’s heightened senses, the family realizes that the creatures aren’t the worst threat to their lives.
11. Bird Box (2018)
This movie went viral and got close to 45 million views after its release on Netflix. But the reviews of the movie have been rather mixed and controversial. Starring Academy Award Winner Sandra Bullock, ‘Bird Box’ shows the struggle of a single mother in a post-apocalyptic world where she has to cross a treacherous river with her two kids and the biggest challenge that they face while doing all this is that they have to do all of this with a blindfold on. The plot sounds a little familiar, doesn’t it? Well, that’s because it’s very much like the movie, ‘A Quiet Place‘, which tells the story of a family stuck in a post-apocalyptic world full of sound-sensitive beasts that get attracted to even the slightest of noise. The film has had a lot of mixed reviews and a lot of critics seem to have a problem with its ambiguous ending. But then there are others who actually enjoyed this thriller for its amazing concept and also the parts where too many things were not revealed because they give us an insight into the protagonist’s mind who herself was trying to unravel the mysteries around her.
10. Extinction (2018)
A man is haunted by nightmares of a post-apocalyptic world. These dreams get so real after a while that he actually starts believing that they are signs of something in the future. Everyone starts to doubt his sanity including his own family but he later emerges as a hero when all the events that once haunted him start turning into reality but he is well prepared for these. ‘Extinction’ revolves around a man who does not ignore his intuition and later uses it to protect his family from an army of extra-terrestrial creatures who are trying to invade Earth. The film is so good and so well directed it actually sets an example for all the alien invasion apocalyptic movies out there. Micheal Pena does a great job playing the lead but the ending of the movie has a twist that may either disappoint you or make you fall in love with it.
9. IO (2019)
‘IO’ shows a post-apocalyptic world where the Earth has been completely destroyed to an extent where humans cannot live on it anymore. Almost all humans have abandoned the planet and moved to Jupiter’s moon called IO. But one young girl named Sam is a scientist and believes that the planet can still be saved. She broadcasts a message on a common frequency to get the attention of the remaining humans and that’s when a man named Micah, who is also on his way to boarding the last spaceship to IO, comes and meets her. While Micah will have to rush his way to the ship, Sam must decide whether she wants to stay or move to IO like other humans. This film is a lot like ‘I am Legend‘ apart from the fact that this one does not have zombies. But sadly, it’s not as good as ‘I am Legend’ and in a way, ended up wasting a very good concept. Still, you can watch it once as it does give you the whole post-apocalyptic feel. The only thing it lacks is some significant material to the plot.
8. The Cloverfield Paradox (2018)
‘The Cloverfield Paradox’ is one of the three movies in the Cloverfield series that discloses the origin of the strange creatures in ‘Cloverfield’ and ‘10 Cloverfield Lane‘. It all starts off with a bunch of scientists who are working inside a space station revolving around the orbit of the Earth. Their goal is to create an energy source that can provide unlimited energy to the Earth. But the whole experiment goes disastrously wrong and opens gateways to an alternate reality that will bring the world closer to its doomsday.
7. Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters (2017)
You must be wondering what a ‘Godzilla’ movie is doing on this list. This one is a little different from the other Godzilla movies we’ve seen: it’s an anime movie, and its plot revolves around a post-apocalyptic world where most of humanity has left because the Earth is ruled by the leader of the Godzilla force, Kaijus. A group of refugees comes back to Earth with an intention to restore faith in the planet and fight the dark forces of gigantic monsters. Will they succeed with what they intend to do? Watch this action-packed anime film to know.
6. How it Ends (2018)
The movie tells the story of a young man who’s trying to find his way back home to his pregnant wife in a post-apocalyptic world. The world is not the same anymore and it’s full of chaos. Will he be able to reach home to his wife? This movie starts off on a very good note and seems quite interesting in the beginning. But it slowly starts to lose track of the plot from where it had initially started and faded into dullness. Many scenes and decisions made throughout the movie will make you wonder where the film is heading and why is it even heading that way. But it is still a time-killer and you can watch it once because it does have some really good action scenes.
5. Cargo (2017)
A very touching zombie apocalypse story of a man who looks for a new home for his newborn daughter after finding out that he may only have a few hours before he gets infected by a spreading pandemic. You don’t find a lot of zombie films with heart but this one does a good job in bringing about a whole lot of emotions along with thrills to it. I wouldn’t say it’s an Oscar-deserving movie but it certainly is a breath of fresh air.
4. Blame! (2017)
‘Blame!’ shows a futuristic world where humans live a life completely integrated with cyber-technology. But a deadly virus breaks out slowly making all the technology malfunction and steadily starts wiping out the entire population of the world. The anime is about a fairly new and fresh concept and has also been executed really well. Some extreme sci-fi concepts go unexplained in the movie, so if you’re new to such films, then make sure that you have access to Google.
3. Spectral (2016)
The world is threatened by supernatural beings that are invisible to the naked eye and destroy anyone who confronts them. The movie centers around a special-ops team that battles these unknown entities that could be spirits of the war or a government’s arms experiment that went wrong. Spectral offers some really good special effects, a great plot, and some decent acting. It is not a perfect film but decent enough for an enjoyable one time watch.
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2. The Worthy (2016)
‘The Worthy’ is actually a good appreciable movie considering the fact that it comes from a place where cinema isn’t all that big. The movie is about how most of the world’s population gets completely wiped clean after water sources are contaminated by deadly viruses. The only few survivors live near a trustable clean water source that later gets infiltrated by some people who don’t hold the best of intentions. All of it turns into a violent game of survival when the remaining humans fight over the only water body that can keep them alive.
1. The Midnight Sky (2020)
An excellent movie set in a post-apocalyptic reality where a disaster has wiped out most of humanity, ‘The Midnight Sky’ follows academic Augustine Lofthouse, the only member left inside an Arctic base dedicated to finding other habitable planets. While Lofthouse knows that he has a limited number of days left to live, he soon comes in contact with the crew of the spaceship Aether, who are returning from space and have no idea about the condition on Earth. The academic immediately tries to warn the crew about the impending danger but realizes that the antenna is too weak. In the meantime, he also comes across a small girl who doesn’t seem to be able to speak. Even though Lofthouse can feel death closing in around him, he refuses to give up and takes the girl to a nearby station with a stronger antenna. However, the lines between reality and hallucination soon start to blur, and the film draws to a haunting end with the revelation of the little girl’s actual identity.
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