Shubhabrata Dutta
There is something very alluring to us about the end of the world as we know it. What would you do if you were the only last faith of humanity? Some movies like ‘Zombieland’ and ‘Shaun of the Dead’ give us a rather funny approach to 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’. Netflix has all kinds of movies in this genre, which you can watch on a fun night out with your friends or just for the scares and the thrills.
25. Army of the Dead (2021)
Directed by Zack Snyder, ‘Army of the Dead‘ is a post-apocalyptic zombie heist film set in a quarantined Las Vegas after a zombie outbreak. When casino owner Bly Tanaka approaches Scott Ward (Dave Bautista) with a risky mission to retrieve $200 million from a vault before the city is nuked, he assembles a diverse team including his former allies, a helicopter pilot, a safe-cracker, a sharpshooter, and a few others. As the crew ventures into the zombie-infested city, they encounter not just the regular undead but a hierarchy of smarter, more organized zombies known as Alphas. With betrayals, ulterior motives, and the impending nuclear strike, the mission quickly becomes a fight for survival. The film offers a mix of intense action sequences, emotional moments, and Snyder’s signature visual style. To experience this feat, you can stream it here.
24. Black Crab (2022)
Directed by Adam Berg, ‘Black Crab’ is a Swedish action-thriller film distributed by Netflix. Noomi Rapace portrays a speed skater named Edh, who’s drafted into a dangerous mission: skating across sea ice behind enemy lines to deliver a mysterious package that could end a war. The narrative oscillates between thrilling chases, intense combat, and the moral quandaries of war. When Edh discovers the package might be a potential bioweapon, she’s torn between duty and morality. The film is a gripping exploration of warfare, sacrifice, and the lengths one would go for loved ones. You may watch it here.
23. Resident Evil (2002)
A film that kickstarted an entire franchise and achieved cult status, ‘Resident Evil’ is based on a popular video game of the same name. Featuring Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, Eric Mabius, and Eric Mabius, it shows how an underground facility owned by the Umbrella Corporation gets contaminated with the T-virus, a virus the staff has been experimenting on, whose effect turns people into zombies. In response, a team of commandos infiltrate the facility to ensure that the virus doesn’t get out and seal it while dealing with the already-zombified staff and the other mutated creatures that the staff was experimenting on with the virus. Can they prevent the catastrophe from spreading further? To find out, you can watch the film here.
22. Rim of the World (2019)
This science-fiction adventure film, directed by Joseph McGinty Nichol (McG), is based on a script penned by Zack Stentz. At a southern Californian summer camp named ‘Rim of the World,’ socially reclusive Alex forms an unlikely alliance with fellow campers Zhen Zhen, Dariush, and Gabriel. Their ordinary camp experience darkens when alien ships invade, leaving them as some of the few survivors. Entrusted with a key by a dying astronaut, which holds the secret to defeating the invaders, these young misfits embark on a perilous journey to deliver it to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab. Along the way, they face numerous challenges, including predatory adults and the relentless aliens. The group’s bond and resilience are tested as they fight for humanity’s survival. Feel free to check out the movie here.
21. Jung_E (2023)
Directed by Yeon Sang-ho, this South Korean sci-fi film is set in a post-apocalyptic 22nd-century Earth, when humans inhabit man-made shelters in space. A civil war ensues when three shelters form the Adrian Republic, challenging the Allied Forces. Captain Yun Jung-yi, a renowned mercenary, fights for the Allied Forces to fund her daughter’s medical treatments. After a mission goes awry, Jung-yi is put into a coma. Fast forward to 2194, Kronoid, a tech institute, clones her brain to create a combat AI, ‘Jung_E.’ Led by her now-adult daughter, Dr. Yun Seo-hyun, the project aims to honor Jung-yi’s legacy. However, as peace looms and corporate intentions shift, Seo-hyun finds herself in a race against time, defending the AI’s integrity and her own life against unexpected adversaries. You can check out the film here.
20. White Noise (2022)
Based on the 1985 novel by Don DeLillo, ‘White Noise‘ is an absurdist comedy-drama film directed by Noah Baumbach. Featuring Adam Driver, Greta Gerwig, and Don Cheadle, the film is set in the 1980s, capturing the life of an academic named Jack Gladney, a professor of “Hitler studies,” his fourth wife Babette, and their blended family. Their lives, already marked by Jack’s death anxieties and Babette’s secret use of a drug called Dylar, spiral out of control after a train accident leads to an “Airborne Toxic Event” and subsequent evacuation. As events unfold, Jack confronts Babette about her use of Dylar and eventually finds himself embroiled in a violent confrontation with the mysterious Mr. Gray. The narrative mediates modern anxieties, the fear of death, and the search for meaning amidst chaos. You can watch ‘White Noise’ here.
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. You may watch ‘#Alive’ here.
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. You can stream the film here.
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. You can stream ‘ARQ’ here.
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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. You can stream it here.
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? You can watch the movie here to find out.
14. Cadaver (2020)
The Norwegian film ‘Cadaver’ is set in a city that is razed to the ground after 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 a world that believes in “eat or be eaten.” You may watch the film here.
13. 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. You can check out the film here.
12. Bird Box: Barcelona (2023)
A standalone sequel/spin-off to ‘Bird Box’ (2018), which in turn is based on the 2014 novel of the same name by Josh Malerman, ‘Bird Box Barcelona’ has been directed by Álex Pastor and David Pastor. It shows the world being taken over by invisible entities that feed on people’s fears and make them kill themselves. The catch is that any kind of eye contact leads to suicide. If you don’t see them, you are safe, but they are coming for you, so it’s only a matter of time before you die too. In such a world, we follow a guy named Sebastián, who at first serves the entities that are using him to kill more people by showing him an apparition of his dead daughter.
This apparition tells him that he is serving the angels and he needs to find more souls that shall be liberated in death. However, he later on starts doubting the apparition and ultimately sacrifices his life while trying to help a woman and a little girl escape to a safe haven. A film that smartly manages to balance the macrocosm of a post-apocalyptic world and the microcosm that is humanity’s faith, ‘Bird Box Barcelona’ is a worthy watch, just like its predecessor. You can stream it here.
11. Bird Box (2018)
This movie went viral and got close to 45 million views after its release on Netflix. 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. You know why from the previous film in this list, i.e., ‘Bird Box Barcelona.’ You can watch ‘Bird Box’ here.
10. Extinction (2018)
A man is haunted by nightmares of a post-apocalyptic world. These dreams get so real after a while that he 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 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. You may watch it here.
9. IO (2019)
‘IO’ shows a post-apocalyptic world where the Earth has been completely destroyed to the extent that 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. You may watch ‘IO’ here.
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 begins 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. You can stream the film here to find out what happens, as it might just help get ideas in case we do face a Doomsday. One doesn’t know, right?
7. End of Evangelion (1997)
Directed by Hideaki Anno and Kazuya Tsurumaki, this Japanese anime sci-fi film is a climactic finale to the ‘Neon Genesis Evangelion’ TV series. The narrative penned by Hideaki Anno dives deep into apocalyptic scenarios combined with philosophical and psychological introspection. Teenagers Shinji, Rei, and Asuka pilot mechs called Evangelions to defend humanity from entities called Angels. Amidst this battle, Shinji is embroiled in the Human Instrumentality Project, which seeks to unify humanity into one singular entity. Despite initial controversies for its abstract approach, the film gained acclaim and numerous awards, solidifying its position as a notable animation achievement. You can stream it here.
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 kicks 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 it is 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. You can watch the movie here.
5. Cargo (2017)
It is 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 won’t find a lot of zombie films with heart, but this one does a good job of 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. You may watch the film here.
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. But it is interesting, so feel free to check out the movie here.
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. You can check out the film here.
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2. The Worthy (2016)
‘The Worthy’ is a good movie, appreciable 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. Only a few survivors live near a trustable clean water source that later gets infiltrated by some people who don’t have the best 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. You can watch ‘The Worthy’ here.
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. You may watch it here.
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