I should just go ahead and let you know that the world ending hasn’t been a theme I’ve been especially passionate about. Now that the end of everything is quickly approaching, however (Friday — yikes!) I figure I should beef up on end of the world know-how.
If you find yourself in a similar situation, here’s a list of a few recommended end of the world movies that I’ve mostly garnered from others’ suggestions (since, as mentioned above, end of the world themed media hasn’t really been my thing). So fire up your Netflix or swing by the nearest Redbox and get ready for an epic movie marathon. Seriously — start now if you want to get a few good flicks in before el fin.
We’ll begin with the ones I’ve actually seen and can recommend in good conscience:
- 28 Days Later. Not to be confused with the Sandra Bullock rehab movie of nearly the same name, this film chronicles a group of Brits searching for reprieve following a zombie-inducing virus has swept through the nation — leaving disaster and devastation in its wake:
- WALL-E. The first time I saw this movie was with my dear friend Vicky Yue (now Vicky Blue) on the day we met (which was also the day we moved into our dorm apartments for grad school). Good memories! And if you haven’t yet seen this adorable Earth cleaner-upper in action, please check it out:
- Children of Men. Okay, so this one’s not quite about the end of the world, but more about the inevitably approaching end of the world, seeing as humans become unable to procreate in this movie:
- Armageddon. Yes, the one with the terribly cheesy Aerosmith song. The one directed by Michael Bay. Don’t judge. I’m a girl, and I was in middle school when it came out. It gets to stay on the list:
- The Road. This one comes with a big, fat caveat. I haven’t seen the movie The Road, and actually have heard that it’s not all that great. Bad, even. But I have read the book The Road, and it’s not bad. It’s quite wonderful, in fact. And so I suppose I’m actually recommending the book The Road rather than the movie The Road, but this is a post about movies, so there you go:
All right, time for the collection of movies I’m trusting others to recommend, because I haven’t actually seen them myself:
- Independence Day. Not sure how I managed to miss this one (I love Will Smith, after all), but alas, I haven’t seen this movie following Mr. Smith and company as they fight to save the world from aliens’ impending invasion, and their superior technology. (“The most notable part of that movie is that nerdy guy from Jurassic Park teaming up with The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to save the world.” – Kevin Keller, who has actually seen the movie.):
- The Day After Tomorrow. The world is threatened by another ice age — yikes! Let’s see what happens:
- Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World. Who doesn’t love Steve Carell? In this flick, he’s going on a hunt for a high school sweetheart — with buddy Kiera Knightly in tow — in a race to beat a quickly approaching asteroid:
- The Book of Eli. Denzel Washington struggles to save a sacred text in — you guessed it — a post-apocalyptic world. I hear there’s a pretty good twist at the end, too:
That should keep us all busy for the next few days, huh? Happy end of the world prepping!