Whether they’re satirical, romantic, or grimly resigned, these apocalyptic movies don’t pull any punches when it comes to the end of the world. The post-apocalyptic genre has been gaining popularity in both film and television in recent years, but the best movies about the end of the world are from all eras of cinema. Many narratives touch upon the search for solutions to the coming catastrophes and the search for new worlds. While it’s nice to watch a film about the end of the world that ends on an uplifting note, some movies opt for a melancholic tone.
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There are plenty of fun post-apocalyptic sci-fi movies, but just as many stories grapple with the lead-up to the final days, finding some way of avoiding the apocalypse. However, there’s something satisfying about a movie that pushes its characters and the audience to face the reality that everything must eventually come to an end. Often, these narratives take their intense subject matter and use it as a comment on contemporary issues that humanity is facing, whether that be the threat of nuclear war or the climate crisis. However, there are also smaller human stories about the quieter moments of grief.
10 Don’t Look Up (2021)
Directed by Adam McKay
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7/10 Don’t Look Up RComedyDramaSci-Fi
Don’t Look Up follows two astronomers (Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence) desperately trying to warn humanity about an approaching comet that they believe could wipe out all life on Earth. When the President (Meryl Streep) and her son (Jonah Hill) ignore their warnings, they embark on a media tour to enlighten the public, earning the ire of the global populace who refuse to believe in the danger. Meanwhile, an eccentric billionaire (Mark Rylance) begins to fund an emergency colonization mission to take humanity out among the stars.
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*Availability in US Director Adam McKay Release Date December 10, 2021 Studio(s) Netflix Writers Adam McKay , David Sirota Cast Meryl Streep , Tyler Perry , Himesh Patel , Cate Blanchett , Timothée Chalamet , Tomer Sisley , Jonah Hill , Leonardo DiCaprio , Scott Mescudi , Jennifer Lawrence , Mark Rylance , Rob Morgan , Melanie Lynskey , Ron Perlman , Michael Chiklis , Ariana Grande Runtime 145 minutes Expand
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The star-studded Don’t Look Up is a comedy on paper, but that doesn’t mean the story doesn’t have something deeper to say. While Don’t Look Up is about the inevitable coming of a comet that will destroy Earth, it’s really discussing how powerful people and organizations, like governments and media conglomerates, will spin the truth and take advantage of tragedy for the sake of making a profit. Don’t Look Up doesn’t see the movie’s heroes win and live happily ever after, but it does see them proven right.
In direct conversation with the climate crisis and the reactionary 24-hour news cycle,
Don’t Look Up
is a strong blend of social commentary that’s unbiased enough to appeal to a wide array of audiences.
In direct conversation with the climate crisis and the reactionary 24-hour news cycle, Don’t Look Up is a strong blend of social commentary that’s unbiased enough to appeal to a wide array of audiences. It’s one of Jennifer Lawrence’s best comedy movie roles since it makes her character, Kate, look ridiculous while also letting her flex her dramatic muscles. The central cast’s chemistry and commitment to their over-the-top characters make it easy to root for and despise the opposing sides of the conflict.
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Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score |
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score |
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Don’t Look Up (2021) |
56% |
78% |
9 Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World (2012)
Directed by Lorene Scafaria
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9/10 Seeking a Friend for the End of the World pg-13Romantic Comedy
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World follows two strangers, played by Steve Carell and Keira Knightley, who set out on a road trip to find a high school sweetheart before an oncoming asteroid brings forth the end of the world.
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*Availability in US Director Lorene Scafaria Release Date June 22, 2012 Studio(s) StudioCanal Writers Lorene Scafaria Cast Steve Carell , Keira Knightley , Connie Britton , Melanie Lynskey Runtime 101minutes Expand
Keira Knightley and Steve Carell make an unexpected but sweet pair in Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, a movie about two people looking for a real connection before all life ends. Their characters, Dodge and Penny, never knew each other well before the apocalypse became imminent, but they team up to find their lost loved ones before the asteroid hits amid a world dissolving into chaos. Though the central characters don’t engage in much of the debauchery themselves, they find their own ways of coping with the nihilism of knowing there’s no avoiding the end.
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While the movie received mixed reviews from critics and audiences, there’s no question that this understated drama easily brings a tear to the eye. Seeing the relationship between Dodge and Penny get built up over time, only to be cut short by the apocalypse, is heartbreaking. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World is deeply concerned with timing and missed chances when it comes to relationships. In the end, the movie decides that fate has a plan for the people who come and go in our lives, and everything is meant to unfold as it does.
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Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012) |
55% |
53% |
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8 Melancholia (2011)
Directed by Lars von Trier
Melancholia RDramaDocumentarySci-Fi
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*Availability in US Director Lars von Trier Release Date May 26, 2011 Writers Lars von Trier Cast Kirsten Dunst , Charlotte Gainsbourg , Alexander Skarsgard , Brady Corbet , Cameron Spurr , Charlotte Rampling Runtime 130 minutes
Kirsten Dunst is at her best in Melancholia, the film by Lars von Trier that uses the apocalypse as a metaphor for its character’s struggles with depression and feelings of apathy. Dunst portrays Justine opposite Charlotte Gainsbourg, playing Justine’s sister Claire. The characters have opposing views on the coming end of the world, as Justine’s depression makes her tacitly accepting of the apocalypse, while Claire’s desire to avoid her destiny only makes her final days filled with terror.
As Justine’s emotional reality is suddenly played out before her as a reality of the end of the world, it’s interesting to watch her come to understand her own interior self better.
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Von Trier uses surrealist visuals, cinematography, and aesthetics to communicate the film’s doom and despair. Though it’s not at all an easy movie to watch, Melancholia toes the line of romanticizing depression at times. However, it makes a nuanced comment on these complex emotions instead. As Justine’s emotional reality is suddenly played out before her as a reality of the end of the world, it’s interesting to watch her come to understand her own interior self better.
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Melancholia (2011) |
80% |
67% |
7 Dr. Strangelove (1964)
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
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10/10 Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb PGComedy
Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 black-and-white satire Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb parodies the growing tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Starring Peter Sellers, the plot revolves around a US Air Force general who orders a nuclear attack on the Soviet Union against the wishes of the government.
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*Availability in US Director Stanley Kubrick Release Date January 29, 1964 Studio(s) Columbia Pictures Writers Terry Southern , Stanley Kubrick , Peter George Cast George C. Scott , Slim Pickens , Peter Sellers , Keenan Wynn , Sterling Hayden Runtime 95 minutes Expand
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It’s hard to believe that Dr. Strangelove came out in 1964, as the film is so relevant and holds up brilliantly today. However, simultaneously, it’s tremendously rooted in its own time and the context of the growing paranoia of the Cold War. Widely regarded as the best movie about the Cold War, Dr. Strangelove is as dark as it is hilarious, demonstrating how ridiculous it is that the lives of billions of people and the fate of the world rests in the hands of a small group of largely incompetent individuals.
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Peter Sellers embodies the tone of Dr. Strangelove in his three roles as the Group Captain, the President of the United States, and the titular Dr. Strangelove. The movie demonstrates what makes Stanley Kubrick such an enduring and beloved writer-director, as he balances cutting political satire with genuine entertainment throughout the movie’s runtime. As the film hurtles towards its conclusion with the speed of the nuclear warheads on which the story revolves, the audience will laugh as much as they cringe, thinking about how little has changed since 1964.
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Dr. Strangelove (1964) |
98% |
94% |
6 This Is The End (2013)
Directed by Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg
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6/10 This is the End rComedy
In This Is the End, a group of celebrities play exaggerated versions of themselves during the end of the world. Seth Rogen, James Franco, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, and Danny McBride star in the 2013 apocalypse comedy, with appearances by Emma Watson, Rihanna, Kevin Hart, Paul Rudd, Mindy Kaling, Channing Tatum, the Backstreet Boys, and various other Hollywood celebs.
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*Availability in US Director Seth Rogen Release Date September 12, 2013 Studio(s) Sony Writers Seth Rogen , Evan Goldberg Cast Seth Rogen , James Franco , Jonah Hill , Michael Cera Runtime 107minutes Expand
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This outlandish comedic film about the end of the world grapples with friendship, religion, and fame as the apocalypse hits Los Angeles and a group of selfish movie stars. Featuring a stacked cast of comedic and dramatic actors playing heightened fictionalized versions of themselves, This Is the End primarily focuses on the friendship between Seth Rogen and Jay Baruchel. As they’re trapped with James Franco and a large cast of recognizable actors, each of them realizes that the rapture has come.
While there’s no avoiding the end of the world in
This Is the End
, it still provides a happier and more digestible conclusion than other films of the genre.
Arguably the least nuanced or interrogative story about the apocalypse, This Is the End isn’t trying to make any points much larger than the importance of being kind and truthful to friends. In many ways, this is a refreshing take on the genre, and also the comedy veterans to have fun with each other on camera and take advantage of their great chemistry. While there’s no avoiding the end of the world in This Is the End, it still provides a happier and more digestible conclusion than other films of the genre.
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This Is the End (2013) |
82% |
71% |
5 Threads (1984)
Directed by Mick Jackson
Threads TV-MAThrillerSci-FiDrama
Threads is a British television film directed by Mick Jackson, depicting the impact of a nuclear war on the city of Sheffield and its residents. Released in 1984, the film follows the lives of two families as they grapple with the immediate and long-term effects of the catastrophic event. The narrative offers a stark and realistic portrayal of the societal breakdown and human suffering caused by nuclear conflict.
Director Mick Jackson Release Date September 23, 1984 Writers Barry Hines Cast Karen Meagher , Reece Dinsdale , David Brierly , Rita May , Nicholas Lane , Jane Hazlegrove , Henry Moxon , June Broughton Runtime 112 Minutes
The critically acclaimed nuclear-war movie Threads was a revolutionary step forward in cinema, directly addressing the aftermath of a nuclear apocalypse. Dealing with the latter half of the Cold War and the tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, Threads takes its expansive subject matter and zooms in on a small town in England and how the residents there try to survive. Threads slowly and painfully depict a vividly imagined series of events that could easily unfold as society is decimated and then attempts to rebuild.
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Though Threads isn’t as widely talked about as some of the best apocalyptic narratives, it’s gained traction in the years since its release. This is largely thanks to its unflinching realism. Life marches on in Threads, even as lives are destroyed, and the world is essentially plunged back into the Middle Ages. It’s a difficult and dark portrait of the cycle of life and is a clear warning to its viewers about what awaits humanity if they continue down a path of war and annihilation.
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Threads (1984) |
100% |
91% |
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4 2012 (2009)
Directed by Roland Emmerich
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4/10 2012 PG-13ActionAdventureSci-Fi
Roland Emmerich’s 2012 is a disaster movie inspired by the idea that the end of the Mayan calendar predicted the end of the world. Starring John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, and Woody Harrelson, the 2009 movie plays up the possible effects of natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and polar shifts.
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*Availability in US Director Roland Emmerich Release Date October 10, 2009 Studio(s) Sony , Columbia Pictures Writers Roland Emmerich , Harald Kloser Cast Danny Glover , John Cusack , Thandie Newton , Chiwetel Ejiofor , Oliver Platt , Amanda Peet , Woody Harrelson Runtime 158minutes Expand
Similarly to the fears surrounding Y2K and the end of the world at the turn of the century, there were predictions and anxieties about 2012. The 2009 movie 2012 imagines a version of reality where the world ends in 2012 thanks to a series of geological disasters that are brought to life excitingly onscreen. Overall, 2012 was universally praised for its visual effects and how it created catastrophes while falling a bit flat in terms of its emotional appeal. However, 2012 was always meant to be a heightened action-disaster movie, not a contemplative take on the end of the world.
2012
is a great disaster movie for the spectacle and the far-reaching narrative it presents.
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Featuring a large ensemble cast with iconic actors like John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Danny Glover,2012 examines what the end of days would look like for a variety of people of different social classes and standings. From the President of the United States to everyday citizens who are left without tickets to the life-saving arcs the rich and powerful are building, 2012 attempts to make some class commentary about the end of the world. Ultimately, 2012 is a great disaster movie for the spectacle and the far-reaching narrative it presents.
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2012 (2009) |
40% |
47% |
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3 These Final Hours (2013)
Directed by Zak Hilditch
These Final Hours Sci-FiDramaThriller
These Final Hours is an Australian apocalyptic drama directed by Zak Hilditch. Starring Nathan Phillips and Angourie Rice, the film chronicles the last hours of Earth as a cataclysmic event approaches. The story follows a self-destructive man who finds purpose after rescuing a young girl searching for her father. The film depicts their journey through the chaos and their attempts to find redemption before the world ends.
Director Zak Hilditch Release Date July 31, 2014 Writers Zak Hilditch Cast Nathan Phillips , Angourie Rice , Daniel Henshall , Jessica De Gouw , David Field , Sarah Snook , Kathryn Beck , Lynette Curran Runtime 87 Minutes
These Final Hours grapples with the question of how best to spend one’s final days on Earth. Showcasing a variety of approaches, from wild parties to violent outbursts, These Final Hours quickly concludes that it’s always worth it to be with the one you love and let them know you love them, even if they’ll only be alive for a few more moments to know it. Following James (Nathan Phillips), a young man who tries to avoid all feelings before the foretold end of the world but ends up finding himself weighed down with responsibility he doesn’t want.
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Audiences might recognize Angourie Rice as Rose from her recent role in the 2024 Mean Girls movie or her turn in Nice Guys in 2016. However, a few years before these projects, she gave an emotionally gripping performance opposite Phillips in These Final Hours, with Sarah Snook also making an appearance in the project. Subtly balancing action and violence with tender emotional moments, These Final Hours takes the audience on an intense but cathartic journey.
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These Final Hours (2013) |
84% |
64% |
2 The Cabin In The Woods (2011)
Directed by Drew Goddard
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8.2/10 The Cabin in the Woods RHorrorComedy
The Cabin in the Woods strictly follows the traditional slasher movie dynamic: a group of teens heads to a remote location for the weekend only to find themselves beset by monsters. However, what they don’t know is that the inevitable horrors they will face have all been arranged by a mysterious team watching from a facility deep underground.
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*Availability in US Director Drew Goddard Release Date April 13, 2012 Studio(s) Lionsgate Writers Drew Goddard , Joss Whedon Cast Richard Jenkins , Fran Kranz , Chris Hemsworth , Bradley Whitford , Kristen Connolly Runtime 95 minutes Expand
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In a delightful mix of genres, The Cabin in the Woods blends elements of horror, thriller, comedy, and the apocalypse into its tight runtime, never dragging or wasting a moment of screentime. It utilizes the classic tropes of scary movies and incorporates them through meta-textual commentary on both filmmakers and audiences who engage in these iconic but formulaic stories. The narrative turn in The Cabin in the Woods makes comedic commentary about the nihilism of the end of the world.
Like other additions to the genre,
The Cabin in the Woods
uses its story to wonder if humanity is worthy of averting the apocalypse because of the terrible way people treat each other.
Easily one of the best thriller movies of the 2010s, The Cabin in the Woods lets the audience in on the game of the story quickly, but that doesn’t make it any less compelling. Like other additions to the genre, The Cabin in the Woods uses its story to wonder if humanity is worthy of averting the apocalypse because of the terrible way people treat each other. Though the film is a treat for film fans with an interest in cinematic structure, it appeals to all viewers thanks to its high entertainment value.
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Title |
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score |
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The Cabin in the Woods (2011) |
92% |
74% |
1 Miracle Mile (1988)
Directed by Steve De Jarnatt
Miracle Mile RSci-FiDramaRomanceThrillerComedy
Miracle Mile, directed by Steve De Jarnatt, centers on Harry, who, after meeting the girl of his dreams, receives alarming news of an impending nuclear strike on Los Angeles. The film unfolds over the course of a tense hour as panic ensues and Harry races against time.
Director Steve De Jarnatt Release Date May 19, 1988 Writers Steve De Jarnatt Runtime 88 Minutes
The fast pace of Miracle Mile keeps the story moving forward at a propulsive speed, never allowing the viewer to catch their breath. As much about the futile yet beautiful discovery of love as it is about the end of the world, Miracle Mile follows Harry (Antony Edwards) and Julie (Mare Winningham) as they embark on a whirlwind romance just as nuclear armageddon hits. Primarily focusing on Harry as his accidental discovery of the news, Miracle Mile sees many different people come to terms with their fates.
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Set in the Miracle Mile neighborhood of Los Angeles, Miracle Mile uses the La Brea tar pits as a recurring location throughout the story, creating a parallel between the long-dead fossils that humans find in the pits and the inevitability of humanity’s own extinction. It’s difficult not to feel genuine fear throughout Miracle Mile, as the movie doesn’t pull away from the mass hysteria and unavoidable anxiety that accompanies the certain end of the world.
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Title |
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score |
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score |
|
Miracle Mile (1988) |
94% |
73% |
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