Hollywood loves a good apocalypse and here are some of its most watchable worst-case scenarios.
Richard: Mark, there are so many end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it movies out there it’s hard to narrow it down, but I’ll start our look at the end with Last Night. It’s a dramedy about how people react in the hours before the destruction of the planet. My favourite part has David Cronenberg, in a rare appearance in front of the camera, as a utility company boss spending his final moments calling all his clients to offer thanks for their business.
Mark: Oh, Richard, I hated that movie. I found it twee and precious. Maybe I’m just an old-fashioned guy when it comes to the end of the world, but I want to see landmarks crumbling, a body count in the billions, explosions, tidal waves, and most importantly, a dad separated from his estranged wife and child who saves them, and his relationship. So, I liked 2012, even though I suspect the Mayans were numerically challenged. But I think it’s important to differentiate between a natural apocalypse and one caused by alien invasion. Which do you – ahem – prefer?
RC : I’m more of a good old-fashioned apocalypse guy, although I’m also partial to super-plagues as well. At least on film. Omega Man, 28 Days Later and 12 Monkeys all have crazy viruses with the potential to wipe out mankind. One of the best epidemic movies is The Stand. It was made for TV, but doesn’t skimp on the apocalyptica.
MB: Let me reverse my stand on my desire to see big special effects in these films. The Road is one of the scariest, most haunting movies about trying to survive an apocalypse I’ve ever seen. But then again, Independence Day has the White House blowin’ up real good! I think there’s an interesting double bill here, with two widely different takes on the topic.
RC: I have to say that one of the best apocalyptic movies didn’t have anything to do with aliens or killer planets but with a very simple idea – mass infertility. There’s few special effects and the White House is probably still standing at the end. It’s more about great storytelling and a thought provoking idea.
MB: Children of Men? Brilliant. But when I was a little boy I saw On the Beach, set in Australia after a nuclear holocaust. Not one special effect, but I cried myself to sleep for months.
