The end-of-the-world movies have shaped a new genre, a mix between fiction and fantasy, to portray the last day on earth. It’s an idea that has captured the human head since the beginning of time.
The human brain translated that obsession to fantasy fiction novels based on creating the best scenarios of the most famous movies.
Here is a list of the best end-of-the-world movies that will captivate your imagination and will exceed your expectations.
1. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
The Avengers and their allies must be willing to sacrifice all in an attempt to defeat the powerful Thanos before his blitz of devastation and ruin puts an end to the universe.
The Avengers infinity war brought many superstars, including Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark, Chris Evans as Thor, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner, Chris Evans as Steve Rogers, Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff, and more.
This movie is an emotional roller coaster – using the strength of its powerful and interesting villain, the film successfully brings together the past ten years of Marvel movies into a largely effective cocktail of super-heroic dramatics.
Marvel did a fantastic job setting characters up and giving us something to look for, so even the minor things can make you chuckle, like Groot and Captain America introducing themselves to each other. It’s a character moment, but it’s also as funny as it can be. And it is grounded in what we know about them and their attitude. It is stunning, hilarious, and heartbreaking, and it doesn’t disappoint.
You can watch Avengers: Infinity War 2018 on Amazon Prime Video.
2. Bird Box (2018)
Five years after an ominous unseen presence drives most of society to suicide, a mother and her two children make a desperate bid to reach safety.
3. World War Z (2013)
Former United Nations employee Gerry Lane traverses the world in a race against time to stop a zombie pandemic that is toppling armies and governments and threatens to destroy humanity itself.
World War Z offers something new, the first, straight, big-budget zombie blockbuster. The movie is based on Max Brooks’s book, but don’t let that put you off; unlike the book, it has a structured narrative and characters.
Sure, Planet Terror skirted with the premise but with a sci-fi twist, while this is straightforward zombie stuff.
The scenes of the zombies attacking en masse are brilliantly conceived, and the set-piece that takes place in Israel in the middle of the movie is simply phenomenal.
Starring Brad Pitt as (Perry Lane), it’s a refreshing Zombie movie, Mostly emotional but action-wise. While the director wouldn’t have been associated with Horror before this, he did an excellent job conveying the terror and the tension that builds up in a situation depicted in the movie. It is pretty straightforward and, therefore, somewhat predictable.
You can watch World War Z on Netflix or Amazon Prime Video.
4. Contagion (2011)
Many are saying that Contagion deserves a retrospective award after predicting Coronavirus that hit the world in 2020.
The movie is almost 100 percent based on everything we know. It’s close to perfection.
Healthcare professionals, government officials, and everyday people find themselves during a pandemic as the CDC works to find a cure.
It is an excellent pandemic movie, and it is a medical thriller disaster film that features an ensemble cast that includes Matt Damon as Mitch Emhoff, Jude Law as Alan Krumwiede, Gwyneth Paltrow as Beth Emhoff, Kate Winslet as Dr.Erin Mears, s a brilliant and scary medical disaster film. Adopting a clean, chronological and punchy approach, Soderbergh holds a steady eye on panic and chaos.
You can watch Contagion on Netflix or Amazon Prime Video.
5. 2012 (2009)
A frustrated writer struggles to keep his family alive when a series of global catastrophes threatens to annihilate humanity.
(2012) is the mother of all disaster movies. It delivers what it promises, touching scenes of the end of the world.
The special effects are significant, cinematography, soundtrack, the actor’s performance is outstanding, it’s an entertaining movie for the whole family.
Starring: John Cusack as Jackson Curtis, Thandiwe Newton as Laura Wilson, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Adrian Helmsley, Amanda Peet as Kate Curtis, Woody Harrelson as Charlie Frost, and many more well-known actors.
2012 movie is available on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and all primary online streaming services.
6. I Am Legend (2007)
Years after a plague kills most of humanity and transforms the rest into monsters, the sole survivor in New York City struggles valiantly to find a cure.
A breathtaking remake on big-budget with great Production design, adequate cinematography, and Top-notch performance by Will Smith as Robert Nevill, it’s involving. The hour-and-a-half goes by pretty fast and gets you into the plight of the main character.
Starring: Will Smith and the dog.
You can watch I Am Legend on Amazon Prime Video.
7. 28 Weeks Later (2007)
Six months after the rage virus was inflicted on the population of Great Britain, the US Army helped to secure a small area of London for the survivors to repopulate and start again. But not everything goes according to plan.
This is a well-paced, multi jump in your seat movie, has a lot of action, with escaping scenes to pace the film.
The actors, particularly the two children leads Imogen Poots as Tammy, Mackintosh Muggleton as Andy, are great as they can enact the sense of pressure and desperation while being a fugitive, other lead actors like Jeremy Renner as Doyle, Robert Carlyle as Don, Rose Byrne as Scarlet, Idris Elba as Stone did a fine job.
You can watch 28 Weeks Later on Amazon Prime Video.
8. The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
Jack Hall, paleoclimatologist, must make a daring trek from Washington, D.C. to New York City to reach his son, trapped in the cross-hairs of a sudden international storm that plunges the planet into a new Ice Age.
The film does start brilliantly, with a beautiful idea for a story and truly spectacular special effects. It satisfies your imagination about how is the ice age looks like.
Starring: Dennis Quaid as Jack Hall, Jake Gyllenhaal as Sam Hall, Emmy Rossum as Laura Chapman, the performance generally was good.
You can watch The Day After Tomorrow on Amazon Prime Video.
9. Deep Impact (1998)
A comet is discovered to be on a collision course with Earth. As doomsday nears, the human race prepares for the worst.
It delivers notably human Characters, several dovetailed storylines, and it saves the special effects (which are very good) for the movie’s climax.
Deep Impact, as I mentioned, lacks an A-list star. Still, it does feature superb performances from two of the best supporting actors of our generation: Robert Duvall (Spurgeon Tanner, captain of the spaceship) and Morgan Freeman (Tom Beck, the U.S. President). Duvall is the film’s standout with an A+ performance as Tanner.
You can watch Deep Impact on Netflix.
10. Knowing (2009)
M.I.T. professor John Koestler links a mysterious list of numbers from a time capsule to past and future disasters and sets out to prevent the ultimate catastrophe.
Starring Nicolas Cage as John Koestler, Rose Byrne as Diana, Knowing has a mixed message between rational thought and spiritual searching that can be interpreted in many different ways. It’s a film people debated about for years.
It starts deceptively simple, slow, and understated, the kind of slightly-odd mystery yarn that THE X-FILES used to do so well in its heyday. Then it hits you with a pivotal scene involving a plane which is one of the most breathtaking I’ve ever seen up on the screen.
The film will keep you hooked until the end. The idea of a little girl knowing the prediction about the end of the world is imaginative and capacitive. You’ll wonder: where did this prediction come from? How did she know? It is like the history of events are all written in a scenario that becomes a reality.
You can watch Knowing on Netflix.
Enjoy watching!
