What Are The Best End of the World Movies?

When I can't figure out what I want to watch, I always sink back into a reliable subgenre of disaster movies that I absolutely love: "End of the World."

There's just something inherently exciting about a movie detailing how it all could end; There are huge stakes, high concepts, and some really cool action scenes.

Today, I want to go over some of my favorite end-of-the-world movies and tell you about what makes them so special.

Let's dive in.

1. 2012

• Director: Roland Emmerich
• Writers: Roland Emmerich, Harald Kloser
• Main Cast: John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Thandiwe Newton, Danny Glover, Woody Harrelson

2. Children of Men

A beautiful movie about the inhumanity of knowing our time is almost up. It digs so deeply into a lot of different aspects of the human condition and has some of the best oners I have ever seen.

3. 28 Days Later

• Director: Danny Boyle
• Writer: Alex Garland
• Cast: Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston

I am an absolute sucker for zombie movies. I really like how they blend horror and survival. This Danny Boyle movie was so much fun to see when it came out. It kind of changed the genre and also was an edge-of-your-seat thriller showcasing how humans might be as dangerous as the beasts.

4. War of the Worlds

Steven Spielberg's post-9/11 movie takes the idea of man's inhumanity to man and thrusts it into a story about alien invasions. I love all the storytelling here in quick succession. You know all the problems facing this family before they set out, and then they just bubble over for the next two hours.

5. Interstellar

If you watch the news, you get this sense of dread that the climate is going to end life on this earth very soon. Maybe we need to start looking for another planet. Christopher Nolan's movie is about how human ingenuity will save us, and so will our adventurous spirit.

6. The Road

Easily the bleakest movie on this list, and also maybe the bleakest movie I have ever seen. This story takes a father and son's love and sends them on the single most harrowing journey to try to find any safety in the world as it ends.

7. Wall-E

One of my favorite movies of all time, I think this Pixar classic probably should be labeled a 'start of the world' movie, as it takes us back to Earth at its end. But in the beginning and middle, we're learning a lot about our follies and how all this could happen.

A Giant List of End-of-the-World Movies

Disaster Films (Natural Disasters):

• 2012 (2009): Global cataclysmic events.
• The Day After Tomorrow (2004): Rapid climate change and a new ice age.
• Deep Impact (1998): Comet impact threat.
• Armageddon (1998): Asteroid impact threat.
• Earthquake (1974): Massive earthquake devastation.
• Greenland (2020): Comet fragments threaten Earth.
• Geostorm (2017): When climate controlling Satellites go wrong, the world faces extreme weather.

Post-Apocalyptic (After the Disaster):

• The Road (2009): A desolate, post-apocalyptic journey.
• Mad Max series (Multiple films): Post-apocalyptic wasteland.
• I Am Legend (2007): Lone survivor in a ruined city.
• The Book of Eli (2010): Post-apocalyptic quest.
• Waterworld (1995): Refugees search for land in a flooded Earth.
• Snowpiercer (2013): Frozen Earth and a train-bound society.
• The Book of Eli (2010): A lone wanderer fights to protect a sacred book in a devastated America.
• Oblivion (2013): A drone repairman who discovers secrets about a post-apocalyptic Earth.
• The Rover (2014): A gritty and intense Australian post-apocalyptic thriller.
• Zombieland (2009) & Zombieland Double Tap (2019): Comedic take on the zombie apocalypse.

Alien Invasion:

• Edge of Tomorrow (2014): A time-looping action film about fighting an alien invasion.
• They Live (1988): A cult classic about hidden aliens controlling society.
• Battle Los Angeles (2011): A military-style alien invasion movie.
• War of the Worlds (2005): Modern adaptation of the classic.
• Independence Day (1996): Large-scale alien invasion.
• Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978): Subtle alien takeover.
• A Quiet Place (2018): Alien creatures that hunt by sound.

Pandemic/Viral Apocalypse:

• Train to Busan (2016): A thrilling South Korean zombie film set on a speeding train.
• Bird Box (2018): A suspenseful film about surviving in a world where seeing mysterious entities leads to death.
• 28 Weeks Later (2007): Sequel to the rage virus outbreak.
• Contagion (2011): A realistic pandemic scenario.
• World War Z (2013): Global zombie-like pandemic.

Nuclear Apocalypse:

• Threads (1984): A stark depiction of nuclear war's aftermath.
• The Day After (1983): A television film depicting nuclear war in the U.S.
• On the Beach (1959): The aftermath of global nuclear fallout.
• Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964): a satirical look at nuclear war.

Other Apocalyptic Scenarios:

• Melancholia (2011): A rogue planet threatens Earth.
• Knowing (2009): Prophecies of impending disasters.
• Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012): two very different people who form an unlikely bond as an asteroid hurtles towards Earth.
• Don't Look Up (2021): Satirical look at society's reaction to a comet impact.
• Leave the World Behind (2023): A technological collapse.

Summing Up The Best End of the World Movies 

This is such a fun and interesting genre because it runs the gamut of all sorts of plots and characters. I could watch them all day, they have a knack for telling stories that bring out the best in humanity and also reveal the very worst.

These are my favorites, but I'd love to hear yours and find some new titles to check out.

Let me know what you think in the comments.