Watching movies can be an effective way to alleviate some of the mental stress caused by the relenting anxiety of COVID-19.
Those who are doing the best they can to follow the stay-at-home orders have taken the next step to flatten the curve.
However, the measures and procedures that are being utilized can take a toll on a restless psyche.
Here is a list of a few apocalypse-related films.
The movies mentioned may not be subtle or obvious, but it can be cathartic to watch someone else’s world burn from the comfort of your own quarantine home.
10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
“Crazy is building your ark after the flood has already come.” – Howard
John Goodman plays Howard, a doomsday prep fanatic who has entrapped two people in his bunker underneath his farm after an apparent chemical attack that he claims has radiated the outside air all over the country.
The film directed by Dan Trachtenberg encapsulates how fear and paranoia can distort moral and ethical decisions especially within an isolated and remote area.
The movie is produced by J.J. Abrams’ company Bad Robot and is the second in the Cloverfield trilogy.
The story is based on a script originally entitled The Cellar, but would eventually be developed into the Cloverfield mythos.
Bear McCreary’s score accentuates the thrilling pace without hindering or over manipulating each scene.
10 Cloverfield Lane is an exciting and intense thriller that may take the edge off some of your more aggressive roommates or family members.
Children of Men (2006)
“As the sound of the playgrounds faded, the despair set in. Very odd, what happens in a world without children’s voices.” – Miriam
In the dystopian future of 2027, humans are on the brink of extinction as the entire world becomes infertile.
Alfonso Cuaron directs an authentically eerie depiction of a grim United Kingdom on the edge of a societal collapse.
Cuaron masterfully captures a frenetic pace in spectacular long takes aimed to connect the intensity and severity of each dire situation lead by Clive Owen’s character Theo.
The movie plays on religious allegories as the plot revolves around the transport and safety of a woman and her newly born child.
Children of Men portrays the future as bleak, hostile and oppressive, but the film is about the will to live regardless of the circumstances and how to never give up hope.
Contagion (2011)
“Our best defense has been social distancing. No hand-shaking, staying home when you’re sick, washing your hands frequently.” – Dr. Ellis Cheever
Probably the most popular movie since the coronavirus pandemic, Contagion was a modest hit in 2011 that explored a fictitious Earth handling a global pandemic.
The nearly 10-year-old film is now seen as a prophetic warning to our current COVID-19 situation.
The movie follows the spread of the fictitious MEV-1 disease that plagues the world while the CDC races to develop a vaccine.
The movie feels disturbingly accurate to the events that have unfolded during our own global crisis and has become a fascinating re-watch trying to correlate scenes from the film to real incidents.
The ensemble cast features Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Laurence Fishburne and Marion Cotillard who all deliver stellar performances.
The movie is a tense and well plotted thriller as it examines the bafflement and hysteria of a world unprepared for a serious outbreak.
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
“Gentleman, you can’t fight in here! This is the War Room.” – President Merkin Muffley
Stanley Kubrick’s classic dark comedy “Dr. Strangelove” is about the rampant paranoia of the Cold War and the ramifications of arming the entire world with nuclear bombs.
The film is still considered to be one of the greatest American films of all time due to the script’s sharp and witty dialogue and Peter Sellers’ outstanding performance in three different roles including Dr. Strangelove.
The film explores themes of male insecurities and sexual inadequacies and the reasons it may cause a nuclear fallout.
It is a gorgeous movie that offers levity to a potential man-made apocalypse.
Idiocracy (2006)
“Evolution does not necessarily reward intelligence. With no natural predators to thin the herd, it began simply to reward those who reproduced the most and left the intelligent to become an endangered species.” – Narrator
The idea of the world slowly deteriorating into an anti-intellectual society has been thought to have already begun.
Mike Judge’s Idiocracy is a harsh commentary on the Bush administration while being a sobering message to embrace knowledge and logic.
In 2020, during the Trump administration’s response to COVID-19, some critics may find our country is continuing down that sliding scale.
Idiocracy is about an American soldier named Joe Bauers who wakes up 500 years into the future after a botched government experiment.
Bauers, played by Luke Wilson, finds himself lost in a culture which ridicules the intelligent and praises the ignorant.
The satirical comedy is an exaggerated portrait of a world that is laden with corporate influence, illiteracy and misinformation.
The movie is definitely polarizing, but it is hopefully not an actual representation of the trajectory of our nation or society.
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
“You know, hope is a mistake. If you can’t fix what’s broken, you’ll, uh… You’ll go insane.” -Max Rockatansky
George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road is a cinematic masterpiece.
The 2015 film is fueled with bombastic action set pieces, incredible sound mixing and sound editing and it is one of the most visually stunning movies of the last 20 years.
Fury Road is a refreshing take on Miller’s previous three Mad Max films that values worldbuilding while keeping the audience engaged with its punk-western aesthetic.
The story’s main themes of empowerment and survival are perfectly articulated against the backdrop of a creative apocalyptic world full of fire, blood and sand.
Mad Max: Fury Road is far from mediocre and ascends to the highest heights of Valhalla.
The Mist (2007)
“Put more than two of us in a room, we pick sides and start dreaming up reasons to kill one another…” – Ollie
After a massive storm hits a small town, a mysterious fog engulfs a grocery store entrapping the locals inside while horrific creatures start emerging out of the mist.
Based on the Stephen King novella, The Mist is a 2007 cult-classic film directed by Academy Award winner Frank Darabont.
Darabont is known for his collaboration with King directing and adapting stories including The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption.
The film is full of character actors known for small memorable roles and familiar faces rather than their actual names.
The ensemble lead by Thomas Jane is the perfect embodiment for the film’s theme demonstrating how different groups with different ideologies would coincide when forced in a contained environment.
The film has a gritty ‘70s grindhouse tone full of cliched dialogue and plot points.
It is recommended to watch the black and white director’s cut which enriches the “B” movie ambiance by framing the film in a more ‘60s esthetic.
Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)
“The unknown future rolls toward us. I face it, for the first time, with a sense of hope. Because if a machine, a Terminator, can learn the value of human life, maybe we can too.” – Sarah Connor
With the latest installment of the now diluted Terminator series titled Terminator: Dark Fate (released in 2019), the once unique and exciting premise of an outsider from the future sent to protect a savior from the past now seems derivative.
The sequels and prequels made since 1991 expand on the series mythology only to exploit a familiar franchise for the purpose of financial gain while contributing to the narrative that Hollywood has been, and is still creatively bankrupt.
However, Terminator 2: Judgment Day is regarded as not only the greatest sequel of time, but the greatest action film ever.
James Cameron’s vision has elevated the quality of Hollywood action films and blockbusters by combining compelling storytelling with quality action sequences.
Incredibly paced and shot, Cameron builds a believable universe with fantastic character development, amazing action set pieces, memorable quotes and an emotionally charged ending.
T2 is not just a good apocalyptic theme movie, but essential viewing for any type of cinephile.
This is the End (2013)
“Gluten is a vague term. It’s used to categorize things that are bad. Calories, that’s a gluten. Fat, that’s a gluten.” – Seth Rogan
Written and directed by Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogan, This is the End is a satirical farce about the lives of celebrities and how their pseudo-personalities would respond to a biblical Armageddon.
The film is a fun and simple romp that benefits the audience from knowing each celebrity and personality on screen.
The movie follows the same comedic actors, delivery and timing seen in any Judd Apatow comedy and also lacks any real emotional core.
It may not be as driven or gratifying as the other films on this list, but the movie excels in its relentless crude humor and constant torment of each character.
This bizarre adult comedy would probably be more enjoyable under the influence of alcohol or any other legal substance you may have stashed.
Watch responsibly.
WALL-E (2008)
“I don’t want to survive. I want to live!”- Captain
A captivating and eccentric film, WALL-E conveys a stronger and more relevant message than its Pixar predecessors as the movie disparages consumerism, corporatism and obesity.
The film is a remarkable piece of animation that pays homage to the old Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton silent films that emphasize physical movement and over reactions to drive the story and plot.
Director Andrew Stanton straddles the line of creating an entertaining and visually beautiful film while making it digestible for children to comprehend the thought-provoking subtext.
WALL-E is a cinematic achievement in storytelling, animation and visual effects that works as an entertaining movie and an environmental lesson.