Greetings! Despite the pandemic, a post-apocalyptic author like me will always be in the mood for dystopian entertainment. It’s been my thing for quite a few years. Dystopia had popular phases in cinema, periodically, for decades. Now it seems to be a trend again because of current events. I’ve seen many post-apocalyptic films that simply jumped on the bandwagon. Let’s face it. We’ve all seen a bunch of zombie apocalypses, alien invasions, extinction level plagues, robot uprisings, natural disasters, and nuclear wastelands. After a while, most dystopian movies look the same. Occasionally, I find something different in a crowded genre. I’m glad some filmmakers aren’t running out of ideas. This post includes a list of the most unique and weirdest post-apocalyptic settings in movies. Enjoy!
1) After Earth Premise: The Earth’s wildlife evolved and now humans are on the bottom of the food chain. - Human beings haven’t lived on Earth for several generations, but a father and son team accidentally crash lands on our former planet. Many years ago, the animals evolved into apex predators and the duo must fight for survival and find a way back home. It’s not a fabulous movie, but After Earth definitely has an interesting setting and cool visual effects. 2) Awake Premise: Everyone loses their ability to sleep after a mysterious phenomenon knocks out the Earth’s electricity. - A former Army medic tries to keep her children safe after the human race loses their ability to sleep. Unfortunately, excessive sleep deprivation will cause everyone to die in a matter of days. Violence, rioting, looting, and civil unrest ensues because the world’s electricity is also gone and everyone’s health is rapidly deteriorating. I wish this movie was a lot better, although it’s best to have realistic expectations for Netflix originals. 3) Bird Box Premise: Keep your eyes closed or the aliens will force you to commit murder and suicide. - One day, an alien invasion causes people to commit fatal acts of violence, including suicide. The survivors quickly learn to close their eyes and barricade all windows. A woman goes on a perilous journey with her children to find a safe haven, but such a mission will be incredibly difficult because they’re traversing the landscape with blindfolds. It’s a pretty solid horror film with a unique spin on the alien invasion subgenre. 4) The Birds Premise: Apparently, the bird population doesn’t want to share the planet with human beings anymore and they’re going to peck us to death. - A small group of people try to survive a relentless attack from several flocks of birds. It’s like the entire bird population went nuts. Evidently, birds can be dangerous in large numbers and these wild attacks are happening all over the American continent. Personally, I think The Birds is stupid, but it’s a classic and many people believe it’s one of Hitchcock’s scarier releases. 5) The Blob Premise: A giant blob from outer space is going to devour the entire planet. - After a meteor strikes a small town, a tiny blob-like entity catches the attention of a few college students. The amorphous creature melts one of the students and becomes larger every time it devours someone. Pretty soon, the entire town and possibly the world is in peril because the blob will swallow everyone. I believe the 1988 version holds up really well, even though it’s a bit on the campy side. 6) Children of Men Premise: The human race becomes completely infertile and civilization is going to collapse. - Over time, the human race became infertile and civilization is slowly falling apart because everyone knows extinction is inevitable. The fall of man is more about apathy and depression instead of a desperate need for survival. A former activist tries to lead a young woman to safety because she’s carrying the first pregnancy the world has seen in eighteen years. Children are a rare commodity and their journey will be dangerous. This film is quite slow, but it has very high critical acclaim. 7) City of Ember Premise: Generations after the Earth becomes a radioactive wasteland, the last remaining humans live in an underground steampunk city. - The human race survived underground long after the planet was devastated by nuclear war. However, their source of electricity is running out and remaining underground won’t be an option in the near future. A group of teenagers search for an alternative form of shelter and they uncover a strange conspiracy during an exciting journey. Perhaps, mankind can survive on the surface after all. This movie is fine is you enjoy the YA genre. 8) Fahrenheit 451 Premise: Our government believes mankind can be kept under control if everyone is illiterate. - In a distant future, world governments keep the human race under tight control. The ultimate goal is to keep everyone complacent and happy by keeping them ignorant. Books and all forms of reading is illegal. In this reality, firefighters burn books because knowledge is dangerous. One firefighter becomes fascinated with this forbidden literature and realizes the true reason why books were outlawed. The 1966 film is definitely better than the 2018 remake, but the latest version might speak to modern audiences. You should also read the novel by Ray Bradbury. 9) The Happening Premise: The world’s plant life had enough of global warming and wants to exterminate the human race by releasing a pollen that causes mass suicides. - Mayhem ensues when people commit suicide worldwide. A group of survivors eventually realize plants are the main cause of this cataclysm. The plants release a toxic pollen that cause human beings to become suicidal. Truthfully, The Happening is a pretty bad film, but I’ll give it credit for being inventive. Think of it as a fun B movie. 10) The Hunger Games Premise: A small number of wealthy people have control over the Earth’s resources and force children to kill each other in gladiatorial battles as a form of reality tv. - After an unspecified apocalyptic event killed the majority of mankind, the remaining humans live in strict caste systems. The wealthy elites have control over the world’s resources while the general population lives in poverty with minimal food, shelter, and supplies. Additionally, reality tv has taken the form of the Hunger Games, which is a gladiatorial battle where teenagers fight to the death until one survivor remains. One young lady rebels against this oppression, but taking down the government will be difficult. The Hunger Games was insanely popular during its release in 20212, although I wasn’t a fan. However, it still earns a spot on this list. 11) Legion Premise: Heaven’s angels are jealous of mankind and now they’re going to kill us all. - The angels descend to Earth and begin wiping out the human population. They show particular interest in a young woman who’s pregnant with the next coming of Christ. The archangel, Michael, defects against his species and joins the humans. A small group of survivors try to make sure the mother of Christ will be safe, so the human race can have a future. It’s better if you don’t think too hard regarding this movie, but Legion is quite entertaining with several positive elements. 12) Logan’s Run Premise: The human race is young and beautiful because everyone is murdered at age thirty. - In a dystopian future, the last human colony lives a carefree and hedonistic existence under the control of a super computer. When people turn thirty years old, they go through a ceremony to be reborn. One resident finds out the ceremony is actually a form of murder to avoid overpopulation. Hopefully, he can find a new future without AI overlords. I feel like this movie is really slow, but it’s a cult hit and generally well liked by critics. 13) The Mist Premise: A government experiment goes horribly wrong and causes Lovecraftian monsters from another dimension to rampage in our world. - One day, a mysterious mist invades a small town and brings Lovecraftian monsters to our reality. A group of townspeople barricade themselves inside a grocery store, but the creatures will ultimately break through and kill everyone. It seems like running away might be the best solution. The Mist is a real downer, but it’s very interesting and one of the better Stephen King adaptations. Just don’t expect a happy ending. 14) Planet of the Apes Premise: In a distant future, humans become primitive cavemen and apes evolve into the Earth’s dominant species. - An astronaut crash lands on a barren planet and becomes captured by intelligent, humanoid apes. In this world, humans are very primitive and animalistic while apes have a civilization, government, technology, and more. Unfortunately, the astronaut eventually discovers that he traveled in the future and landed on Earth. Honestly, I believe the original Planet of the Apes is one of the best post-apocalyptic films of all time. 15) The Purge Premise: The American government legalizes all forms of crime once a year because they believe it reduces the overall crime rate. - The annual Purge leaves millions of people dead from legalized murder and anarchy. Supposedly, this event brings down the USA’s crime rate during the rest of the year, but it’s simply a lie to cut down the numbers of less privileged individuals who can’t afford security measures. Many people will probably find this gruesome series too realistic for their preference, but that’s also why it belongs on my post. The Purge is so weird, it might become real some day. I would say Anarchy and Election Year are the best releases in the franchise. The Forever Purge might have the heaviest post-apocalyptic influence on the series. 16) A Quiet Place Premise: Mankind learns to live in complete silence, otherwise impervious and blind aliens will massacre them. - Time passed after the alien invasion and now the last remnants of mankind live silently to avoid grisly deaths. One family uses sign language and other means to live quietly. The monsters are entirely blind, but they’re armored and immune to gunfire. However, they might have another weakness. A Quiet Place is another film with pacing issues, but it’s unique, pretty interesting, and very popular. 17) Reign of Fire Premise: A group of dragons wake up from hibernation and set the world on fire. - The human race is nearly extinct because a flock of dragons are burning down civilization. A small group of survivors is trying to find a way to hunt down these ruthless creatures. The fate of mankind depends on their success. Reign of Fire might not be a very polished movie, but it’s typical blockbuster faire and a different take on the post-apocalyptic genre. 18) Vanishing on 7th Street Premise: Stay in the light or evil shadow creatures will turn you into one of them. - The days are shorter and the nights are longer after the world’s electricity goes out. Terrifying shadow beings come out at night and turn people into minions of darkness. A few survivors find brief sources of light, but it doesn’t last very long. It might be an extinction level event. Vanishing on 7th Street is a low budget film and it’s still worth your time. 19) WALL-E Premise: Earth is a giant trash heap and the remaining humans live a completely sedentary existence on a giant spaceship. - Centuries after the Earth became a giant pile of garbage, the human race lives on a distant space colony. Human beings live entirely sedentary and helpless existences while robots do all the work. People are so obese, they can’t even walk anymore. But a spunky little robot named WALL-E might convince them to live differently and give Earth another chance. WALL-E is a rare example of post-apocalyptic animation and it’s absolutely brilliant. 20) Waterworld Premise: Now the entire world is covered in water and the last remnants of mankind survive as violent pirates. - One hundred percent of the planet is covered by water and the last surviving humans live on rickety ships. It’s just a wild and anarchistic world with ruthless pirates. Maybe a traveler can find land and hope. I wouldn’t call Waterworld a good movie, but it’s definitely an example of brainless and silly fun. More films could easily fit on this post, although twenty is a good number. Perhaps, I’ll write a follow up some day. Hollywood gave us a lot of interesting and weird post-apocalyptic settings. What did movies did I miss? Leave a comment if you want to add examples. Thanks a lot for visiting my blog. Be strong and let’s get through the pandemic together. We’ve got this! Take care and have a good week.
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