Apocalypse Movies: Best Films

Other Watch Lists:
1964 - 20086 Films10h 47m4.1 Average

This Best Films watch list represents the finest achievements in apocalyptic cinema, prioritizing masterful execution and emotional resonance over cultural significance alone.

The Andromeda Strain offers cerebral, methodical scientific thriller filmmaking at its finest. Fail Safe creates unbearably taut tension as a nuclear accident spirals toward catastrophe, showcasing Sidney Lumet's masterful direction. Testament delivers devastating intimacy as a suburban family slowly deteriorates after nuclear attack.

When the Wind Blows uses heartbreaking animation to follow an elderly British couple's naive response to nuclear war. Children of Men stands as a modern masterpiece with virtuoso cinematography and visceral action, depicting an infertility crisis with both despair and genuine hope. Blindness provides a haunting exploration of societal collapse through epidemic.

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List not ranked (sorted by Release Date)

1
The Andromeda Strain poster

The Andromeda Strain

19712h 11m4
Director: Robert Wise
Cast: Arthur Hill, David Wayne, James Olson, Kate Reid, Paula Kelly

When a deadly extraterrestrial organism arrives on Earth via a crashed satellite, wiping out nearly an entire town, a team of scientists races against time to study and contain the alien life form before it can spread and threaten all of humanity.

Science FictionThriller
2
Fail Safe poster

Fail Safe

19641h 52m4.7
Director: Sidney Lumet
Cast: Henry Fonda, Walter Matthau, Fritz Weaver, Larry Hagman, Frank Overton

When a technical malfunction causes an American bomber squadron to receive orders to attack Moscow, the U.S. President races against time to prevent nuclear catastrophe during the height of the Cold War.

ThrillerDramaWar
3
Testament poster

Testament

19831h 30m3.5
Director: Lynne Littman
Cast: Jane Alexander, William Devane, Rossie Harris, Roxana Zal, Lukas Haas

After nuclear warheads devastate the Eastern Seaboard and California, a small town family struggles to survive in the aftermath as their community faces the devastating effects of radiation poisoning.

DramaScience Fiction
4
When the Wind Blows poster

When the Wind Blows

19861h 24m4.4
Director: Jimmy T. Murakami
Cast: John Mills, Peggy Ashcroft, Robin Houston, James Russell, David Dundas

An elderly British couple naively prepares for nuclear war using outdated government pamphlets, clinging to their romanticized memories of World War II while remaining tragically unaware of the devastating reality they face.

AnimationWarDrama
5
Children of Men poster

Children of Men

20061h 49m4.5
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Cast: Clive Owen, Clare-Hope Ashitey, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine

In a dystopian 2027 where humanity faces extinction due to widespread infertility, a former activist must protect and transport the world's first pregnant woman in 18 years to safety.

DramaActionThrillerScience Fiction
6
Blindness poster

Blindness

20082h 1m3.6
Director: Fernando Meirelles
Cast: Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Danny Glover, Gael García Bernal, Maury Chaykin

When a mysterious epidemic of blindness strikes a city, the afflicted are quarantined together and must find ways to survive and maintain their humanity in increasingly harsh conditions.

DramaMysteryScience FictionThriller