Apocalypse Movies: Essential Films

In 1964, atomic war has wiped out humanity in the northern hemisphere, leaving Australia as a temporary refuge. An American submarine captain meets a local woman as they face the inevitable spread of deadly radiation from the north.

British reporters uncover a global conspiracy as simultaneous nuclear tests by the US and Soviet Union have knocked Earth out of its orbit, sending the planet careening toward the sun.

Stanley Kubrick's dark comedy follows the chaotic efforts of politicians and military officials trying to prevent nuclear annihilation after a rogue general launches an unauthorized strike against the Soviet Union.

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.

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.

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.

A young hacker accidentally accesses a military computer system and triggers a nuclear war simulation that the computer believes is real. He must race against time to prevent a potential global catastrophe.

An elderly British couple naively prepares for nuclear war using outdated government pamphlets, clinging to their romanticized memories of World War II while remaining tragically unaware of the devastating reality they face.

A man who has just met the woman of his dreams intercepts a terrifying phone call warning that nuclear missiles will hit Los Angeles within the hour, forcing him into a desperate race against time.

When a deadly airborne virus threatens to spread across America, a military virologist races against time to contain the outbreak and prevent a catastrophic government overreaction.

When a massive comet threatens to destroy Earth, the president assembles a joint American-Russian space mission to stop the catastrophe. Meanwhile, a determined reporter races to uncover the truth about humanity's impending doom.

As the world prepares to end at midnight on New Year's Day, various Toronto residents spend their final hours confronting their deepest desires and fears in this darkly comedic exploration of humanity's last night.

When a paleoclimatologist's warnings about climate change are ignored, catastrophic superstorms trigger a new ice age across the globe. A father must brave the deadly frozen wasteland to rescue his son who is trapped in New York City.

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.

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.

When a mysterious airborne threat begins causing mass casualties across the northeastern United States, a teacher and his wife flee to the countryside while desperately trying to understand what's behind the deadly phenomenon.

Four friends travel through a virus-ravaged America toward a secluded beach refuge, but their journey takes a deadly turn when their car breaks down in the wasteland.

When solar storms cause the Earth's core to overheat and destabilize the planet's crust, global leaders secretly build arks to save a fraction of humanity from an impending worldwide cataclysm. A struggling writer must find a way to save his family as massive earthquakes and volcanic eruptions devastate the world.

When a deadly airborne virus spreads rapidly across the globe, the medical community races against time to find a cure while battling the panic that threatens to spread even faster than the disease itself.

Two sisters navigate their troubled relationship as a mysterious planet called Melancholia approaches Earth on a potential collision course.

A painter and a successful actor spend their final day together as the world faces its inevitable end.

As an asteroid approaches Earth, a man embarks on a road trip to reconnect with his high school love, accompanied by his quirky neighbor who complicates his plans.

A group of celebrities including Seth Rogen and James Franco find themselves trapped together during the apocalypse while attending a Hollywood party.

Two teenagers must navigate a religious apocalypse and face off against the Antichrist in this comedic take on the end times.

With only hours left before the world ends, a self-absorbed man heading to an apocalyptic party encounters a young girl searching for her father. This chance meeting sets him on an unexpected path toward redemption in humanity's final moments.

When a satellite network designed to control Earth's climate malfunctions and begins attacking the planet, it becomes a race against time to prevent a catastrophic worldwide geostorm from destroying everything.

In a post-apocalyptic world where mysterious entities cause people to take their own lives upon sight, a woman and her two children must navigate blindfolded to reach safety.

A family races against time to find safety as a planet-killing comet hurtles toward Earth, experiencing both humanity's best and worst during their desperate journey to sanctuary.

Two astronomers desperately try to warn the world about a planet-killing comet heading toward Earth, but struggle to get anyone to take the threat seriously in a media-obsessed, distracted society.

When a mysterious force knocks the Moon out of its orbit, sending it on a collision course with Earth, humanity faces an unprecedented threat to its survival.

A mysterious missile attack on the United States triggers a desperate race to identify the perpetrators and formulate an appropriate response.