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Apocalypse Now and Forever! The 30 Best End-of-the-World Movies
The end of the world is a terrifying prospect—but watching the ultimate worst-case scenario unfold on film can be a thrilling, cathartic experience. Case in point: It’s no wonder that the pandemic drama Contagion (which claims Gwyneth Paltrow as an early victim) was everyone’s must-watch rental in 2020, as the movie helped us process the real-life catastrophe.
Pandemics are, in fact, a frequent theme in end-of-the-world movies, as are climate-change catastrophes, zombie hoards, aliens bent on world domination and meteors hurling towards Earth. And yet, many of the best films about the apocalypse make their impact with quieter moments: a curious robot watches a seedling grow in an abandoned landfill; a terrified family eats a dead-silent dinner; the last pregnant woman on Earth rows a boat towards a hopeful future. For every nightmare-inducing disaster film about the end times, there’s another that finds humor or beauty in the idea that humanity’s time is up and doomsday is near.
From all-ages animation to pitch-black drama, here are 30 of the best movies about the end of the world.
Best End of the World Movies
1. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
The dystopian future has never been more thrilling than it is in George Miller’s gorgeously shot action film. Set in a desert wasteland where survivors fight for water and gasoline in monstrous customized vehicles, it’s by far the best installment of the Mad Max saga, with a series of dazzling set pieces anchored by Charlize Theron’s towering performance as heroine Imperator Furiosa.
2. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
The directorial debut of Hustlers writer-director Lorene Scafaria begins with the news that a meteor will destroy all life on Earth in three weeks. Inspired by her own experiences after Sept. 11, Scafaria uses the imminent end of the world to explore the way people think about love and relationships, through the eyes of two strangers who are thrown together: Steve Carrell as a middle-aged man whose wife has abruptly left him, and Keira Knightley as a restless young woman desperate to reunite with her family in England.
3. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
Maybe the first sign of the end times is that your partner isn’t acting like themselves. Philip Kaufman’s effectively chilling remake of the 1956 “pod people” classic proposes a very different kind of pandemic: one in which people are slowly replaced by their identical doubles while they sleep, making it impossible to tell friends and loved ones from invaders. Younger generations will know this horror film best from the popular GIF of star Donald Sutherland pointing and screaming.
4. Little Shop of Horrors: The Director’s Cut (1986)
Frank Oz’s musical-comedy classic premiered in theaters with a happy ending…after test audiences revolted against the original ending, in which the puppet plant Audrey II brings about the literal destruction of the world. The apocalyptic version (officially remastered and released as The Director’s Cut in 2019) was arguably the better one all along, featuring two additional songs and an epic finale with giant Audrey II destroying Manhattan. Don’t feed the plants y’all.
5. The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021)
Directed in a dazzling style that combines 2D and 3D animation, this Netflix original film takes a singularly terrifying concept—the moment when our increasingly-intelligent phones decide to destroy humankind—and delivers a heartwarming, hilarious story about the mostly functional family (including Maya Rudolph as a first-grade-teacher mom and Abbi Jacobson as her queer daughter) who become Earth’s only hope.
6. Deep Impact
Released the same summer as Michael Bay’s cheesy mega-blockbuster Armageddon, Mimi Leder’s disaster film has essentially the same plot: a meteor is hurtling towards Earth and threatens to knock out the entire human race unless a group of heroic astronauts can save it. Bay’s film is big, goofy, popcorn-eating fun, and has that Aerosmith song. But if you’re interested in how an “extinction-level event” might actually go down, Leder’s film is more accurate, bringing strong character drama and real science to the big explosions and space scenes. It’s also notable as the first film in which Morgan Freeman plays the President of the United States.
Related: Morgan Freeman Talks Faith, the Afterlife and The Story of God
7. Children of Men (2006)
Alfonso Cuarón’s tense and elegant thriller, a critical darling and triple Oscar nominee brought prestige to the post-apocalyptic sci-fi genre. In the hellscape that London has become after a worldwide infertility crisis, a jaded former activist (Clive Owen) must protect the first pregnant woman in 18 years (Clare-Hope Ashitey) as she attempts to flee the country.
8. Take Shelter (2011)
At what point does preparing for the worst become a psychosis? Michael Shannon gives one of his most haunting performances as a blue-collar dad who becomes obsessed with building the perfect storm shelter after experiencing dreams and hallucinations about a coming climate catastrophe. Whether you’re a doomsday prepper or an optimist, the ending will knock the wind out of you.
9. Melancholia (2011)
For people suffering from depression, the world can feel like it’s always on the verge of ending—and worse, everyone else seems oblivious. Kirsten Dunst gives a barnburner of a performance as a young bride battling depression while a planet called Melancholia threatens to collide with Earth in Lars Von Trier’s lush, operatic drama.
10. The Day After (1983)
As the Cold War ramped up during the Reagan era, several films tried to realistically portray the worst-case scenario of an imminent nuclear attack. Among the films that traumatized a generation are the horrific Threads (1984) and the emotional family drama Testament (1983). But the most impactful, far and away, was this made-for-television drama from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan director Nicholas Meyer. Nearly 100 million viewers tuned in to watch the bombs fall on a cast of middle American characters, and the film reportedly influenced Reagan’s nuclear policies.
11. 12 Monkeys (1995)
Bruce Willis is the star, but Brad Pitt steals the film as Jeffrey Goines, a charismatic, mentally ill conspiracy theorist who may hold the secret to preventing a deadly plague, in Terry Gilliam’s wild, tragic sci-fi drama.
Related: Brad Pitt Gets Candid About Sobriety, Revealing It Was 'Freeing to Expose the Ugly Sides' of Himself
12. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
Both the original and rebooted Planet of the Apes franchises offer plenty of apocalyptic delights, including the famous last shot of the 1968 film and the clever role-reversal of 1971’s Escape from the Planet of the Apes (in which intelligent apes land on a human-occupied Earth, rather than vice-versa). But the most unforgettable cinematic portrayal of our post-human future can be found in Matt Reeves’ second Apes film, in which stunningly realistic motion-capture primates (including Andy Serkis as Caesar the chimpanzee) wage war with the few remaining humans in decimated San Francisco.
13. Wall-E (2008)
Pixar’s unique sci-fi film unfolds in a desolate setting: the trash heaps that remain on Earth after humanity has destroyed the natural world and fled. The robot of the title finds his soul through an abandoned VHS copy of the film Hello, Dolly! and eventually gets drawn into a space-hopping adventure. But it’s the film’s near-wordless opening sequence that stays with you.
14. Noah (2014)
Darren Aronofsky got a lot of flack for his bold take on one of humanity’s original end-of-the-world stories: the tale of Noah’s ark. The writer-director is mostly faithful to the ancient Hebrew text (including odd details like Noah’s drunkenness), layering on spectacular visual effects and the conflicted inner lives of the patriarch (Russell Crowe) and his isolated family. It won’t please everyone, but as filmed biblical epics go, it’s one of the most engaging.
15. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
This is how the world ends: not with a bang, but with an abandoned shopping mall in Pittsburgh. Zombie auteur George Romero’s long-gestating sequel to Night of the Living Dead, in which a small group of survivors attempt to fend off an undead invasion while enjoying what’s left of the mall, is a bloody entertaining satire with a strong critique of consumerism.
16. The World’s End (2013)
A dark comedy about the dangers of living in the past, Edgar Wright’s film follows a group of high-school friends (including Simon Pegg and Nick Frost) who reunite for one last pub crawl in their dead-end hometown—only to find themselves caught up a sinister extraterrestrial takeover.