Random top ten: End of the world movies

Published on Thursday 19 March 2009 10:34

1 28 Weeks Later (2007)

In which a single act of human cowardice (Robert Carlyle, above, abandoning his wife to, as far as he can tell, certain death) triggers a chain of well-intentioned but ultimately self-serving decisions by other people that result in thousands, possibly millions of deaths. Cheery.

2 Dawn of the Dead (1978)

"It's everywhere!" gasp the survivors in George Romero's horror masterpiece, as they see how many flesh-eating zombies are roaming the earth. Naturally, they take refuge in a shopping mall. As metaphors go, this remains a damning indictment of consumer culture, 30 years after its release.

3 Deep Impact (1998)

An asteroid is about to cause catastrophic damage to the earth. Luckily, Morgan Freeman is in charge of sorting it out. Nobody panic, now.

4 Twelve Monkeys (1995)

Is a deadly virus about to kill millions of people, or is it all in Bruce Willis's head? Keep a hankie ready for the unexpected, almost unbearably poignant ending, in director Terry Gilliam's finest hour.

5 Soylent Green (1973)

In what might end up as the most prophetic of all these films, the world is polluted and overpopulated, food is scarce, and mankind is reliant on a mysterious food called Soylent to survive. But what is it? Jamie Oliver probably wouldn't approve...

6 Planet of the Apes (1968)

What is this mysterious planet that has been taken over by apes, following a human apocalypse? You'll need to wait until the movie's shocking final scene to find out. Or just look at the picture on the DVD cover.

7 On the Beach (1959)

In this poignant adaptation of Nevil Shute's novel, the nuclear holocaust has already happened, with only Australia offering a safe haven from the deadly radiation sweeping the earth – but only temporarily. Fred Astaire stars, but he's in no mood for dancing.

8 I Am Legend (2007)

A deadly virus has turned everyone into vampires. Luckily, Will Smith (right) is in charge of sorting it out. Unluckily, in this surprisingly bleak blockbuster, Will has become a bit odd, having spent several years on his own repeatedly watching Shrek. Get it together, Will!

9 Knowing (2009)

As everyone becomes increasingly fretful about climate change (yes, it's happening; yes, it's really bad), expect a lot more films like this one, out next week, to scare the crap out of us even more. Nicolas Cage stumbles across a time capsule with a list of numbers corresponding to every major disaster since it was buried – and some more in the future. But what happens when the numbers run out?

10 2012 (2009)

Another global disaster movie from Roland Emmerich, the man who brought us The Day After Tomorrow. According to the Mayan calendar, 2012 will herald a new age and – if you interpret it a certain way – an event that will dramatically change the course of the earth's history. They probably didn't mean a computer-generated flood sweeping over a mountain range, but it looks great in the trailer.