Friend of the site Eddie Mullins joins Bernard today on the Way Too Indiecast to talk about his new film, Doomsdays, which comes out in limited release on June 5th. Bernard and Eddie also share their Top 5 Favorite Apocalyptic Movies as well as their Indie Picks of the Week. Stay tuned until the end of the show to catch Bernard’s review of Brad Bird’s Tomorrowland. All that and more on this week’s Way Too Indiecast.

Topics

• Doomsdays (2:32)
• Indie Picks of the Week (6:44)
• Top 5 Favorite Apocalyptic Movies (12:52)
• Tomorrowland (44:15)

WTI Articles Referenced in the Podcast

Interview with Eddie Mullins
I’ll See You In My Dreams review
Tomorrowland review

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Hollywood has long loved to peer into its crystal ball and imagine the many ways humanity may meet its end. Turns out grand scale destruction tends to be surprisingly cinematic, and morbidly entertaining. So in honor of the release of Darren Aronofsky’s film Noah, that most epic of apocalyptic tales and arguably the first due to its biblical origins, the Way Too Indie staff have compiled a list of our top 13 films depicting the end of the world as we know it.

12 Best Apocalyptic Films

#12 – Shaun of the Dead

When the end of the world comes in the form of a zombie apocalypse, leave it to the Brits to take it in stride and not make a fuss. Edgar Wright may not be the first to have noticed the absolute hilarity inherent in slow, dead people roaming the streets, but he certainly executes it best. Best friends and serial slackers Shaun and Ed find themselves in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. Together they form a plan to win back Shaun’s put-out girlfriend, save his parents, and make their way to the Winchester, the neighborhood pub that seems about as good a place as any to ride out the end of the world. What makes this film a must-see is it’s ability to maintain placeholders on both comedy and horror “Best Of” lists, with both serious laughs and serious scares in abundance. [Ananda]

#11 – La Jetée

The pinnacle achievement of Chris Marker’s career, La Jetée (The Pier) glimpses a post-WWIII Paris in which we follow a man subjected to time travel experiments by underground mad doctors. After a harrowing testing period, he’s sent into the past where he meets the woman of his dreams. When the experiment concludes he’s given the opportunity to visit a new world by a future race of beings, but he passes it up to be with the woman. The film’s gut-wrenching ending haunts me to this day. Told entirely in still black and white photos (save for one revelatory sequence), the sci-fi experiment still stands as an unequaled landmark in the history of film. [Bernard]

#10 – Logan’s Run

Admittedly the line between apocalyptic and dystopian can get a bit blurry. And a world where what’s left of humanity are all beautiful young people scantily clad in bright colors and living pleasure-filled lives, including sex on-demand and orgy clubs, doesn’t sound half bad. So long as living past 30 isn’t a priority. This 1976 sci-fi film stars Michael York as Logan 5, a Sandman tasked with catching Runners, people who try to escape their fate of Carrousel, the ritual that involves allowing oneself to be vaporized at the age of 30 in the hope of Renewal. Logan 5 finds a strange symbol on a runner and begins asking questions of the city computer. He finds out that outside the city is a place called Sanctuary and he is asked to find Sanctuary and destroy it. Adding to his urgency, the hand crystal tracking his age begins blinking red, meaning his time has run up. So he and his new friend Jessica 6 decide to run, making the hunter the hunted. The score, with its digital bee-boo-bops, sounds like a computer synth gone haywire, and the miniature scale models of the city hardly seem worthy of the Visual Effects Oscar the film won, but it’s exactly those dated details that make Logan’s Run a fun look at the future of the past. [Ananda]

#9 – A.I. Artificial Intelligence

What could be considered a modern-day tale of Pinocchio, Steven Spielberg’s A.I. Artificial Intelligence centers on a futuristic robot that yearns to become a real boy so that his human caretaker (his mother) will love him again. Surrounding the film is an apocalypse caused by melting polar ice caps that flood major cities. While the film is a bit overlong and has a conclusion that will divide audiences, Artificial Intelligence creates an audacious fantasy world that only a collaboration between Stanley Kubrick and Spielberg could produce. This dazzling visual masterpiece includes such a deeply emotional story that you won’t leave with dry eyes. [Dustin]

#8 – The Stand

I’ll be the first to say I’m beyond excited this Stephen King tome is getting a remake soon (even if Ben Affleck is no longer helming, sigh). The mini-series, which originally aired on ABC in 1994, just didn’t have the budget to do the epic tale much justice. But the elements are all there, which is why this movie can still hold its own in the realm of the apocalyptic film. The near-end of the world comes in the form of a deadly disease accidentally released by the military, offing 99% of the population. Those who are immune begin to have visions calling them to either Denver to join a mysterious old woman named Mother Abigail, or to Las Vegas to join the sinister antichrist Randall Flagg. So they trek, finding one another as they go. It’s his characters that make Stephen King’s stories so intriguing and because of it’s 6 hour length, The Stand is able to foster quite a few of them. The added element of the supernatural takes this apocalyptic tale beyond simple survival into epic good vs. evil warfare. [Ananda]

#7 – This is the End

At first glance, this self-aware film featuring celebrities playing slightly exaggerated versions of themselves, partying at James Franco’s place before a giant sinkhole starts to swallow people, seems more like a guilty pleasure inclusion on the list. But This is the End is completely worth mentioning here because the film hits all the intended comedic notes due to never taking itself too seriously. This is the End features an ending that will make you laugh until your sides hurt, resulting in one of the funniest takes to date on an apocalyptic story. [Dustin]

#6 – Melancholia

Leave it to Lars Von Trier to look at the end of the world and feel relief. Split into two parts, Melancholia begins with a wedding that ends up being a small-scale version of what’s to come. Justine (Kirsten Dunst, in her best performance to date) is the bride, and her intense depression during the ceremony leads her down a self-destructive path. At this point the titular planet (which eventually smashes into Earth, as seen in the jaw-dropping prologue and finale) is a small blue dot in the sky. In the second half, when the planet’s collision is mere days away, Justine’s now crippling depression is cured. In fact it’s her sister Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg), seen in the first half as level-headed and happy with her life, who becomes overcome with grief as she faces the end of everything. Melancholia is Von Trier at his best, accurately showing the devastating effects of depression while focusing on some truly fascinating ideas. It’s hard to think of another film that makes the apocalypse look this beautiful. [CJ]

#5 – 28 Days Later

Never standing still, Danny Boyle is a filmmaker constantly on the move, exploring different genres with each film in his catalogue. 28 Days Later is Boyle at his most vicious. Starring Cillian Murphy in a great performance, the horror-thriller journey movie is in an England overrun with zombies (they’re technically not zombies, but come on now…) on steroids: they’re capable of sprinting, making the film more intensely terrifying than creepy. Murphy’s odyssey across dilapidated, empty city streets and blood-splattered fields gets startlingly twisted and upsetting (especially in the film’s finale, where Boyle ratchets up the intensity to insane levels), but the likable actors and scattered moments of levity keep your heart in the fight. [Bernard]

#4 – Children of Men

Alfonso Cuarón’s vision of a ruinous, infertile near-future in Children of Men is a world rich with cinematic opportunity, and he seizes every one. His hero’s (Clive Owen) journey to deliver the only pregnant woman on earth to the coast of a demolished, war-torn Britain is fraught with intense, high-stakes encounters, and Cuarón’s now-textbook one-shot car chase sequence signified the emergence of one of the most influential visual filmmakers of our generation. In a time where too many filmmakers use coverage and editing to hide their shortcomings, Cuarón is a beacon when it comes to actually moving a camera. Children of Men is one of the most convincing versions of the future put to screen in movie history because it looks and sounds just like the world we know, only slightly closer to the precipice of full collapse that threatens us all. [Bernard]

#3 – Wall-E

I remember watching Wall-E back in 2008 and, even at the age of 16, I recall lighting up like a kid at Christmas. The only way to describe this movie is: utterly and completely adorable. However, we are still talking about end of the world stuff here, and amidst the terrifying depressive apocalyptic films we’ve listed, Wall-E stands alone in its ability to capture the hearts of all. In the film, a small waste collecting robot, Wall-E, embarks upon a space adventure with his new friend EVE (a sleek, yet dangerous reconnaissance robot). Together they will ultimately decide the fate of humanity, which has now resigned itself to life in space. This journey demonstrates courage, determination, love and affection–all of which we could do with witnessing a little more of.

The fact that the earth has gone to hell is not the main focus of this story, and in the face of all that has happened and that these characters are surviving, there’s nothing broken about the hearts of these two life-affirming robots. To me, Wall-E is an apocalyptic tale for the entire family and how often can you say that? [Amy]

#2 – The Matrix

Not only did The Matrix boldly inject a heavy dose of philosophy into an action movie structure, the film made a huge impact on the world of cinematography and special effects with its excellent choreographed martial arts. Case in point, the unforgettable “bullet time” scene where time suddenly slows down as the camera pans around the bullet allowing Neo to dodge it.

The film is all about questioning the reality that we think we know and entertaining the idea that it’s just an advanced computer simulation used to harvest energy from the enslaved human race in hibernation. At the age of 15 when the film was released, The Matrix had a profound impact on me being the first film that made me question perceived reality. Not only did The Matrix introduce imaginative concepts, but the film also presented them in an astonishing way, making The Matrix one of the most influential works of post-apocalyptic science fiction. [Dustin]

#1 – Dr. Strangelove

For a topic as dour as the apocalypse, it is a bit surprising that the best apocalyptic film also happens to be one of the greatest comedies ever made. Stanley Kubrick, a director who mastered every genre he worked in, ruthlessly made fun of the absurdity of the Cold War. The end of the world is triggered by one loony general’s actions, and as the president and his staff frantically scramble to avoid the inevitable Kubrick, along with his incredible cast (Peter Sellers is terrific in his three roles, but George C. Scott steals the show as Buck Turgidson), let audiences laugh at their own mutually assured destruction. Dr. Strangelove walks a fine line between satire and camp, but the complete lack of self-awareness throughout is what elevates this into a masterpiece. It’s still the gold standard of satire, and to this day no one has made the end of the world look this funny. [CJ]

Alfonso Cuaron’s Science Fiction film Children of Men is devastatingly beautiful. The film is full of ugly greys and a tone that suggests nothing other than failure and yet, it’s the most hopeful film I have ever seen. There are so many things that make the film special but above all the film is a technical marvel. Cuaron should have easily won Best Director the year it was up for Academy Awards but alas, the film only pulled in nominations for Screenplay, Editing and Cinematography. All of which the film lost.

We are plunged into the middle of chaos at the beginning of the film. When the film begins we find out the youngest person on Earth, an Argentine named Diego, has died at the age of 18. 18? How is this possible? Soon we find out that humans have lost the ability to reproduce. We are dying out. As soon as this distinct possibility catches hold of the minds of the world, civilizations everywhere crumble. Governments collapse as there is no hope left in the world. The only bright spot on the globe is Great Britain. I use the term bright lightly as Britain itself is a cesspool.

We are introduced to Theo (Clive Owen) within a minute of the film starting. We follow him for nearly every second of the film. He is our guide to this disgusting world we now inhabit. He works for the government and spends a lot of his time hanging out with his old friend Jasper, played by Michael Caine. Caine’s performance is sensational. Jasper spends pretty much all of his days watching over his wife who is now a mute.

A few days after the news of “Baby” Diego’s death, Theo runs into his ex-wife Julian. She’s played by Julianne Moore. She now runs with a small terrorist group known as The Fishes. Theo’s past with his ex is a troubled one. They seemed to have split after the grieving over the death of their young child got the best of both of them. I guess it’s hard to say he runs into her when in actuality The Fishes kidnap Theo in broad daylight. The Fishes then demand that Theo escorts a mysterious girl out of London.

The girl is an immigrant to Britain. Normally this isn’t a big issue, but with the world in a complete state of disarray, Britain has outlawed anyone from entering the country. Theo hitches a ride with Julian and her cohorts as they take this immigrant (her name is Kee) out of the city to refuge at a cottage in the English country side. What Theo discovers next is the biggest revelation anyone could have made in 20 years. Kee is pregnant.

The rest of Children of Men has Theo taking control of Kee’s destiny into his hands as he guides her to the The Human Project. This project (that may or may not exist) consists of a group of scientists dedicated to finding out why humans cannot conceive anymore and trying to possibly find a cure.

As I mentioned earlier, the filmmaking choices in Children of Men are some of the best any director has made in recent years. Everything on a technical level is brilliant. Most movies would’ve had a narration or an opening crawl explaining the film’s situation. Cuaron instead chooses to explore the plot of the film with information about the collapse of the world being provided in the background. Newspaper clippings, newscasts, protesting marches through the city and massive digital billboards show the audience what kind of world we live in. He trusts his audience to go along with this. All of this works with ease as we unknowingly go along with tons of information being thrown at us.

In terms of the film’s special effects, Cuaron makes the right choice not to distract from the film. Instead he uses them to enhance the world the film occupies. Some shots of London are given a dystopian uplift as tons of huge LCD screens adorn the buildings of the English metropolis. These screens show everything from ads about how to turn in an immigrant to world news. The visual effects also help out with Emmanuel Lubezki’s stunning Cinematography.

Lubezki’s camera work is some of the best this decade, if not the best. In fact, it’s a crime he lost the Oscar for it. Cuaron’s direction and Lubezki’s camera team to put you as close to the action as possible. Using hand held camera work we are thrown alongside Theo as if we were helping him.

Cuaron made a decision to film as much as the film as possible in long takes. This heightens the realism of the film. There are a lot of long takes in the film and if that isn’t enough to keep the actors on their toes, then a couple of exquisitely fine set pieces will. There are two scenes in the film that are downright insane in terms of their difficulty to film.

The first scene involves Theo, Julian, Kee and two members of The Fishes as they are driving through a road in the forest as they are viciously attacked by a marauding gang. The camera is situated in the middle of the car during the attack and basically turns in a 360 degree angle for over 4 minutes showing the carnage being inflicted on the group. The camera work combined with the visual effects creates a realistic nightmare for us as we are situated right in the middle of all the action.

The second shot of brilliance comes at the end of the film and has to be one of the greatest shots ever put forth on the silver screen. Lasting over 6 minutes the camera follows Theo through a hellish warzone as he seeks out to protect Kee from those who mean to do her harm. Following him through bullets, explosions, blown out cars and eventually a dilapidated building; the camera never loses him. Granted the shot is aided by visual effects it’s nonetheless audacious filmmaking.

The production design of the film is top notch. Every scene feels completely authentic to the film’s setting. I can’t imagine the planning of the film or even the shooting of it. The streets of London, even if it’s the last civilized city left, are a complete mess. Trash permeates the streets of the city and makes the city look like a decaying cavity that is Britain’s society.

What makes Children of Men so special is its endearing heart that pushes its characters hope through the most terrible odds. The film is the most violent Valentine ever filmed about the endurance of the human spirit. In a world of absolutely no hope, a man is given the most arduous task of his life. Everything is stacked against him. What do you even do with the only child born in 20 years? Do you trust a group who wants to use the baby as a symbol for a society to overthrow its government? Or do you take it to a one that may not even exist? Children of Men throws Theo head first into these tribulations.

What I love about the film is how it presents hope. Hope is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to describe. Hope is a thing not guaranteed. I first saw the film during a time in my life where I was pretty down and out. When I finished it, I wasn’t given the answers I needed, but instead I was filled with the confidence I needed to make changes.

That’s what makes the film so special. It doesn’t tell you everything but it does supply the idea that anything, no matter how difficult, can be accomplished. The film plays by these rules too. The film ends on a note that doesn’t show you what ends up happening as a result of this pregnant woman. It ends at a pretty abrupt moment. But the point I think most people miss is that this is Theo’s story. Not the pregnant woman’s. When he leaves the story, the film is done. But the idea that something good will come about from all of the hard work is what I think the film is about.

Alfonso Cuaron is a Mexican director of vast talent. He has shown great promise in the past with such films as Y tu Mama Tambien and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (easily the best of the series), but Children of Men is Alfonso on another level. His previous films only hinted at what he accomplishes here. There is no stopping him either. The film he is involved with now (Gravity), looks to see him taking his filmmaking to the next step.

Despite its ugliness and crassness, Children of Men is a film of great beauty. Yes, it is very violent and full of brutality. The film, however, shows great moments of tenderness throughout; enough at least to keep our hearts cheering for a happy outcome to all the suffering endured by Theo and Kee. Never has the human spirit suffered a more perilous task in a film. Come for the brilliant filmmaking, stay for the sounds of children’s laughter as the credits run over your screen. Children of Men is one hell of a film.