Best Post-Apocalyptic Movies on Netflix

Another popular genre or storyline on film and TV is a post-apocalyptic world. They give viewers a glimpse on what could possibly happen after an apocalypse either coming from a nuclear war, chemical or biological war, a zombie apocalypse and to a certain extent, an alien invasion. Here are five of the best post-apocalyptic films on Netflix.

Zombieland

This film stars Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin as a group of survivors of the zombie apocalypse trying to find sanctuary from the zombies as they travel across the United States. The characters names are based on the cities that relate to them and another noteworthy feature of the movie is Columbus’ (Eisenberg) rules in surviving the zombie apocalypse which he gives out every step of the way. Rules such as Cardio (Rule #1) where you must keep fit to outrun the zombies, Double Tap (Rule #2) which means shoot a zombie twice to make sure it is dead and Beware of Bathrooms (Rule #3) because this is where they are most vulnerable to attack.

The Hunger Games

This is based on the series of novels by Suzanne Collins. It is set in what is left of the United States from where a new dystopian nation of Panem is created. Every year, children from the districts of Panem are selected to participate in a compulsory televised battle royale death match called The Hunger Games. In this “sport,” the selectees are brought to an isolated place where they must equip themselves with weapons and kill each other until one is left standing to be declared the winner. The film stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Peck, and Liam Hemsworth. Two more sequels would follow.

Bird Box

This film is based on the novel by Josh Malerman. The film follows a woman named Malorie Hayes, played by Sandra Bullock, as she tries to protect herself and two children from malevolent supernatural entities that make people who look at them go insane and commit suicide. In order to counter this, they have to wear blindfolds so they cannot see these entities. In addition, they carry a box of birds that serve as a warning if entities are present (hence the film’s name).

V for Vendetta

This post-apocalyptic film is based on the Vertigo/DC comics series by Alan Moore and David Lloyd. Set in the United Kingdom which has become a neo-fascist society. The story centers on a girl named Evey (played by Natalie Portman) who runs into the mysterious freedom fighter named V (played by Hugo Weaving) who wears a mask with the likeness of Guy Fawkes. V carries out a series of terroristic acts aimed at bringing down the regime and standing in his way is a detective named Finch (played by Stephen Rea) bent on stopping him.

The Terminator

This “classic” 1984 sci-fi film by James Cameron is another must-see film. Although it is set in 1980s’ Los Angeles, the film gives a glimpse of a post-apocalyptic world ruled by machines operated by Skynet to eradicate humanity. A handful of them led by John Connor organized a resistance movement. Skynet has decided to send a cyborg called the Terminator (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) to the past to kill Connor’s mother Sarah (played by Linda Hamilton). This film spawned sequels and reboots, and even a TV series.