The idea of the end of the world has been one of the most powerful levers of control since the beginning of human history. It was on the basis of the fear of an inevitable universal end that all kinds of religions and philosophical teachings were built. These fatal plots in myths, traditions and ancient prophecies have invariably enjoyed great popularity among the masses. It is not surprising that with the development of the film industry, a huge number of films have appeared showing large-scale cataclysms and destruction.
Space threat
The end of the world due to the collision of the Earth with any cosmic body is the most relevant and likely version, according to the filmmakers of this category. "Night of the Comet" 1984 by Tom Eberhardt is perhaps the only one of its kind, tk. here the planet is invited to collide with a comet. In other cases, directors send asteroids and large meteors to Earth, which can destroy all life on the planet or most of it: "Asteroid" 1997, "Impact with the Abyss" 1998, "3 days" 2008.
"Armageddon" in 1998 with Bruce Willis in the title role is worth mentioning separately. If earlier in the films nothing special was done to save humanity, and the threat of a global scale either came true or was absorbed by itself, then in Armageddon the main character is not just trying to save the whole world, he sacrifices himself and still blows up the hated asteroid.
"Melancholy" 2011 by Lars von Trier is a disaster film, but not in the usual understanding of the viewer. The planet is moving towards the Earth, there is no more time, but in the souls of the two heroines passions are raging more terrible than the approaching end of the world.
"Inferno" 2007 tells about a threat from space of a different kind - the Sun has exhausted its resources and it urgently needs to be blown up again. 2009 "The Sign" is the only film in which the end of the world is really shown. Solar activity is increasing and soon all life on the planet will burn out or evaporate, the Earth will become a lifeless desert, but this scenario has already been worked out by the higher mind: the Adams and Eves are taken from the dying planet at the very last moment, an instant before the catastrophe.
Alien invasion
In this category of films, directors offer people to fight hordes of evil aliens, who have the Earth in their throats. The classic of the genre - "Independence Day" 1996 - an analogue of "Armageddon" by Roland Emmerich. Also with a similar plot, you can watch the films "Skyline" 2010, "Sea Battle" 2012, "Pacific Rim" 2013 from Guillermo del Toro and "Oblivion" 2013 with Tom Cruise in the title role. The 2005 War of the Worlds, directed by Steven Spielberg and based on the novel by HG Wells, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy 2005 and The Day the Earth Stood Still, 2008, will seem unconventional in this regard. In the latter, the aliens decide to destroy the Earth because of human cruelty, the thirst for war and violence, but in the end, the earthlings convince the alien to postpone the end of the world and give the world another chance.
In the "Transformers" series of films, humanity will become observers of how two warring clans of non-biological alien life are fighting for the existing world or its complete destruction.
Terrestrial cataclysms
In recent years, scientists have often talked about the theory of the periodicity of catastrophes, the mystery lies not in asteroids or aliens, but in its very nature. It is this fact that is taken as the basis for the stunning disaster films "The Day After Tomorrow" in 2004 and "2012" in 2009 by Roland Emmerich. No matter how scolded this director for the unscientific nature of his paintings, it is nevertheless necessary to admit that he does large-scale destruction better than others.
A separate line is the "Phenomenon" of 2008 by M. Night Shyamalan, he offers a truly amazing version of the end of the world: all wildlife rebelled against people and decided to destroy humanity, poisoning it with poisonous fumes that cause "epidemics" of suicide. But in the film "Earth's Core" 2003people are trying to postpone the Apocalypse on their own by restarting the core of the Earth.
Zombies, ghosts and Satan
This is where the real riot and variety of filmmakers' fantasy is. In films where the zombie apocalypse is the key idea, humanity dies out almost completely in a very short time, and the survivors only fight armies of monsters. Recommended for viewing classics from George Romero "Night of the Living Dead" 1968 and "Dawn of the Dead" 1978, as well as the film of the same name in 2004 by Zach Snyder, "28 Days Later" 2002, "28 Weeks Later" 2007., the entire series "Resident Evil" with Mila Jovovich, "Carriers" 2008, "War of the Worlds Z" 2013 and others. However, humanity and without zombies, asteroids and aliens can arrange the end of the world. By creating artificial intelligence or unleashing a nuclear war.
All "Matrices" and "Terminators" warn humanity not to give the machines too much will, otherwise a soulless computer can accidentally get mad and then he will no longer need a person.
2001 Japanese horror film by Kiyoshi Kurosawa "Pulse" 2001 and its American remake of 2006 tell about the capture of the living world by ghosts with the help of man's best friend - a mobile phone and the Internet. "End of the World" 1999 - a classic Apocalypse from Christian prophecies. The arrival of the Antichrist, ancient predictions and the fight against evil - this is what the hero of Arnold Schwarzenegger will have to face in order to postpone the Day of Judgment.
