The idea of the end of the world was one of the most powerful levers of management from the very beginning of human history. It is on the basis of the fear of an inevitable universal end that all sorts of religions and philosophical teachings were built. These fatal plots in myths, traditions and ancient prophecies were invariably very popular among the masses. It is not surprising that with the development of the film industry, a huge number of paintings 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 probable version, according to the creators of films of this category. The 1984 "Night of the Comet" by Tom Eberhardt is perhaps one of a kind, because here the planet is invited to collide with a comet. In other cases, directors send asteroids and large meteors to Earth that can destroy all life on the planet or most of it: “Asteroid” 1997, “Collision with the abyss” 1998, “3 days” 2008.
Separately, it is worth noting the "Armageddon" in 1998 with Bruce Willis in the title role. Previously, nothing special was done in the films to save mankind, and a global threat was either accomplished or resolved on its own, then in “Armageddon” the protagonist does not just try to save the whole world, he sacrifices himself and blows up the hated asteroid.
"Melancholy" 2011. Lars von Trier is a disaster film, but not in the usual understanding of the viewer. A planet moves to the Earth, there is no longer time, but in the soul of two heroines there is a storm worse than the approaching doomsday.
The “Hell” of 2007 tells of a threat from outer space of a different kind - the Sun has exhausted its resources and it is urgently necessary to blow it up again. The 2009 “Sign” is the only film in which the end of the world is truly shown. Solar activity is increasing and soon all living things 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: Adam and Eve are removed 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, to whom the Earth stands across the throat. The classic of the genre - "Independence Day" 1996 - an analogue of "Armageddon" from Roland Emmerich. Also with a similar plot you can watch the films Skyline 2010, Sea Battle 2012, Pacific Frontier 2013 from Guillermo del Toro and Oblivion 2013 with Tom Cruise in the title role. The 2005 War of the Worlds, shot by Stephen Spielberg based on the novel by Herbert Wells, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy 2005 and The Day the Earth Stopped, 2008, will seem unusual in this regard. In the latter, aliens decide to destroy the Earth due to human cruelty, 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 have to observe how two warring clans of non-biological alien life fight for the existing world or its complete destruction.
Earth disasters
In recent years, scientists often talk about the theory of the frequency 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 astounding catastrophe films "The Day After Tomorrow" of 2004 and "2012" of 2009 by Roland Emmerich. No matter how much they criticized this director for the unscientific nature of his paintings, it’s worthwhile to admit that large-scale destruction is better for him than for others.
A separate line is the “Phenomenon” of 2008 by M. Knight Shyamalan, he offers a truly amazing version of the end of the world: all wildlife revolted against people and decided to destroy humanity, poisoning it with poisonous fumes that cause “epidemics” of suicide. But in the film "Earth's core" in 2003, people are trying to delay the Apocalypse on their own, re-launching the core of the Earth.
Zombies, Ghosts and Satan
That's where the real riot and variety of fantasy filmmakers. In films where the key idea is a zombie apocalypse, humanity dies out almost completely in a very short time, and survivors only fight with the armies of monsters. Recommended for viewing the classic by George Romero, “Night of the Living Dead” 1968 and “Dawn of the Dead” 1978, as well as the 2004 film of the same name by Zach Snyder, “28 days later” 2002, “28 weeks later” 2007., the entire series "Resident Evil" with Mila Jovovich, "Bearers" 2008, "War of the Worlds Z" 2013 and others. However, humanity and without zombies, asteroids and aliens can arrange a doomsday. By creating artificial intelligence or starting a nuclear war.
All the “Matrixes” and “Terminators” warn humanity so that it does not give too much freedom to the machines, otherwise a soulless computer can accidentally go wild and then a person will no longer need it.
The 2001 Japanese horror movie by Kiyoshi Kurosawa's “Pulse” in 2001 and his American remake of 2006 tell of the capture by the ghosts of the world of the living with the help of a person’s best friend - a mobile phone and the Internet. "End of the World" 1999 - a classic Apocalypse from Christian prophecies. The coming 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.
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