Top 10 Best Themes in Post-Apocalyptic Movies

One movie genre that filmmakers can always rely on to be popular with audiences is post-apocalyptic. People have always enjoyed movies like Mad Max: Fury Road, Planet of the Apes, or WALL-E because these films provide an exciting glimpse into what our future could be like.

However, not all post-apocalyptic movies are successful. Many end up being huge flops because some of the potential themes explored in these films fail to excite viewers.

As a result, most directors tend to stick to some of the more popular and successful themes for post-apocalyptic movies. But what are these themes?

Keep reading the list to find out the top 10 best themes in post-apocalyptic movies!
The Top Ten
Climate Change Post-apocalyptic films exploring climate change often depict extreme weather, rising sea levels, or desertification as the root of societal collapse. These scenarios highlight humanity's struggle to adapt and survive in radically altered environments.

Think of WALL-E, Interstellar, or Snowpiercer. Many directors try to raise awareness for climate change by making movies that reflect what the Earth may be like in the future if humanity doesn't cut back on pollution, whether the movie is set 30 years or 1000 years in the future.

People like films like these because they seem realistic for a movie set in the future, or at least more realistic than movies about the zombie apocalypse or alien invasions. Post-apocalyptic movies using climate change as a main theme often have planets with waning resources, polluted air, and frequent natural disasters. These movies are often some of the most exciting and best post-apocalyptic films out there.

Zombie Apocalypse Zombie apocalypse films center on the collapse of civilization due to the spread of a virus or other phenomenon that reanimates the dead. Survivors are typically portrayed battling hordes of zombies and struggling to maintain their humanity.

People have always had a fascination with zombies and what it would be like if our world were to experience a zombie apocalypse. Therefore, there are quite a few movies on the topic. Some movies detail the start of the zombie apocalypse and the collapse of society that follows. Quite a few take place years after the apocalypse has begun, focusing on a few survivors, where a post-apocalyptic setting can help make the movie even more exciting.

Some great post-apocalyptic movies about the zombie apocalypse include Train to Busan, Zombieland, and Dawn of the Dead.

Epidemic Post-apocalyptic epidemic narratives revolve around the spread of a deadly disease that rapidly decimates the global population. Themes include the breakdown of societal structures and the quest for a cure or immunity.

A theme that was extremely popular way before COVID-19 raged throughout the real world is an epidemic or some kind of highly contagious sickness spreading throughout the world and causing the collapse of society. In Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, for example, it's not the apes that cause the death of almost all humans and what's pretty much the end of the world. It's the "simian flu," a deadly and contagious disease accidentally made in a lab by humans.

Another example is 12 Monkeys, where Bruce Willis has to travel back in time to gather information on a plague that killed almost everyone and caused an apocalypse.

Alien Invasion Films about alien invasions often portray humanity's struggle to survive and resist against technologically superior extraterrestrial forces. These stories frequently explore themes of unity and resilience in the face of an existential threat.

One of the most impressive and best themes used in post-apocalyptic movies is an alien invasion. In movies like Edge of Tomorrow or Pacific Rim: Uprising, the whole conflict surrounds the arrival of a new, unfriendly alien race that has destroyed much of human life in the area.

As the possibility of aliens arriving has always been intriguing to people, there continue to be movies made every year on the subject. While some involve friendly aliens, many involve aliens that do not want to make friends with the human race, often resulting in a chain of disasters that creates a great post-apocalyptic world.

Resource Depletion Post-apocalyptic stories involving resource depletion depict societies collapsing due to the scarcity of essentials like water, food, or energy. These narratives often explore conflicts over remaining resources and the moral dilemmas they create.

In many movies, resource depletion, where one or more vital resources are consumed faster than they can be replaced, is the cause and ongoing problem in the post-apocalyptic world. Often, you will see movies like Mad Max: Fury Road, where part of the main theme is the need for water or gas. These resources are very scarce, causing conflict between different people for control of these materials that are necessary to survive.

Even if resource depletion isn't the main theme in a post-apocalyptic movie, it is almost always there. Climate change, ecological collapse, and nuclear holocaust will obviously cause scarcity for certain resources, making resource depletion a less important but still vital theme in the movie.

AI Takeover Films on AI takeover depict artificial intelligence surpassing human control, often leading to humanity's subjugation or annihilation. These narratives frequently explore the ethical implications of creating sentient machines.

One of the most famous post-apocalyptic movies of all time, though it does focus on other genres, is The Matrix. This movie depicts AI taking over the world and keeping humans under control by putting them under a shared simulated reality based on what the world was like in 1999.

As an AI takeover is one of the biggest worries people have for our future, it's a very popular theme in post-apocalyptic movies. This is seen not only in The Matrix but in other great movies like The Mitchells vs. The Machines, I, Robot, and the Tron movies.

Natural Disaster Natural disaster-based post-apocalyptic films portray catastrophic events such as earthquakes, tsunamis, or volcanic eruptions as the primary cause of widespread devastation. Survival and rebuilding in the aftermath are central themes.

There are quite a few post-apocalyptic movies involving one or more huge natural disasters, whether it's a meteor, a swell of hurricanes, or some gigantic volcanic eruption, that cause a staggeringly high death toll and make life extremely hard for the few survivors.

In movies like The Day After Tomorrow, you get to watch people as they try to survive whatever dangers a huge natural disaster has caused for them. Other movies, such as Don't Look Up, focus on the collapse of society caused by a huge disaster that could mean the end of the human race.

Nuclear Holocaust Nuclear holocaust films depict the aftermath of global nuclear war, often focusing on the effects of radiation, societal collapse, and the struggle for survival in irradiated landscapes. They explore themes of human hubris and the consequences of war.

Sadly, as mankind continues to evolve, the chances of this particular cause for the apocalypse grow higher, and the number of movies made about it grows higher, too, with some interesting results. You can find countless interesting and action-packed movies taking place in a world undergoing a nuclear war, often having just a handful of survivors in what is practically an uninhabitable place to live.

Even the critically renowned Terminator franchise, although the premise is much more complicated than just a nuclear fight, revolves around nuclear holocaust and the travel back in time to prevent it.

Economical Collapse Post-apocalyptic stories about economic collapse depict societies falling apart due to hyperinflation, resource mismanagement, or systemic financial failure. These narratives explore the desperation and chaos following the end of monetary systems.

While it isn't talked about a lot in the movies, the cause of the apocalypse in the Mad Max franchise, which is perhaps the most famous post-apocalyptic movie franchise, is the collapse of the economy. This sets a bunch of other disasters into motion, ending with the terrible world that Max navigates throughout the four movies.

The cause of the collapse of the economy in movies featuring economical collapse varies, but the initial effects are the same. Honestly, it is one of the more realistic ideas as to what would create a post-apocalyptic world. All it takes is one small event to set off a chain of events that will bring down our fragile economy.

Cannibalism Outbreak Films featuring cannibalism outbreaks often portray the breakdown of society due to extreme famine or psychological collapse. Themes typically include the moral and physical degradation of survivors.
The Contenders
Endless War Endless war films depict a future where prolonged conflicts devastate civilizations and render peace unattainable. The focus is often on the cyclical nature of violence and its toll on humanity and the environment.

Many movies taking place in a post-apocalyptic world highlight the possibility of two or more groups continuously battling until they've annihilated everyone on Earth and destroyed most cities. In some of these movies, whatever's left of the opposing sides will continue to fight even after the initial devastation. In others, survivors try to navigate the wasteland caused by continued fighting.

This particular scenario isn't as common in modern times as technology is so advanced now that a war would end when one country out-nuked the other. However, in earlier times, it was a popular and compelling theme for post-apocalyptic movies.

Parasitic Pandemic Parasitic pandemic stories focus on the spread of organisms that infect and control human hosts, leading to widespread societal collapse. These narratives frequently explore themes of loss of autonomy and the struggle to combat an unseen enemy.
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