Its a theme as old as Mankind. Whether its the Bibles Book of Revelation foretelling the Four Horsemen crushing the Earth under hoof or the Y2K bug playing Snake with our nuclear bunkers; weve got it all covered - plagues, ecological disasters, nuclear war, alien invasions, asteroids. You might say were somewhat obsessed with our own ends. In the last century, when the threat of nuclear war looked like a real possibility, there was a surge in popular science fiction that looked at the implications of such a catastrophe, asking what happens to humanity when the finally dust settles? This is an intriguing notion, especially when you consider the word Apocalypse means to uncover or reveal. It goes someway to explain why our culture often looks to its grim finale to depict our contemporary troubles and social ills. Theres something ultimately positive about watching these films, the disturbing sense of dread is countered by the fact that were still here, maybe we still have time and we dont have to go running for our underground citadels just yet. All that and the train in Snowpiercer looks cool. Weve tried to avoid the easy choices; Kevin Costners big budget flopsam (The Postman) and jetsam (Waterworld) and the overly well known (Matrix, Hunger Games, Mad Max). Think on this as a selection of films that fill us with that 'ye olde biblical dread' when the credits finally roll.
