10 Greatest Apocalypse Movies Of All Time
1. Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb
It shouldn't be surprising that the Cold War produced two stellar genre films. Who among us doesn't vividly remember the image of a mushroom cloud promising certain doom if the US and USSR didn't come to an understanding?
There's simply not a more indelible image when it comes to global destruction than that of Slim Pickens riding an H-Bomb as it plummets toward the earth, whooping and hollering like a deranged bull rider. This brilliant sequence - along with the implications of the doomsday device that will be set off once the bomb hits - is a darkly comedic reminder of what will ultimately be responsible for Armageddon. Humanity.
Most impressive about Dr. Strangelove is how Kubrick was able to balance the laugh-out-loud moments with the frighteningly plausible scenes of suspense. Sure, we can all chuckle at one-liners like "Gentleman, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!" But few would titter watching the somber montage of nuclear explosions while "We'll Meet Again" plays in the background.
We'd later learn that the director achieved this balance by keeping some of his actors in the dark about exactly what kind of movie they were making. Pickens, for instance, thought he was making a serious war drama.
...Not so much, Slim. Not so much. But hey, it all worked out for the best, didn't it?