When you sense desolation in the frames and an uneasy silence seemingly deafening to the stability of your being, know that the cinema has transported you into a post-apocalyptic set up. Creating an experience or more importantly, sensory experience is a craft of perfection. Not all films are able to achieve it. Materializing visually magnificent setpieces, while keeping alive the spirit of the narrative and the characters is a daunting task. If the scale tips in favour of a single attribute, the imbalance hinders the experience of the viewers.
A post-apocalyptic set up comes as an amalgamation of distress, desolation, grim and a visually listless tone. There is something very intriguing about the mood and the ambience of such movies. Ask DC fans why they like gloomy and cloudy days? The bleak, the silence and the feeling of anxious deep down helps us catch a glimpse of our vulnerabilities as human beings. Besides this could prepare us for a dystopian future if at all that is a possibility.
Hold that thought while we introduce to you, some of the grimmest tales of a cinematic universe. All these films follow the theme of life in the wake of destruction and chaos.
- 28 Days Later
The heart sank in a river of pain as Cillian Murphy aimlessly wandered over Westminster Bridge not being able to comprehend the tumultuous nature of his surroundings. Directed by Danny Boyle the film paints a picture of Britain in the aftermath of a Zombie apocalypse. There is nothing commonplace about 28 Days Later because the makers actually went to great lengths to get the impression right. The producer closed London down for a short time!
- A Quiet Place
Never has a film been able to engulf the audience with a masterful sound editing like this one. The same reason, the film was in contention at the Oscars. A family is trying to lead a normal life in a rather unsettling environment. The world around them is full of creatures that prey by the listening to sound. The coveted off-screen couple John Krasinski and Emily Blunt come together on screen as parents who are trying to help their deaf daughter survive the danger.
- The Battery
A Zombie apocalypse set up at that but the problem at hand is surviving the with the person you have an aversion to. That is what makes this film so interesting. The two baseball players headlining the tale can outrun the danger but not each other, for they need to survive. The film is very intellectual on various levels but basically in its quest of sticking to the ingenuity of human feelings rather than going on with fan service.
- Bird Box
This film sparked a lot of debate since its release on Netflix. Some say it was highly flawed while others argued that it was full of substance. The film has humans against a monster who gives them suicidal thoughts with just a look in the eye. The set pieces are some of the truly amazing scenes ever but do not let your expectations swell for it is a good movie, not a revolutionary cinema as some may say.
- The Book of Eli
A world in the aftermath of a nuclear explosion is not following the rules of the ecosystem as we know it. Humans are either killing each other or eating one another. With some heavy on the mind themes like cannibalism and religion adorning the script, the film builds around Eli played by Denzel Washington, who travels across a wrecked America to deliver a book. The film has plenty of surprise elements and is full of original ideas that makes you wonder why has it not accomplished the success and popularity it deserves.
- Cargo
The Australian outbacks are infested with plague and Martin Freeman’s character must find a safe place for his infant and himself. Besides the unusual characterization that sees a father ready to battle it till the end for his baby, instead of a mother like films usually show, this one is also a beautifully narrated story.
- Carriers
Do you believe friendships can survive through a life and death situation? Because this film is meant to tell you that they suffocate and die under life-threatening conditions. You can either choose to stay alive or do the right thing. The film was portrayed to be a Zombie themed catastrophe romp, but there are hardly any zombies which disappointed audiences at large.
- The Day
WWE studios finally have a feature that does not stink. Not as much as the ones that came early in the league. In fact, that sounds quite unjust a remark, because The Day is actually really good with a quintessentially bleak tone building around its morally questionable characters.
