Last night’s fare: I Am Legend.
I don’t watch many movies because I’m usually obsessed with the ones playing in my head, begging to be laid on paper.
But I’ll roll over for post-apocalyptic tales (oh, 12 Monkeys and Waterworld come to mind and that reminds me, why [other than Kevin Costner’s acting] is Waterworld so reviled?). I Am Legend is the best I’ve seen yet.
My husband doesn’t like stories told in flashback (even little bits of backstory), so that bugged him, but he’s not a post-apocalypse fan AT ALL, so the fact that he liked it at all was impressive. And Will Smith? The man can act. I need to see Hancock. I don’t even know what it’s about, but Will Smith has excellent judgment as an actor and businessman, so I’ll not question him on the roles he chooses.
Over at Toward an LDS Cinema, I’ve been on Trevor’s case to see Dogma (as all 4 regular readers of this blog will know). I still think that’s a fabulous not-quite-post-apocalyptic movie (amongst other themes, leit motifs, and regular ol’ motifs).
I have my own post-apocalyptic tale in the hopper, so we’ll see how well I do at creating a world that doesn’t exist, but could.
C’mon, folks. Give me a rundown of your favorite post-apocalyptic movies and/or books. Pwetty Pweeze?
UPDATE: I’ve begun a list of post-apocalyptic tales, both book and film. Be a contributor! Comment on this post or email me and I’ll update as time allows.
Where to start? I haven’t seen “I am Legend” yet, but I heard it’s awesome.
“Lucifer’s Hammer” is one of the better post-apocalyptic stories I’ve read in recent time. Forget the rip-off movies – the book puts them to shame. It delves into human nature in the face of disaster.
Orson Scott Card (you knew I’d bring him up, didn’t you?) also wrote an excellent series of short stories that take place in post-apocalyptic America and the Mormon culture. The Alvin Maker series isn’t post-apocalyptic, is it? I like the alternative America in that series, though.
I’m also pretty sure if I reached way back in my memory, I’d come up with something post-apocalyptic by Robert Heinlein, since he was fascinated with it and I have a vague memory, but it’s been 30 years since I’ve read anything by him.
I loved Waterworld and The Postman, Kevin Costner’s acting notwithstanding. Honestly, I think the movies he directs would have better commercial success if he let someone else act in them. Then again, I enjoyed him in “The Guardian,” a movie in which he (surprisingly) isn’t acting QUITE as much to type as he usually does. If you can call it acting. Still, put him against Keanu Reeves and he’d win the Academy Award for Best Actor.
I read “The Handmaid’s Tale” and found it interesting, especially the hypocrisy and the pseudo-religiousity, but I didn’t see the movie. I felt the book would’ve been better if it had been less story-driven and more character-driven. I ended the book not really caring what happened to any of the characters; given the story line, I should’ve cared deeply.
“Children of Men” is a must-see post-apocalyptic movie, IMO.
What pretty much frightens me about any good post-apocalyptic story is that the worst of human nature is what the authors/storytellers seem to believe will be predominant.
I agree with you about The Handmaid’s Tale; I cared about the protagonist until it got down to nut-cuttin’ the last third of the book.
I tried to find Lucifer’s Hammer in digital, but was singularly unsuccessful, so I’ll look for it used somewhere.
I forgot to mention one book that’s on my keeper shelf is post-apoc, which is Earth Abides by George R. Stewart.
The Alvin Maker series (OSC) isn’t post-apoc, but an interesting study nonetheless.
And oh, my oft-bandied-about favorite, Sheri S. Tepper, with The Gate to Women’s Country.
I disagree a bit. It starts off with the evil that men do, but usually (not always, granted) ends up with the good that men do triumphing. That’s the payoff for a post-apoc story, IMO.
The OSC collection is called “Folk of the Fringe.”
I would consider Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series to be post-apocalyptic. Too bad it ends so lamely. But it’s worth reading through the middle-late part of the Wolves of Calla.
Corma McCarthy’s The Road is interesting — it’s not good science fiction, but as an exercise in post-apocalyptic horror, it works.
But some of the best post-apocalyptic work is found in short work. I don’t have any recommendations at my fingertips, but I have read some really cool stories over the years that take place in post-apocalyptic societies.
I’ve read Folk of the Fringe. I found it truly provocative and I still remember the traveling band of thespians.
You know, I think I’ll start a page on post-apoc movies and books.
The other “genre” of movies I like is what I call the “underdog” movies, Die Hard to Drum Line.
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (The classic post-apocalyptic eco-thriller that put Studio Ghibli on the map.)
The Road Warrior
Serenity / Firefly
Japanese anime writers love the post-apocalyptic genre, perhaps because they’ve actually lived through one. Here’s a small sampling.
Cowboy Bebop (Series; predates Firefly, but is very similar in story structure.)
The Last Exile (Series.)
Eureka Seven (Series; as much “Paradise Lost” as post-apocalyptic, meaning one world must be destroyed so that a new one can begin.)
Innocent Venus (Series.)
Origin: Spirits of the Past (Wants to be another Nausicaa, but its reach exceeds its grasp; still, it looks great.)
Scrapped Princess (Series; another in the “Paradise Lost” genre.)
Witchblade (Series, from the “destroyed Tokyo” genre, much eye candy.)
Eugene, thanks! I updated the list to include yours.
I don’t know how I could’ve forgotten Witchblade, but I only saw the US adaptation of it.
I never had the chance to see Firefly but it seems to have an extremely devoted following.
And oh, how can we forget Æon Flux???
I haven’t seen I am Legend, but a Poli-Sci scholar and friend of mine who happens to have been raised Catholic said that his Catholicism was what made that movie the scariest for him.
As far as Post Apocalyptic films:
You could argue the Stalker is Post-apocalyptic, and its one of my favorites.
Almost every one of the Quay Brother’s shorts fit this bill in my mind as well.
Could we say that Delicatessen fits that as well?
About Aeon Flux, I remember liking the cartoon, but I only watched it as a ten year old who snuck down at 1 in the morning to watch it on MTV. But I don’t think I actually understood anything about it, just that it was for ‘grown-ups.’ Haven’t seen it since.
But there’s a lot of Anime that, of course, fits this. Akira didn’t thrill me, but both Ghost in the shells were interesting… though, I found the Matrix richer and more developed. (that’s right).
This fascinates me. Did he tell you why?
Re Aeon Flux, I meant the cartoon, not the film. I don’t like animation changed into live-action, so I stay away from it.
Now, for my list, what “the Stalker” are you talking about specifically? Can you post a link?Nebber mind; I found it.Sheri S. Tepper — she writes a lot of revenge porn, and seems to relish it, though the Gate to Womens Country misses the historic reality — prosperity leads to population control, not the inverse. Europe had negative population growth, Bangladesh has positive population growth.
Waterworld was so reviled because of the money it sucked out of the film industry. There were probably twenty or thirty films that were not made because Waterworld sucked up the money, with the loss to all of the people who would have been in them.
Other than Costner, the movie itself isn’t so bad, great camera work and production work, but many people in the industry saw it and saw the twenty or thirty films that it destroyed and the cost to people in the industry who needed the work.
Imagine if a book was published that managed to eat 10% of the publishing space (and lost money too) to feed someone’s ego (Costner’s desire to play a character who was not like able) and everyone looked around and wondered whose book didn’t see print because of the monster.
Well, that certainly puts a different spin on Waterworld, I’ll admit.
That happens in publishing all the time (albeit it manifests differently). You pick up a book by a major publishing house that’s badly edited, littered with typos and grammatical errors, badly designed, and a tired plot and go, “Crap, this got published but mine didn’t?” Doesn’t make mine better, but somebody had to have a better proposal on that editor/agent’s desk than that that got rejected.
And hey, Steve, welcome!
Yes, I know she does and I agree with you. Some of it bugs me enough to take me out of the story, but not enough to quit reading.
I talked about the way people read in this post and reading things I don’t agree with, but being able to take the story on its face. I enjoy her work regardless.
you wankahs
yas forgot Mad Max
all post apocalyptic movies and video games are in some way inspired by mad max even the saw horror fraanchise was
fuck i am legend keep mad max
oh and the road is wayyy better then i am legend
Oh you are so right. Adding now…
Dude liked I am legend. Dude also liked Mad Max twentyhowmany years ago, too.