I’d wager a guess that most people don’t look upon the idea of the end of the world very fondly. Yet, a popular genre of film focuses on just that, humanity’s destruction. We see this type of narrative played out again and again on the big screen. Why?
Most apocalyptic films have two main things in common. First, the world is almost always on the brink of complete disaster. Whether that be from a natural disaster, an outside force like an alien invasion, or even from humans themselves. Second, somehow, oftentimes against insurmountable odds, the end doesn’t actually come. At the end of the day, humanity is saved, and the future looks promising and bright.
For example, the Disney Pixar film WALL-E shows a world uninhabitable due to human waste, where humans have abandoned Earth and fled to space. Yet despite all odds, plant life becomes sustainable, and humanity returns to Earth to recultivate the planet. Similarly, the 1995 film Waterworld depicts a world almost completely underwater due to the melting of the polar ice caps, but in the end, the characters survive, finding dry land covered with vegetation and wildlife.
What draws people into these films time and time again is the idea that there is hope to be found in any situation, no matter how dire. These films often follow a motley group of individuals who are able to work together and overcome the challenges facing them. This plays into the fundamental belief that community makes people stronger and acts as a testament to the human spirit.
Narrative isn’t the only thing that keeps viewers coming back for more. The visuals also play a big role. These films often depict destroyed versions of recognizable locations and landmarks, drawing on previously made memories to evoke deeper emotional responses. For example, the Statue of Liberty acts as a symbol of hope in the 1996 film Independence Day. Most people already know what the Statue of Liberty looks like and what it stands for, so its appearance in the film acknowledges those established preconceptions and simply adds to them.
