Epochalypse

Firstly, let me say that this is not a list of every single post-apocalyptic movie ever - merely the ones which stand out as classics, or are important turning points for the genre.

Mad Max
Max Rockatansky is a cop with the MFP (Main Force Patrol) on the increasingly dangerous Transcon One highway through Australia. When his partner and best pal gets burned beyond recognition by bikers, Max decides to quit the force, and move north with his Wife and child. A chance encounter with the same thugs leaves his wife and child dead, and ignites a desire for revenge inside max.

This movie is an absolute classic of cinema, and is listed among the century's greatest movies by some. That's quite an achievement for a movie that was originally dubbed over with american accents because the studio heads were afraid it was going to bomb. In fact, it thrilled moviegoers with its incredibly high speed car chases and original setting. Even today, despite the films success, Mel Gibsons fame, and its recent 20th Birthday, it is difficult to get a copy of the undubbed version anywhere.

Mad Max 2: The Road warrior
Max has become a wanderer - scowering the wastelands for gasoline. Civilisation has finally collapsed. He comes across a small community in a makeshift refinery, beseiged by a gang of thugs led by the malicious Lord Humungus. He agrees to help them in return for a share in the gasoline.

Its almost a rule that sequels are never as good as the originals, but there are a few exceptions to the rule. The road warrior is such an exception. It builds on the original's storyline, and makes the chases even more intense than before. It introduces us to a grittier, older max - one who has gone through a lot since the last movie. This is my all time favorite piece of post-apocalyptic fiction.

Mad Max 3: Beyond the thunderdome
Max arrives at bartertown - a makeshift village of scrap metal full of bandits. After a scuffle he is cast out into the desert, where he is found by a tribe of lost children.

Once again the sequel rule kicks in. Mad Max 3, while it had little or no chance of topping its predecessors, could have been so much better. For the first time, we were seeing entirely new cultures and peoples, and the budget was a lot bigger than the previous two movies. Unfortunately, the script was merely a re-hash of the road warrior, featuring an empty storyline, and ripping off the tanker chase ending of the original. Compared to much of whats on offer today, Beyond the thunderdome is a good movie, but compared to the other mad max's, its crap.

Planet of the apes
Three american astronauts land on a strange planet populated by sentient apes who oppress humans, and treat them as animals.

Another cinematic classic, highly quotable, and often spoofed. Planet of the apes set the trend for modern make-up, allowing hundreds of extras to be transformed into walking, talking apes. Although it had comical moments, and is often laughed at, The morals and story behind Planet of the apes are not to be laughed at. The film also contained one of those all time classic twists at the end.

Dawn of the living dead
A pilot, a reporter, and two SWAT team members flee a city overrun by zombies in a TV station Helicopter. They land miles away on top of a desolate shopping mall, where they can live off the supplies inside

Despite being the sequel to a classic horror flick, Dawn of the dead is not a horror movie. It tells the story of a few survivors living off the remains of a dead society. The plot never gets to cerebral for the audience it was aimed at, but the acting is top notch, and the storyline is original.

12 Monkeys
James Cole is sent back in time from the year 2012 to gather information about a plague which will wipe out 98% of the population in 1997. But is he only dreaming, or is it real?

12 Monkeys is a Terry Gilliam movie. And straight off, that means its going to be very original. In his time, Gilliam has produced such classics as Brazil, Time Bandits, and the Fisher King. Twelve monkeys plays with your brain and your very sense of reality - if you let it. This movie is an experience, if you let yourself experience it. You have to really watch it, uninterrupted, start to finish, and let it soak in. One could argue that this is really a time travel movie or a thriller, but it presents us with yet another unique vision of a future post-apocalyptic society. This is one which lives under the now wild streets of New York, in fear of a deadly virus, which all but destroyed mankind. Its full of original visions, and dark symbolism. The surface is a picture of desolation - snow covers everything. Wild animals roam the streets, which are silent and undisturbed. Furniture in looted shops sits in the same position it has for ten years. A great movie.

The Stand
A Plague falls upon the world population - but a chosen few seem to be immune. Almost All those immune share the same dream - of an old woman in a cornfield. But some of them have a much darker dream...

The Postman
A wanderer who quotes shakepeare to his horse for food finds a bag of undelivered mail, and decides posing as a postman for a new government is a better way to get some food. But soon he sees the effect he has on the people to whom he delivers, and it becomes a quest - to restore communication between the people. Soon he comes face to face with an army of barbarians under the command of a man who calls himself Bethlehem.

Waterworld
On a World covered in water, where dry land is a myth, a loner called the mariner rescues a woman and a young girl from an atoll under attack from viscious pirates known as 'Smokers'. The girl has a tattoo on her back of a map to dryland, which cant be read.