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For as long as people have been making films, the doomsday genre has captivated audiences all over the world. Today, the doomsday film genre remains as popular as ever – and there are plenty of exciting and entertaining survival and disaster movies available to stream on Netflix that are well worth checking out.
If you’re a fan of the genre, head over to Netflix and give one of these nine great doomsday movies a watch.
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1. Automata
Automata deals with artificial intelligence and the end of the world as we know it. Rather than causing the apocalypse, though, the robots in automata are charged with helping humanity pick up the pieces and rebuild after society has collapsed.
What happens when these robot slaves learn to break through their chains and confront the remnants of humanity holding them captive? This question is the central plot of Automata. It’s a refreshing twist on the AI doomsday genre that offers fans of the genre something they haven’t seen before, earning it a well-deserved spot on our list.
2. Bird Box
When Netflix released the Netflix original, Bird Box, the film quickly took the internet by storm. Sandra Bullock’s starring role in the film certainly helped bolster its success, but it was ultimately the intriguing concept of Bird Box that captured the attention of audiences all over the world.
Bird Box is set in a world where unknown monsters have decimated Earth’s population. The catch is that no one knows what these monsters look like, since looking at them directly drives a person to insanity and suicide. This dilemma forces those who are left to take extreme precautions to prevent seeing one of the monsters, including wearing blindfolds everywhere they go.
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The result of this concept is an eerie film that is just as much horror as it is dystopian science-fiction. Where Bird Box is at its finest, though, is when it explores the toll that the end of the world takes on a young mother and the extremes that she will go to in order to protect her children.
3. Extinction
The story of alien invasion has been done so many times that it has become difficult for writers to come up with a new angle for this age-old plotline. Extinction, however, tackles the challenge brilliantly.
Another Netflix original, Extinction follows the story of a father who keeps having visions of Earth being invaded by aliens. When spaceships begin to appear in the night sky and open fire, he realizes that these visions were much more than a psychiatric problem.
Extinction puts a few unique twists on the alien invasion trope and combines these twists with impressive cinematography and special effects for a film that is well worth watching – even if you’ve seen movies like it a dozen times before.
4. IO
IO is a Netflix original that follows a group of people who live on a small strip of land after most of Earth has become uninhabitable. The majority of humanity has already fled the planet on spaceships, leaving just one group of people behind who must decide if they want to stay on Earth or make an attempt to reach the final ship which is leaving the planet.
IO is a fast-paced, entertaining film that presents a number of interesting questions to the audience. If you are a fan of movies that focus on the aftermath of a major apocalypse, IO is well worth watching.
5. Singularity
In Singularity, robotics company CEO Elias VanDorne has developed a supercomputer named Kronos that is designed to come up with a solution that will end all war on planet earth. Unfortunately for mankind, the only solution that Kronos is able to formulate is the extinction of humanity.
Singularity may not capture our fear of AI quite as well as The Terminator (see below), but the film is still an entertaining look at yet another way in which AI could go disastrously wrong.
6. The Terminator
Few film series have been as impactful as the Terminator series, as this series has almost singlehandedly stoked our healthy fear of artificial intelligence. The Terminator shows all too well how disastrous it could be if a super-powerful AI such as Skynet ever went rogue. Of course, the film is plenty entertaining as well and it is no-doubt Arnold Schwarzenegger’s most famous role.
7. Turbo Kid
Set in a post-apocalyptic 1997, Turbo Kid is a retro-futuristic film that serves as a nostalgic throwback to the action-adventure movies of the 80s.
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Turbo Kid follows the adventures of an orphaned teenager as he navigates a post-apocalyptic world in order to save his robot companion who has been captured by an evil warlord. The film serves as an interesting and entertaining look at what might have happened if the world as we know it had ended several decades ago.
8. V for Vendetta
A dystopian classic, V for Vendetta features both the aftermath of a nuclear war and an oppressive, totalitarian government. The cinematography and acting in the film are both superb, and the story has enough turns to keep you guessing.
The biggest appeal of this movie is the parallels that can be drawn between the film and our real world. It’s largely thanks to this film that the Guy Fawkes mask has become a symbol of resistance to an oppressive government.
9. What Happened to Monday
What Happened to Monday is set in an overpopulated world where families are only allowed to have one child in order to combat Earth’s overpopulation problem. If that reminds you of a certain Asian country in our real world, then you can imagine how eerily realistic this plot is.
The film follows the story of identical septuplets who are attempting to avoid being executed by their oppressive government while looking into the disappearance of one of their siblings.
Know of any other doomsday movies that are streaming on Netflix right now? Leave a comment and tell us about it!
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“The Silence,” (the one with Stanley Tucci which should not be confused with other Netflix offerings with the same title) was entertaining, even though some elements in its plot are derivative and the underlying premise is more than a little “over the top.”
Speaking of being over the top, for those who like apocalyptic Zombie movies, “Black Summer” was a well done series, one filmed mostly, if not entirely, with handheld cameras or steadi-cams. This aspect made the action particularly interesting for me. I believe that the same company that produced “Z Nation” produced this series, and this series is definitely a cut above “Z Nation.”
Thanks for the suggestions!