10 Most Fascinating "End of The World" Movies

There are many theories, ideas or should I say 'schools of thought' on how the world would end. At the height of the Cold War, nuclear annihilation ranks at the very top. While others argue it will not be man who will destroy the world (directly) but - an epidemic of global proportions (most probably from a potent strain of virus - think: I am Legend) or severe climactic change (another ice age perhaps? That would be Day After Tommorow right?) or mechanical uprising (The Terminator, anyone?) or even attack from the outside - conquering aliens (Mars Attacks!) or perhaps an asteroid. And let's not forget zombies!. Inspired by the upcoming release of Roland Emmerich's latest disaster epic 2012, which by the way I DIN”T LIKE AT ALL. Only recent movies have been listed here, mainly movies which I have seen.


Enough of talk already! Let's see which movies made my top 10!

# 10 - The Day After Tomorrow (2004) – Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhall, Emily Rossum

IMDB Rating – 6.3

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The Plot: When global warming causes worldwide disasters and leads to an ice age, a climatologist named Jack Hall tries to rescue his son Sam who is trapped in New York. Jack must go from Washington D.C. to New York, but on the way some things happen. Can Jack rescue his son?

How the World would end: As the result of global warming.

# 9 - The Fifth Element (1997) – Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, Ian Holm, Milla Jovovich

IMDB Rating – 7.4

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The Plot: Two hundred and fifty years in the future, life as we know it is threatened by the arrival of Evil. Only the fifth element can stop the Evil from extinguishing life, as it tries to do every five thousand years. She is helped by ex-soldier, current-cab-driver, Korben Dallas, who is, in turn, helped by Prince/Arsenio clone, Ruby Rhod. Unfortunately, Evil is being assisted by Mr. Zorg, who seeks to profit from the chaos that Evil will bring, and his alien mercenaries.

How the World would end: Destroyed by Evil.

# 8 - 28 Weeks Later (2007) – Robert Carlyle, Catherine McCormack, Rose Byrne, Jeremy Renner

IMDB Rating – 7.1

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The Plot: Six months after the rage virus was inflicted on the population of Great Britain, the US Army helps to secure a small area of London for the survivors to repopulate and start again. But not everything goes to plan.

How the World would end: The population will die as the rage virus spreads and become a pandemic.

# 7 - Mars Attacks! (1996) – Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Pierce Brosnan, Sarah Jessica Parker

IMDB Rating – 6.3

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The Plot: When Martians begin to attack the Earth, several groups of people must try to survive. These groups include a reporter and his girlfriend, a top scientist, the president and his family (and aides), a Kansas boy and his grandma, and Tom Jones and people from a casino in Las Vegas.

How the World would end: From Martian invasion

# 6 - I am Legend (2007) – Will Smith, Alice Braga, Charlie Tahan

IMDB Rating – 7.1

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The Plot: Years after a plague kills most of humanity and transforms the rest into monsters, the sole survivor in New York City struggles valiantly to find a cure.

How the World would end: Due to a vicious man-made virus originally created to cure cancer.

# 5 - Sunshine (2007): Cliff Curtis, Chipo Chung, Michelle Yeoh, Cilian Murphy

IMDB Rating – 7.3

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The Plot: 50 years into the future, the Sun begins to die, and Earth is dying as a result. A team of astronauts are sent to revive the Sun - but the mission fails. Seven years later, a new team are sent to finish the mission as they are Earth's last hope.

How the World would end: As a result of the death of our Sun.

# 4 - 12 Monkeys (1995) – Bruce Willis, Brad Pitt, Madeleine Stowe, Jon Seda

IMDB Rating – 8.1

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The Plot: Terry Gilliam's nightmarish low-tech/high-tech future vision takes place in 1997, after a deadly virus has killed 99% of the human population--forcing the survivors to flee beneath our planet's surface. This leaves the (other) animals topside, to rule the Earth once again. The scientists select James Cole, an imprisoned sociopath, to return to the past and gather information useful in the defense against this contagion. Once back in time, he is to investigate the mysterious 'Army of the Twelve Monkeys' and report his findings. Scientific, social, and political themes like time travel (and its inherent paradoxes and nested loops), mental illness, the nature of reality, animal rights, and the Armageddon-potential of unchecked technological advances are artfully and cleverly explored

How the World would end: People will die due to virus.

# 3 - Terminator (1984) – Arnold Schwarzzeneger, Michael Biehn, Linda Hamilton, Earl Boen

IMDB Rating – 8.1

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The Plot: The movie begins in a post-apocalyptic 2029, when Los Angeles has been largely reduced to rubble and is under the thumb of all-powerful ruling machines. Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn), a member of the human resistance movement, is teleported back to 1984. His purpose: to rescue Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), the mother of the man who will lead the 21st-century rebels against the tyrannical machines, from being assassinated before she can give birth. Likewise thrust back to 1984 is The Terminator (Schwarzenegger), a grim, well-armed, virtually indestructable cyborg who has been programmed to eliminate Sarah Connor.

How the World would end: Machines will annihilate human population and become the dominant specie.

# 2 - 28 Days Later (2002) – Cilian Murphy, Naomi Harris, Brendan Gleeson, Noah Huntley

IMDB Rating – 7.6

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The Plot: It has been twenty-eight days since Jim, a young bicycle courier, was knocked off his bike and injured in a car accident. When he wakes up from his coma, the world has changed. London is deserted, litter-strewn and grim, and it seems the entire world has disappeared. The truth, however, is even more horrifying - a devastating psychological virus has been unleashed on the world, turning the population into blood-crazed psychopaths driven only to kill and destroy the uninfected. A bitter struggle to get out of the city with fellow survivors to a military encampment at Manchester follows - but there, their troubles are just beginning.

How the World would end: Virus will wipe out the population.

# 1 - Children of Men (2006) – Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine

IMDB Rating – 8.1

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The Plot: In 2027, in a chaotic world in which humans can no longer procreate, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea, where her child's birth may help scientists save the future of humankind.

How the World would end: Man's inability to procreate.

So There it is.. I have covered Aliens, Viruses, Climate Change and even Evil. You might notice the notable misses from this viz. Armageddon or Independence Day. There might be many more. This is just a laundry list. All i can wish for is to get a 30 day notice period before the apocalypse. Have to finish a lot of work before that..;)

10 Reasons Why i Hate Sachin Tendulkar....

1. He always plays a brilliant innings before my exam and hence doesn’t let me study.
2. Every time that I think of becoming an atheist, he gets into the nineties and I have no choice but to pray.
3. Every time I take a resolution not to bite my nails, he gets into the nineties and I am left with no choice but to chew on my nails.
4. He keeps all the records to himself.
5. He makes a lot more money than me.
6. He costs way too much on ‘super selector’ but since I have to pick him, the rest of my team gets weakened.
7. During a match, invariably when I want to go to the bathroom, he hits a boundary and hence I have no choice but to sit and watch the replay.
8. As soon as I convince myself that God does not exist, he plays a straight drive and proves me wrong.
9. He brings the whole country to a standstill whenever he bats
10. And the last and the biggest reason why I hate Sachin Tendulkar …
He is going to retire sometime in the future…

There's Something About Mumbai

‘Slumdog Millionaire’ has put Mumbai on the global celluloid map. But the sprawling metropolis has been the focus of numerous Bollywood movies for decades

In the theatre of Bollywood, cities are often like cruel, moody lovers; the sort you should stay away from, but cannot resist. Cities are sweaty; heartless by dna. And yet the metropolis holds infinite allure for those with ambition, muscle and the willingness to walk on either side of the law. In movies, Bambai, Bombay and Mumbai are all different versions of this quintessential city.

That's what Johny Walker crooned in CID (1956), romping the unfeeling streets of the western metropolis and singing Majrooh’s playfully perceptive, Ae dil hai mushqil jeena yahan, zara hat ke, zara bachke, yeh hai Bombay meri jaan. Over the decades the basic instinct for survival continues to be the primary focus of filmmakers both at home and abroad, most recently typified in Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire by the hero’s elder brother, Salim, and heroine Latika.


In Hindi films, Bombay isn’t just a location; it is a grand idea. It is a metaphor for infinite possibilities typified by the life of Amitabh Bachchan in Deewar (1975) and Ajay Devgan in Company (2002). It can be an asylum as Tabu underlined in Chandni Bar (2001). It can also be a mirage as the young couple from Punjab discover in K A Abbas’ Sheher Aur Sapna (1963).

At one level, the city is in a state of constant churn, changing dramatically in its community composition, social attitudes and political make-up. In its good, bad or indifferent way, Bollywood has tried to mirror these changes and map its mood.


The new-age gangsters of Satya (1998) and Is Raat ki Subah Nahin (1996) are meaner than the smugglers of Deewar. The urchins of Slumdog are more driven than their counterparts in Salaam Bombay (1988). Middle-class rage and angst (Dombivali Fast, 2005) has a sharper edge than the underclass anger of Ankush (1986). The young lovers of Life in a Metro (2007) are far more practical than their predecessors. And it wouldn’t have been possible to envisage Bombay (1995), Black Friday (2004) and Mumbai Meri Jaan (2008) even in the 1980s. Similarly, Kamal Rashid Khan’s crass Deshdrohi (2008) speaks in an angry migrant language that would have made no sense to the protagonist of Shree 420 (1955) played by Raj Kapoor. But then there was no Raj Thackeray’s MNS in those days.

The hero in Shree 420 too arrives in Bombay to make a career. When opportunity beckons he has to choose between two aptly-named women: Vidya (knowledge, played by Nargis) or Maya (illusion, played by Nadira). He initially opts for Maya; it is a rite of passage he must cross to emerge wiser, if not wealthier. Decades later, Shah Rukh Khan faces similar dilemmas in Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman (1992). And he too makes similar choices. But beyond the ethical debates, the better Bollywood movies have got under the skin of the metropolis. Watching movies like director Ravindra Dharmraj’s Chakra (1981) and Sudhir Mishra’s Dharavi (1993) is like entering an alternative world with its own values, morals and truths.


Three other movies — Basu Chatterjee’s Piya Ka Ghar (1972), Sai Paranjpe’s Katha (1983) and Govind Nihalani’s Ardh Satya (1983) — are fascinating miniatures encapsulating a slice of the city’s life. Piya Ka Ghar explores the absence of space geographically as well as in relationships; not to forget waking up at 5 am to fill water in pans. Katha, essentially a morality tale, is about chawl life, its small yearnings and heartbreaks. Ardha Satya takes an inside look at the Mumbai cop world; again, the kind of choices an individual has to make.




FROM BAMBAI TO MUMBAI
What’s in a name? In case of Bambai, Bombay or Mumbai, pretty much everything. The changes in the city are also reflected in its shifting nomenclature. In the pre-independence era, the word Bambai was preferred over Bombay. In the early years of the talkies one comes across films such as Bambai ki Sethani (1935), Bambai Ki Billi (1936), Bambai Wali (1941). A movie like Bombay Calling (1942) is rare. In post independence Hindi cinema, while Bambai continued to be used off and on — Bambai Ka Babu (1960) for instance — Bombay became more common: Bombay Ki Billi (1960), Bombay Central (1960), Bombay Ka Chor (1962), Holiday in Bombay (1963), Bombay Race Course (1965), Bombay Town (1965), Bombay Raat Ki Bahon Mein (1969), Bombay Talkies (1971), Bombay to Goa (1972), Bombay by Night (1979), Bombay 405 Miles (1980), Bombay (1995) and Bombay Boys (1998). Now as the city has retreated to its past, it's Mission Mumbai (2004), Mumbai Cutting and Mumbai Meri Jaan (both 2008).

My Film of The Year - 2008

It has to be Aamir
Aamir is great,not the actor , the film. Gentlemen, hats off. Ladies, handbags down. On your feet, people, prepare for the ovation. Here's why:

1. Because it's the best directorial debut in ages [the film is directed by debutant Raj Kumar Gupta, who assisted Anurag Kashyap in No Smoking], and quite likely the film of the year. It'll take something both special and spectacular to top this awesome little film, and I honestly don't see that happening.

2. Because it explores the Mumbai underbelly with such grit that we can virtually smell the sweat and the biryani, hell, we can feel the blood splash on us as protagonist Aamir (Rajeev Khandelwal) walks helplessly through a little galli and the rhythmic song he hears is punctuated with sounds of the meat cleaver, chopping up brain and bottom with guillotine precision.

3. Because it feels like it could happen to you. This is essentially a thriller about a doctor flying in from London only to find that his family is missing. Not just are they not waiting excitedly at the airport, but the phone at home is ringing answerlessly. Before Aamir can think about what to do, a cellphone is hurled at him, his luggage is scooped off, and he's suddenly following bizarre orders while still sweltering in his Mumbai-unfriendly suit and tie.

4. Because Alphonse Roy's cinematography deserves a 10 on 10. No kidding. This film perfectly marries the concept of a frantic handheld camera with tight, meticulously mounted extreme close ups, the combination giving it balance. When Aamir runs through an overpeopled haze in a fascinating chase sequence, the camera jostles wildly, as if it's also galloping, breathless and confused, just to keep up. Yet the handheld is never indulged to headache extents, while the tight close shots are steady and assured. Very nice.

5. Because the music by Amit Trivedi is gobsmackingly brilliant. It's been so long since we've had an effective theme tune for a Hindi film, and this one features a hauntingly simple violin solo that squirts in -- with eclectic and varied measure, playing rollercoaster havoc with tempo and rhythm -- just when it should. Awesome. The soundtrack is flawless, jazz tossed in atypical to the whore-and-heat surroundings, and Khusro just when you don't expect it.
6. Because the acting is spot-on. Rajeev Khandelwal has an incredibly compelling screen presence, and is consistently so natural that the fourth wall breaks on its own, and your identification with the character is complete. Meanwhile, on the other end of the phone, Gajraj Rao, shot almost completely in the dark, achieves such in-control fundamentalist menace that he makes you shudder, even when stroking an infant's cheeks. The supporting cast all look blessedly unfamiliar and have character dripping from them, especially the hotheaded cabbie.

7. Because director Raj Kumar Gupta has achieved this fantastic nugget of festival-worthy cinema with a really low budget, and while scoffing critics may point to the Filipino film Cavite for inspiration -- a tall order in itself, this is a wholly original Bombay film -- he has shown Aamir to the makers and gotten a no-objection certificate for the same. End the originality/plagiarism debate now; this is our own pikchur, and one we should be proud of.

8. Because while I'm itching to take the film apart and dissect bits of it and discuss the subtext, I just can't do that. It's too good to be spoilt, and the best thing for you going in watching this film for the first time is to watch it totally fresh. The film is a thriller, it is also an extremely internal film about character and conflict, while at the same time being a vividly real external experience, giving you a whiff of Mumbai, minus the cliches.

9. Because it is a first film for the director, the music director, the cinematographer, and the leading man, and that mammoth fact reinstates faith in cinema itself.

10.Because I saw it with my best friends for the first time & I can't think of a reason not to applaud it, and if you can, tell me now, because I'm watching it on dvd again this weekend.

Claps Claps Claps.....