Nuclear Apocalypse Movies

From James Cameron, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick
Rated R

Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a science fiction action film directed by James Cameron and released in 1991. In the film, the cyborg Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is sent back in time to protect a young John Connor (Edward Furlong) from a shape shifting cyborg assassin, the T-1000 (Robert Patrick). John and the Terminator must work together to prevent Skynet, a self-aware computer system, from achieving world domination by destroying humanity. With the help of Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), John's mother, they travel through time in order to save the future. Along the way, they must fight off the T-1000 and a reprogrammed T-800 Terminator, as well as battle their own demons. In the end, their courage and strength prevail, and they are able to save the world from destruction.

From Stanley Kubrick, starring Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, Keenan Wynn
Rated PG

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is a darkly satirical and surprisingly prescient Cold War-era film by director Stanley Kubrick. Set in the 1960s during the height of the Cold War, the story follows the attempts of the United States to prevent a nuclear war with the Soviet Union, as well as the farcical and absurd attempts of some of its military officers to do so. The central plot revolves around an American General, Jack D. Ripper, who inexplicably orders a nuclear attack on the Soviet Union. As the U.S. government scrambles to stop the attack, a group of high-ranking military and political leaders meet in the War Room to come up with a plan to prevent global destruction. Meanwhile, the mysterious Dr. Strangelove, a former Nazi, is determined to prevent a nuclear holocaust by any means necessary. The film culminates in a hysterical, yet darkly comic ending that serves to highlight the absurdity of the Cold War and the futility of trying to prevent a nuclear conflict.

From Mick Jackson, starring Karen Meagher, Reece Dinsdale, David Brierly, Rita May
Rated TV-MA

Threads is a British post-apocalyptic television film directed by Mick Jackson, originally broadcast on BBC2 on 23 September 1984. It was produced in collaboration between the BBC, EMI Films and the United Kingdom's Central Office of Information. The film is set in the English city of Sheffield and depicts the nuclear holocaust and its long-term effects on the local population. The film follows the lives of two families, the Kemps and the Becketts, who live in Sheffield. The film starts on the day of the Royal Wedding of the Prince and Princess of Wales, which is to be celebrated with both families gathering around their television sets. Soon after, news breaks that the United States and the Soviet Union are engaged in a nuclear war. The city of Sheffield is hit by a nuclear attack and large-scale destruction ensues. The film focuses on the impact of the attack and its aftermath on the two families. It also follows the survivors as they struggle to survive in the aftermath of the attack, dealing with radiation poisoning, starvation, disease, and the breakdown of society. Threads is a powerful and harrowing account of the devastating effects of a nuclear exchange, and the courage and resilience of human beings in the face of

From Franklin J. Schaffner, starring Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans
Rated G

Planet of the Apes is a 1968 American science fiction film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner. Based on the 1963 French novel La Planète des Singes by Pierre Boulle, it stars Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, James Whitmore, James Daly, and Linda Harrison. The plot follows an astronaut crew who crash-lands on a planet inhabited by intelligent, talking apes. The apes enslave the humans and the crew's leader, Taylor, eventually leads the fight against the ape domination. The film explores themes of racism, technology, and nuclear war, and its commercial success spawned four sequels and a reboot. It was nominated for two Academy Awards, winning one for its makeup, and it also won a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture. The film was a major box office success, grossing over $32 million in the United States and $30 million worldwide. It has since become a cult classic, and has been recognized as one of the greatest science fiction films of all time.

From Sidney Lumet, starring Henry Fonda, Walter Matthau, Fritz Weaver, Dan O'Herlihy
Rated Approved

Fail Safe is a 1964 Cold War drama directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Henry Fonda, Walter Matthau, Dan O'Herlihy, and Frank Overton. The film tells the story of an accidental nuclear attack by the United States against the Soviet Union. While the President and his advisors frantically search for a way to avert disaster, the military is forced to take matters into their own hands and launch a preventive strike against the Soviets. Meanwhile, the two sides must grapple with the morality of nuclear warfare in a race against time to prevent annihilation. The film is a tense, thought-provoking exploration of the human costs and potential consequences of nuclear war.

From Tony Scott, starring Gene Hackman, Denzel Washington, Matt Craven, George Dzundza
Rated R

From Stanley Kramer, starring Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire, Anthony Perkins
Rated Approved

From Lynne Littman, starring Jane Alexander, William Devane, Rossie Harris, Roxana Zal
Rated PG

From John Mackenzie, starring Michael Caine, Pierce Brosnan, Ned Beatty, Joanna Cassidy
Rated R

From L.Q. Jones, starring Don Johnson, Jason Robards, Susanne Benton, Tim McIntire
Rated R

From Phil Alden Robinson, starring Ben Affleck, Morgan Freeman, Ian Mongrain, Russell Bobbitt
Rated PG-13

From Chris Gorak, starring Mary McCormack, Rory Cochrane, Tony Perez, Scotty Noyd Jr.
Rated R