Top 5 Post-Apocalyptic TV Shows on Netflix

Top 5 post-apocalyptic movies on Netflix. Photo: Town & Country Magazine

It can feel like the world is ending right now, as the number of Coronavirus cases climbs over 1 million, and the death toll creeps towards 100,000, stores are shuttered and millions have become unemployed. So some were surprised when the film Contagion, which showed a world crippled by a spreading virus, became one of the most popular older films on several streaming platforms and spiked on Google Trends. Why would anyone want to watch a fictional apocalypse when we were facing one in reality?

If you’ve come to this page, you know the answer. Sometimes it helps to see films mirror our own lives, even if that fictional version is amped up to 11. It’s heartening to see our movie heroes push back against impending doom, to fight it in ways we can’t when shetler-in-place advisories are the new norm.

If you want to escape from our own catastrophe for two hours, we recommend the following apocalyptic or post-apocalyptic movies. The end may come in the form of a virus, intelligent robots, aliens, natural disaster or nuclear winter, but humanity has been imagining how it all ends since there was civilization to end. And lately, that often involves a tiny microbe.

Here are the 5 best post “end of the world” movies on Netflix:

#Alive (2020)

This South Korean zombie film might just be the most relatable movie on quarantine you will see in 2020. ‘#Alive’ is the story of a video game live streamer, Joon-woo (Yoo Ah-in), and how he survives a zombie apocalypse when he is forced to live alone in his apartment. What makes this film even more relatable is not just the quarantining protocol, but the extensive use and dependency on social media and technology. This film will reaffirm the significance of sharing information, which can even prove to be life-saving. The film is based on Matt Naylor’s script, ‘Alone’ which he co-wrote into the script for this film with Cho Il-Hyung.

I Am Mother (2019)

‘I Am Mother’ is yet another science thriller set in a post-apocalyptic world. A girl, Daughter (Clara Rugaard), lives in a bunker and has been brought up by a robot called Mother (Rose Byrne’s voice) who is helping to repopulate the Earth and instilling the appropriate skills and values that a person must have to exist on the planet. The world of Mother and Daughter is disrupted by a Woman (Hillary Swank) who brings some jarring news. This film spins an unusual angle on ethics, responsibility, parenting, and what it means to be out there in the world. This film first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2019.

The Girl With All the Gifts (2016)

In the near future, all of humanity is being infected by a parasitic fungus, which is transmitted through bodily fluids. Those who are infected turn into mindless zombies and the only hope is a small group of second-generation children who eat flesh but have retained the ability to reason and rationalize. The plot focuses on a scientist, teacher, and two soldiers who strive to survive and are accompanied by a special girl called Melanie (Sennia Nanua). The film also stars Gemma Arterton, Paddy Considine, and Glenn Close. This post-apocalyptic horror film, based on a book by the same name, ‘The Girl With All the Gifts’ is directed by Colm McCarthy.

What Happened to Monday (2017)

Set in 2043, there is a strict one-child policy due to overpopulation, and all children except the firstborn are put into a cryosleep. Every citizen is tracked by an electronic bracelet to ensure this. At a time like this, a woman died giving birth to seven identical septuplet sisters. In the care of their grandfather, they were meticulously taught to pose as a single identity, and the key to that was communication. If the government found any more than one of them, it would lead to their death. However, all hell breaks loose when one of the sisters is detained, and her communication is cut off. Is life given a chance under such a stringent rule?

Cadaver (2020)

The Norwegian film ‘Cadaver’ is set in a city that is razed to the ground post a nuclear disaster, where misery is the norm. With no food, people are starved, crimes are rampant, and seeing decaying dead bodies on the street is an everyday phenomenon. The only way to survive in that world is to “stick together.” Leonora (Gitte Witt) and Jacob (Thomas Gullestad) have an only daughter, Alice (Tuva Olivia Remman), and are very protective of her. Unexpectedly, a famous theatre director, Mathias Vinterberg (Thorborm Harr), announces an exclusive show, ‘The Hotel,’ with the promise of a good meal. Seeing this as an opportunity to take a break from reality, they decide to go for the show. When fact merges with fiction, chaos ensues, revealing the truth behind surviving in the world that believes in “eat or be eaten.”