My Favorite Post-Apocalypse Movies of the 1990’s…

The 90’s…. it was only a decade prior to this one that I was just a kid.  Now I was a soldier, a combat veteran, a college graduate, a husband (well, for a year anyway – Gads, what an utter slut!), and working man.  Didn’t stop my inner nerd from enjoying that which I enjoyed most… post-apocalypse movies!!!

The 90’s were known for being the decade in which we moved from practical effects to full-blown CG.  It was amazing how things changed in just ten years!

As always, click the poster to watch a trailer, clip, or full movie.

 

12 Monkeys – Based on a 1962 French independent film called La Jetée, 12 Monkeys was directed by Terry Gilliam.  This is without a doubt, one of my favorite PA movies of all time.  For those who did Terry Gilliam, this is a masterpiece.  For those who may not dig Brad Pitt, this (as well as his role in Se7en) is my favorite role.  He is simply superb.

---

Delikatessen – A French film by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (he’s also known for City of Lost Children and Alien: Resurrection… two films I happen to enjoy even though it seems everyone else does not).  Starring Dominique Pinon (Jeunet likes to use him in most of his films), the movie takes place at some point in time that is fairly vague.  It is in an obvious post-apoc setting (most likely nuclear war).  The movie takes place almost exclusively within a hotel and is character driven.  I highly recommend this one…

---

Escape From L.A. – Ahhh… Snake Plissken is back!  Like its predecessor, this isn’t necessarily postapoc, but rather dystopian.  You’ll either hate it or love it.  I love it.  The original script had been written by Coleman Luck and John Carpenter thought it was too campy, but Kurt Russell pressed him to make the film.  I’m glad he did.

full movie

---

Fist of the North Star – Sorta, kinda, a little bit based on the manga, the 1995 film was direct to video and when one watches it, one can see why.  That being said, the atmosphere of the movie is just very cool even if the acting isn’t…

full movie

---

Hardware – This one has become a cult classic and if you’ve never seen it, I highly recommend it.  The soundtrack alone is worth it.  There are a couple of cool cameos, Iggy Pop, Lemmy (R.I.P.), and William Hootkins (remember him?  he played Porkins in the original Star Wars film).  Hootkins’ character (Lincoln) is deliciously creepy, as is most of the film.

---

The Matrix – I don’t really have to say much about this one, do I?  Is there a person on this planet who hasn’t seen it?  I won’t be talking about the 2nd and 3rd films as the first one is the only one I really enjoyed.  It was new, it was fresh, it was freaking awesome!

---

Mindwarp – Now, this one here… this one might not be so well-known.  Starring Bruce Campbell and Angus Scrimm (those two actors oughta catch your attention!), it was one of the few films produced by Fangoria Films (so you know it was good and gory).

The world has fallen to nuclear war.  Cannibalistic mutants thrive on the surface while those who were lucky enough to get underground, spend their time jacked into The System and living their lives in a virtual reality paradise.

full movie

---

Neon City – Starring Michael Ironside, how could this suck!  Ironside is an ex-cop turned bounty hunter.  The world has been laid waste by ecological disasters and there are often “Brights” (some kind of sun flare that kills people) and Xander Clouds (some kind of cloud that kills people).

Don’t let that fool you, it’s actually really good…

full movie

---

Omega Doom – This one right here…. this is one of my absolute favorite postapoc flicks of all time.  Don’t ask me to explain why… the acting sucks, the effects suck… there’s just something about it.  Definitely one of those “so bad it’s good” flicks.

Starring Rutger Hauer (that’s probably a large part of its appeal), and…. well, that’s about it.  Oh yes, it also stars Anna Katarina and apparently she’s kind of famous, so…

Omega Doom is simply a re-telling of Kurosawa’s Yojimbo.  A “man with no name” tale that we’ve seen many times before… except this time, it’s after a nuclear apocalypse and the characters are androids.  Tempted?  Damned straight!

I liked this movie so much, I wrote a blog post specifically about it.  You can find that here if you’re so inclined.

full movie

---

The Postman – Loosely based on The Postman by David Brin, this movie holds a special place in my memory as I was living where it was filmed at the time.  From what I understand, Brin had some concern as he didn’t want the film to be too “Mad Max’ish” and wanted to make sure the character retained his soul.  I’d say it was a success.

The movie is just wonderful and the message of hope portrayed is palpable.

The Postman: The Movie and the Book

---

Robot Jox – Giant fighting robots after a nuclear war.  Need I say more?

 

---

Six-String Samurai – Man… how do I even describe this thing?  A katana-wielding, Buddy Holly’esque road warrior?

Yeah, that’ll do nicely…

---

Split Second – Like Escape From New York and it’s sequal, Split Second is not really postapoc, but rather dystopian in theme.  London is flooded and sitting under a couple feet of water.  Hauer plays a burnt-out cop who discovers a sequence of murders that strike a nerve.  Hauer’s performance is worth the admission price alone. Lots of good actors in this one.  I highly recommend it…

full movie

---

The Stand – I first read The Stand in 1990, while serving with 1st Squadron, 2d Armored Cavalry Regiment during Desert Storm.  Now, I’ll be the first to tell you that I am not a fan of Stephen King… wait, let me rephrase that – I used to be, but no longer… ever since the late 90’s.  I’m not going to go into the reasons here as to why I’m no longer a fan.  If you wanna know, shoot me an email or ask me on Twitter.

Needless to say, I loved the screen adaptation and I’m fairly certain I’ve never met anyone who hasn’t…

---

Tank Girl – Oh man… another one which folks either love or totally hate.  I love it.  There isn’t anything I don’t enjoy about this flick.  I mean, it’s got Lori Petty, Ice-T, Naomi Watts, and Malcom McDowell?  C’mon!!!

It tries to capture the comic, but if you take it for what it’s worth, I bet you’ll enjoy it too…

full movie

---

Waterworld – Jeez… the hatred and vitriol that followed this movie – it was not deserving of such negativity.  Did it have its production problems?  Of course it did.  Did that affect the storytelling or visuals?  Absolutely not, IMNSHO.

Yet another love/hate flick.  And yet another one in which you can count me in the “love” camp.  This is simply pure, wonderful, fun, fantasy postapoc fiction.  If you keep trying to insert reality into it, no wonder you hate it…

---