In case you have been out of the loop lately, a popular doomsday prophecy about the end of days is scheduled to take place this Saturday, May 21! Are you prepared for the world to end this weekend? If not, we have complied a list of the most popular judgment day movies to help give you an idea of what you may be able to expect this weekend!
This particular prophecy was conjured up by Harold Camping, and independent host of a Christian network called Family Radio, and he believes that May 21st is the end all, be all for humanity. Through the use of numerology and his interpretation of the Bible, he has concluded that the prophecies outlined in Revelations will begin this weekend, at approximately 6pm on Saturday.
While Camping believes the world will begin its destruction on the 21st with earthquakes and the second coming of Christ, Hollywood has long held its own opinions of what the end of the world will look like. Not all of them follow the Christian belief of the Apocalypse, however. In fact, judgment day movies cover everything from the Mayan calendar’s 2012 predictions to zombies, asteroids, natural disasters, aliens, and everything else in between!
So whether or not you agree that the end of days is this weekend, in 2012, or billions of years from now when he sun dies, here are some entertaining movies that may be able to lend a view on some of the other ways we will all be doomed!
1. The Rapture (1991) – If you buy into Camping’s predictions, this little know drama from the early 90s covers this scenario. Starring Mimi Rogers, David Duchovny, and Will Patton, this story follows a reformed sinner who joins a fanatical cult that believes the Rapture is coming… and they’re right!
2. 2012 (2010) – The newest of the big-budget Hollywood flicks, 2012 takes aim at the long-held prophecy by the Mayans that the world will end in 2012. This film follows a writer (John Cusack) and his family as they try to flee disaster after disaster to reach a fleet of boats built to survive the destruction and carry on humanity (think modern day Noah’s Arks). Mayan scholars have long discredited the 2012 hype, saying that nothing in Mayan prophecy or history has said the world will end in 2012. I don’t think anyone is listening…
3. The Day After Tomorrow (2004) – While this movie doesn’t really follow any of the doomsday predictions, it does do a pretty good job voicing its opinion of the effects of global warming. The melting of the polar ice caps has caused the ocean currents to stop, resulting in the formation of killer storms that bring on the next ice age. It could happen, right?
4. Asteroid movies – I have this as an entire genre, because there are just so many! From Armageddon to Deep Impact, this has always been a popular topic for judgment day movies. It also is the most likely way that humanity will be obliterated, and scientists agree it’s only a matter of time, and unless they are withholding information, it doesn’t look like it will be on Saturday.
5. Zombie movies – This also gets its own category due to sheer number of films that can be named. The only thing Hollywood loves more than zombies is zombies taking over the world. Many have chosen to try their hand at this scenario, from the iconic Romero films to I Am Legend, Zombieland, and the 28 Days series. I, for one, am banking on a zombie apocalypse and have been preparing for years and honing my zombie-killing skills, ya know, just in case.
6. War of the Worlds (2005) – There have also been a lot of alien takeover films. Independence Day and last summer’s Battle: LA can be added to the list as well, but my favorite is War of the Worlds. Based on the H.G. Wells novel and radio cast that sent the US into a panic in the 30s, it follows Tom Cruise as he tries to protect his family from a worldwide alien invasion in which the invaders seem to use people as fuel. Yikes!
7. End of Days (1999) – Since he has been in the news so much lately, we will throw in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s go at the end of the world. In this one, he plays a retired, depressed cop weighed down by the death of his family. He soon finds himself wrapped up in a secret religious war and ends up trying to protect a woman who the Vatican believes will give birth to the son of Satan and be the cause of the end of humanity. There are plenty of action shots in which the former Governator gets to flex his muscles, but other than that the film was the only thing that ended up destroyed.
8. Waterworld (1995) – Poor Kevin Costner. Since he did Waterworld his career was never the same. The film cost more to make than what it made domestically, and managed a meager profit by movie standards after its international release. It tells the story of a flooded Earth after the melting of the polar ice caps. Costner plays an evolved fish-human mutant who has webbed feet, can breathe under water, and trades dirt he finds in the ruins of a submerged Denver, Colorado while trying to flee pirates on an oil tanker trying to find the last of Dryland. Yep. Nuff said.
9. The Postman (1997) – Another post-apocalyptic Costner flick. This time, he plays a nomadic survivor in 2013 after society has collapsed and nuclear war has left the world in shambles. He delivers mail, which makes some people really happy and pisses a lot of other people off. Needless to say, it didn’t do much better than Waterworld. Good thing he gave up on the judgment day movies after this one.
10. The Book of Eli (2010) – This movie wasn’t really that bad. It takes place after a nuclear apocalypse has left most of the world in ruins, and follows Eli (Denzel Washington), guardian of a secretive book he is trying to deliver to the West Coast in order to save humanity. The book turns out to be the last remaining copy of the Bible, and there are some good twists to the movie along the way. For those who haven’t seen it, you should, but you had better hit up your local RedBox by Saturday!
All of these movies have different views on doomsday, but one thing is for sure: the world WILL end someday. Realistically, this won’t happen for a very long time when we are struck by a massive asteroid or the sun burns out, but until then there will always been judgment day prophecies out there to keep everyone on their toes!
What do you guys think of all the judgment day theories, including that the end is this weekend? Which of these movies do you think has the right idea? Or what is you favorite judgment day movie we left off this list? Let us know by leaving us some comments below!
