Adapted from the notoriously bleak Cormac McCarthy novel, The Road follows an ailing father who must raise and defend his son against the dangerous, post-apocalyptic world around them, including roaming gangs of cannibals and desperate scavengers. A haunting and very intense film at times, The Road remains one of the most respected and mature end-of-the-world films ever produced, with Mortensen and Smit-McPhee’s performances particularly praised for their raw depiction of hope amid unyielding hopelessness. A rare blend of post-apocalyptic thriller and hard-hitting siege film, The Day surrounds a band of five survivors who attempt to find food and shelter, only to be trapped by a cannibal gang, whose attacks uncover secrets and sew distrust among the group. The film prioritizes action over emotion, but the film is definitely an entertaining watch that introduces interpersonal dynamics and narrative turns that keep things relatively unpredictable. Based on the sci-fi horror novel from M.R. Carey (who wrote the screenplay as well), The Girl with All the Gifts bares many similarities to The Last of Us, as it centers on a future in which a parasitic fungus has turned most of humanity into voracious, mindless zombies. However, the story goes even further, diving into the next generation of children, who crave flesh but can think and learn, and the bond between a group of those children and a group of researchers hoping to find a cure to save mankind. Voted as the 13th best film of the 21st Century in 2016, Alfonso Cuarón’s post-apocalyptic drama is a masterpiece of tense and gripping storytelling, showcasing the treacherous journey of a former activist tasked with protecting the first pregnant woman in nearly 20 years. Technically astounding and brilliantly written, Children of Men notably helped popularized single-shot action sequences and set forth a visual palette for almost every post-apocalyptic film released since. Directed by the Hughes brothers of Dead Presidents’ fame, The Book of Eli is an entertaining post-apocalyptic road movie that draws from westerns, samurai films, and shoot-’em-up action fare in its tale of a man possessing a highly-coveted book after America falls into a nuclear winter. Anchored by Denzel Washington as the titular character, The Book of Eli is dark and demented at times yet undoubtedly fun throughout, especially once the largely obvious twist is revealed. Before he claimed a wealth of Oscar gold with Parasite, director Bong Joon-ho crafted this truly riveting action epic that takes place on a train that hosts the last vestiges of mankind and the class revolution that violently spreads from car to car. Starring Chris Evans in a role I’m sure must have pleased the Marvel brass, Snowpiercer shares a similar tone and visual scheme to The Last of Us while the film’s innovative set pieces keep a tight grip on the audience. Adapted from Richard Matheson’s seminal novel, I Am Legend follows the last living human in New York who hopes to develop a cure to a virus that has turned most of humanity into aggressive nocturnal mutants. Perhaps the most successful post-apocalyptic thriller of all time, earning more than three times its $150 million budget worldwide, the journey of Will Smith’s Robert Neville will absolutely ring familiar for fans of The Last of Us, even if it may be more sanitized for a PG-13 rating. A bloody and somewhat bizarre hybrid of action and horror, The Domestics takes place in an America divided into gang warfare following a chemical weapons attack on the populace and a nearly estranged couple that must navigate through a terrifying new reality. It may not be the most subtle and original take on the genre, pulling much inspiration from the likes of The Purge and Mad Max, but there’s a free-for-all element of The Domestics that feels oddly akin to the atmosphere of The Last of Us. A groundbreaking zombie film from celebrated filmmaker Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland, 28 Days Later follows a young man who wakes from a coma to discover a “rage virus” ravaged society, putting him on a path of desperation and survival alongside a ragtag group of like-minded individuals. Garnering more than 10 times its budget, 28 Days Later essentially relaunched and redefined the genre in the early ‘00s, directly inspiring the subsequent Dawn of the Dead remake and popularizing the depiction of the “fast zombie.” A post-apocalyptic thriller that trades bleak survivalism for tangible paranoia, 10 Cloverfield Lane follows a young woman on the run from a bad relationship who wakes up from a car accident in a bunker with a strange man claiming there has been an alien invasion on the surface. Putting Prey director Dan Trachtenberg on the map, 10 Cloverfield Lane offers top-tier performances, brilliant limited-location storytelling, and stylistic flourishes that make it stand out among its peers. A sprawling spectacle that brought Zack Snyder back to the world of the undead after 15 years, Army of the Dead follows a group of mercenaries hired to recover $200 million from a casino in zombie-infested Las Vegas while a family issue raises the stakes for the team’s leader. Bringing in sentient and uber-powerful zombies into the equation, the carnage and outstanding digital effects are sure to grab the attention of fans of The Last of Us. A divisive post-apocalyptic thriller from the director of Krisha, It Comes at Night follows a reclusive and paranoid family in a remote cabin during a deadly viral outbreak who reluctantly allow a desperate family into their home. Though It Comes at Night isn’t the most exciting or even scary film in the genre, it does explore the disquieting moments and questions that one often does not consider about an end-of-the-world scenario, including the invisible threats within your own home. Doing for the vampire genre what The Walking Dead did for the zombie genre, Stake Land also has the older mentor/young companion dynamic of The Last of Us with a similar bleakness and shock factor. Moreover, Stake Land is bolstered by astounding cinematography, inspired direction, and extraordinary performances, especially by the dynamic duo of Connor Paolo and Nick Damici. In many ways, one could say that A Quiet Place could have been inspired by The Last of Us, at least in terms of visual aesthetic, but the film’s inventive sci-fi/horror concept and presentation was a massive hit at the box office, especially for an original property. As such, A Quiet Place has become an unlikely franchise for Paramount Pictures, ensuring new entries to hit in the coming years, which should be interesting to see how it plays against future seasons and games in The Last of Us franchise. One of the first major post-apocalyptic survival stories to hit the big screen, this adaptation of Harlan Ellison’s 1969 novella follows a teenage boy (played by a young Don Johnson) who attempts to survive in a post-apocalyptic wasteland alongside his telepathic dog. An eccentric and often humorous take on the post-apocalyptic thriller, this cult classic is also renowned for having inspired the Fallout game series. A slow-burn, introspective take on the zombie apocalypse film, The Battery was the directorial debut of visionary genre director Jeremy Gardner, who co-stars as one of two young men who find themselves as unlikely companions searching for any salvation from their dangerous, nomadic lifestyle. The Battery may test your patience at times, but for those who were drawn in by the kinship between Ellie and Joel in such dire straits, you may see many of the same emotional hallmarks between the central characters of this indie darling. Three SoCal teenagers take on zombies, ruthless raiders, and mad scientists in this ‘80s post-apocalyptic cult classic. Though it may be more colorful and less gruesome than other films on this list, Night of the Comet is a hell of a good time, and its focus on the sisterhood between the leads within a post-apocalyptic urban landscape occasionally evokes some similar themes from The Last of Us. A critically acclaimed road thriller that has largely flown under the radar, Carriers is a post-apocalyptic horror thriller that follows a pair of brothers and their two friends who struggle to abide by strict survival rules while traveling to a childhood vacation home during a world-ravaging viral outbreak. Bleak and intense, this film doesn’t rewrite the rulebook of post-apocalyptic thrillers but is frequently engaging and accentuates the predictable action with exceptional performances. A three-headed post-apocalyptic anthology film, The Signal follows two lovers who must reunite after society falls apart upon the broadcast of a mysterious signal that turns people into murderous and delusional maniacs. Anchored by a unique visual style and the unusual yet effective balance of tones between each segment, The Signal is one of the most impressive low-budget apocalypse thrillers and helped launch the careers of both director David Bruckner (The Ritual, The Night House) and AJ Bowen (You’re Next, The House of the Devil). From the director of the disturbing thriller masterpiece Compliance, Z for Zachariah is adapted from the book by Robert C. O’Brien, which surrounds a young apocalypse survivor (Margot Robbie) who finds herself in a tense and volatile love triangle between a science-minded engineer (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and a spiritually devout stranger (Chris Pine). A three-person slow-burn drama, the film mines its tension not from outside forces but rather the developing animosity between the suitors and the inherent distrust among one another. The fifth highest-grossing film of all time in its native country of China, The Wandering Earth follows a future in which mankind has gone underground after the dying Sun forces the entirety of Earth to migrate the planet outside of the solar system. When a freak accident puts the Earth on a collision course with another planet, a team (which, incidentally, includes an estranged father and son) is assembled for an emergency mission that would restart a failing engine. With state-of-the-art special effects and an imaginative, ambitious narrative, The Wandering Earth is also surprisingly emotional at times, even in spite of the spectacle on display.
