Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi backdrop

Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi movies

After collapse: scarcity, rebuilt rules, hostile environments, and survival in the ruins of society.

Resident Evil: Retribution

1. Resident Evil: Retribution

Action Horror Science Fiction Epic Action Zombie Horror
5.3
20121h 35min

Overview

The Umbrella Corporation’s deadly T-virus continues to ravage the Earth, transforming the global population into legions of the flesh eating Undead. The human race’s last and only hope, Alice, awakens in the heart of Umbrella’s most clandestine operations facility and unveils more of her mysterious past as she delves further into the complex. Without a safe haven, Alice continues to hunt those responsible for the outbreak; a chase that takes her from Tokyo to New York, Washington, D.C. and Moscow, culminating in a mind-blowing revelation that will force her to rethink everything that she once thought to be true. Aided by new found allies and familiar friends, Alice must fight to survive long enough to escape a hostile world on the brink of oblivion. The countdown has begun.

Themes

Deception and manipulation, Corporate conspiracy, Survival under outbreak, Biotechnological threat to humanity, Clone ethics and autonomy, Mind control tension

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Overview

Survivors of a nuclear attack are grouped together for days in the basement of their apartment building, where fear and dwindling supplies wear away at their dynamic.

Themes

Deception and disguise, Survival under pressure, Authority versus rebellion, Resource competition, Confined group dynamics, Fear-driven violence

Available on

Amazon Video
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Book of Eli

3. The Book of Eli

Action Thriller Science Fiction One-Person Army Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi
6.8
20101h 58min

Overview

A post-apocalyptic tale, in which a lone man fights his way across America in order to protect a sacred book that holds the secrets to saving humankind.

Themes

Loyalty under pressure, Survival under tyranny, Preservation of knowledge, Guidance and destiny, Faith versus control, Culture under threat

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

9

4. 9

Action Adventure Animation Science Fiction Thriller
7.0
20091h 19min

Overview

When 9 awakens in a dead world, he uncovers a talisman tying him to the war machine that erased humanity. By unlocking its secret, he exposes the last survivors—and himself—to a ruthless mechanical hunt that will not stop until every stitch of their stolen souls is reclaimed.

Themes

Friendship under pressure, Authority vs dissent, Post-apocalyptic future, Man vs machine, Rag doll resilience, Hope amid ruins

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

28 Weeks Later

5. 28 Weeks Later

Horror Thriller Science Fiction Zombie Horror Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi
6.8
20071h 40min

Overview

Twenty-eight weeks after the spread of a deadly rage virus, the inhabitants of the British Isles have lost their battle against the onslaught, as the virus has killed everyone there. Six months later, a group of Americans dare to set foot on the Isles, convinced the danger has passed. But it soon becomes all too clear that the scourge continues to live, waiting to pounce on its next victims.

Themes

Deception and betrayal, Loyalty under pressure, Survival under siege, Ethical quarantine dilemmas, Outbreak management, Chaos and moral breakdown

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Hulu
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Land of the Dead

6. Land of the Dead

Horror Science Fiction Thriller Zombie Horror Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi
6.2
20051h 33min

Overview

The living dead have taken over the world, and the remaining humans live in a walled city to protect themselves as they cope with the situation.

Themes

Class inequality, Resource scarcity, Sanctuary politics, Feudal governance, Betrayal during crisis, Survivor coalition

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Resident Evil: Apocalypse

7. Resident Evil: Apocalypse

Horror Action Science Fiction Zombie Horror Epic Action
6.1
20041h 34min

Overview

As the city is locked down under quarantine, Alice finds out that the people that died from the previous incident at the Umbrella Corporation have turned into zombies. She then joins a small band of elite soldiers, who are enlisted to rescue the missing daughter of the creator of the mutating T-virus. Once lack of luck and resources happen, they begin to wage an exhilarating battle to survive and escape before the Umbrella Corporation erases its experiment from the face of the earth.

Themes

Control through fear, Corporate malfeasance and secrecy, Ethics of experimentation, Survival under quarantine, Trust under conspiracy, Resilience amid crisis

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Day After Tomorrow

8. The Day After Tomorrow

Science Fiction Thriller Adventure Survival Adventure Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi
6.5
20042h 3min

Overview

After paleoclimatologist Jack Hall is largely ignored by UN officials when presenting his environmental concerns about the beginning of a new Ice Age, his research proves true when a superstorm develops, setting off catastrophic natural disasters throughout the world. Trying to get to his son, Sam, who is trapped in New York City with his friend Laura and others, Jack and his crew must travel to get to Sam before it's too late.

Themes

Evacuation ethics, Resilience in disaster, Leadership under uncertainty, Interdependence of communities, Climate crisis response, Scientific authority vs politics

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
fuboTV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

28 Days Later

9. 28 Days Later

Horror Thriller Science Fiction Zombie Horror Survival Thriller
7.5
20021h 53min

Overview

Twenty-eight days after a killer virus was accidentally unleashed from a British research facility, a small group of London survivors are caught in a desperate struggle to protect themselves from the infected. Carried by animals and humans, the virus turns those it infects into homicidal maniacs -- and it's absolutely impossible to contain.

Themes

Survival under infection, Deceptive leadership, Illusion of sanctuary, Isolation and vulnerability, Military coercion, Exploitation under crisis

Available on

Netflix
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.