We are becoming more aware every day of how serious the Covid19 pandemic is and the countless lives it’s affecting. Though we all deal with the tragedy around us in different ways, I’ve always found movies an escape to view my world through stories. With that in mind we put together some of the best stories about outbreaks. Some offer escape, some will hit close to home, but hopefully all of them will allow us time to cope with what’s going on around us as we continue to figure out the new normal.
Andromeda Strain is a fantastic science fiction thriller that still holds up well today. We follow scientists as they race to identify and combat an extraterrestrial virus after it wipes out a small town in New Mexico. From the eeriness of exploring the town in search of survivors to the journey through the underground research facility, this film never lets up on the suspense and mystery. This is the first film based on the work of Michael Crichton (Jurassic Park) and is definitely a flick you should catch. (Evan Lucken)
This is a rather controversial pick, but I really enjoyed World War Z. This film famously had one of the worst productions in history with constant delays, re-writes, and reshoots. However this is often the movie I turn to when people say all re-shoots are bad because given the hellish production this movie faced, they were able to construct an extremely enjoyable and entertaining zombie flick carried by the warm body of Oscar Winner Brad Pitt. This film stars the aforementioned Brad Pitt as Gerry Lane, a former investigator for the UN, whose world is turned upside down when a zombie outbreak occurs and is threatening to take down humanity as we know it. In exchange for his family’s safety, Gerry Lane is tasked to find the cure in the zombie body stack. If you’ve read the book—high recommend—this depiction is vastly different, but I nevertheless enjoyed this very tense and surprisingly well crafted film. Give the movie a watch and the book a read! (Ben Davis)
Who says you need a pandemic disease to cause mass hysteria and fear? Philip Kaufman’s famous remake says all you need is some good old pod people! This 70’s flick beefs up the effects and the scares from the 50’s original which felt more like a tension filled sprint. The 70’s were a time of sci-fi experimenting where newer and more realistic effects could bring creatures into a new era of cinema. A stacked cast featuring the likes of Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Leonard Nimoy, Jeff Goldblum, and Veronica Cartwright bring strong performances to match the fear from the creature effects. The tension is strong and the burn is slow but it is so worth the payoff when the mystery comes to light. Frightening images like a human face on a dog, silky aliens emerging from pods, and creepy shrieks fill the film with its sci-fi thrills. The scariest aspect of this creature feature is similar to a lot of great films of this genre. That would be the paranoia that seeps through every scene. Similar to The Thing, you never know who is an alien or not and that is the most terrifying thing about it. (Shane Conto)
A zombie virus has taken over the world and turned almost everybody into a monster. Those who are still normal, have remained human by consistently being on the run. This story revolves around four people as they travel across the United States together looking for a place that has not been infected. Along the way you will witness a lot of humor, blood, and several survival tips. The survivors are played by Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin who are all game and take this movie to the next level. Bill Murray gives an amazing cameo as well. The true star of this movie is the chemistry between the cast as they play off each other brilliantly while forming a family on screen. In the end, they must decide whether they want to put past tragedies aside to help each other survive or continue attempting to make it alone. (Kaleb Wolters)
Drunk Frank is back people! Some could say I Am Legend! I love this movie, but as the next few weeks of real life go on I think I might start loving it less. This film gives as a realistic look at a man being the only one left alive in New York City after a virus wipes everyone out because they couldn’t respect social distancing. The movie opens up with standard news footage fare and then jumps 3 years with Will Smith running around with a gun, hunting just trying to survive. It’s hard to survive in a world with creatures that are the offspring of a werewolf/zombie love affair. Anyway, movie is Smith showing how well he’s able to prep for the end of days with his trusted dog Sam. A man in the end of the world with an adorable dog! What could go wrong? (Frank Kemp)
What can be scarier than a vastly and quickly spreading virus? One that turns you into a flesh-eating zombie, that’s what! Danny Boyle gave us a great zombie film at a point when the market was filled with zombie fever. Boyle has a wide variety of films that he has in filmography such as films centered on addiction, traveling through space, and an Indian boy on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. With 28 Days Later, Boyle gives a gritty and affecting look into a world covered in paranoia and fear. Cillian Murphy wakes from a surgery to find the world empty. The shots of him in the empty streets of London are shocking and evocative. The eeriness of that scene is haunting in its simplicity. Then there are scenes of raging and running zombies who are infected by a terrible pandemic. These zombies are terribly frightening. Boyle creates great tension in every scene and even scenes of great emotion. In the end, we find out humanity is the real evil instead of this virus (An idea we are seeing now as people raid the grocery stores leaving others high and dry). (Shane Conto)
We’ve been through hell together! We spent four years, FOUR YEARS fighting that virus, and then another four fighting each other! It was chaos… But you all know what we’re up against. And I want you to know, it’s not just about power. It’s about giving us the hope to rebuild, to reclaim the world we lost! It’s time for Aaron to gush on his favorite movie trilogy of all time now. This trilogy is kind of amazing because of the environment they are set in. Each film has its own unique context that you get wrapped up in and get to experience our beloved characters in. In Rise, you deal with a normal America, but at the end, a virus is unleashed on the earth that is starting to wipe out the country’s population. In War, there are very few humans left and there are new illnesses being contracted. Dawn is that sweet spot that deals with the virus in a stage where humans have figured out how to isolate themselves from contracting it, set up their own civilizations, but also face the same problems that leadership faces. What is so compelling about these movies are that the apes are the protagonists and we as humans are antagonists. We want to root against the humans because we know how bad they are and the worst part is we see so much of ourselves in them. And, maybe that’s why we don’t want them to succeed…(Aaron Schweitzer)
Before there was Parasite, and the general population started to finally turn their heads towards World cinema, there was a small science fiction film that sparked the interest of quite a few in movie-watching circles. That film was Train to Busan. From the outset it might appear like your average zombie movie: quick infection spread, people panicking, making dumb decisions, and fear of the unknown (huh why does that seem relevant now?), but this one has so much more to offer. Following our protagonist, Seok Woo (played by Korean leading Man, Yoo Gong) as he fights to protect his daughter on a moving train in the middle of a zombie-like virus outbreak, it’s as thrilling as a movie can get. The fact that 90% of the movie is limited to the confined space of a moving train, makes the entire enterprise that much more exciting. As you experience the development of this infection, and get to know our characters, you feel that you’re with them every step of the way, while also thinking about what you would do in this situation. With almost nowhere to run or hide, it’s an onslaught of terror and adrenaline that does not let up for even half a moment. Whether you’re in the mood for some ‘brainless’ apocalypse fun, or for something evoking, touching and almost a little too relevant to the current climate, then this is the watch for you! (Alice-Ginevra Micheli)
Shaun of the Dead is definitely a cult classic and a definite nod to all the old school zombie films we grew up on and love. It’s a typical day in Shaun’s world and his mission is to get a cake while zombies are rising with the mission to take brains. So I guess you can say it’s a zombie rom-com? Or maybe just a zombie movie with some romance in between the blood and jokes. Either way, it’s a wild, weird ride from the start. The film is filled with over the top gags, gut-busting laughs, and some bloody good fun. It’s one of my favorite films and definitely one I know word for word. It was the film to make Simon Pegg and Nick Frost household names. Their chemistry as best friends is what makes this zanny tone work. Pegg and Frost actually did a PSA about COVID-19 by recreating one of the funniest scenes in the film. If all the madness in the real world has you in the mood for something apocalyptic with a fun twist, this is the movie for you. (Chantal Ashford)
Alfonso Cuaron wrote and directed the modern masterpiece entitled Children of Men. The film is about an unlikely hero in a very uncertain time. The year is 2027 in a world where women have become infertile, and former activist Theo Faron witnesses a miracle that he can’t turn his back on. He must protect this miracle no matter what the cost, even his life. To say Children of Men is well directed is an understatement, Cuaron shows in this film that he is a master in his field. With staging and directing actors, Alfonso is in a very exclusive group of masterclass directors. In addition to having a wonderful visual style, the performers in this film bring weight to the subject material. Clive Owen gives a career best performance as the title character, Theo Faron. His character initially is very cynical and indifferent to the world due to the untimely death of his son. To say that he is a broken person at the start of the film wouldn’t do it justice. It takes him witnessing a modern miracle of his age to break him out of his cloudy, nihilistic ways. Clive Owen does an amazing job with this complicated man who is struggling to deal with his feelings and having to dig deep to find the person he once was. Clare-Hope Ashitey as Kee does a great job of being combative but highly likeable. The role itself can be played many different ways, but she managed to make the best choices to fit the film. Her interactions with Clive Owen are always entertaining and even touching in other moments. Children of Men is a genre bending film that knows how to push your buttons throughout it’s runtime. It is a film that is insanely balanced and is a drama/thriller that is gripping down to the last scene. (Joseph Vargas)
Honorable Mentions:
Daybreakers
“Daybreakers” occupied a specific place in my heart. Prior to “Rise of Skywalker”, this was the movie I would always point to as the biggest letdown for me, from trailer to actual movie. The trailer, backed by a hauntingly emo cover of “Running Up That Hill” by Placebo, is still one of my favorites. The cast was solid, the production design looked promising and visuals were initially appealing. So what happened?? The best way I can sum up “Daybreakers” is this: “Here’s what it looks like to have a great concept, but ignore things like writing, dialogue, continuity and plot holes. There is still great terror here though as starving, feral vampires are absolutely terrifying. Forget a couple of holes in the neck, these things rip out jugulars like starving lions. Daybreakers also has to have one of the best lobby massacre scenes ever put to film, right up there with “The Matrix” and “The Cabin in the Woods”. It might be worth a watch just for that one scene… maybe. (Donald Skidmore)
Also see:
Dawn of the Dead, Outbreak, Blindness, The Bay, Carriers, The Last Days, Warm Bodies, Contagion, 12 Monkeys, It Comes at Night