So how many times has the earth been destroyed?

[divemaster]

...in movies, that is. I was thinking about Dr. Strangelove and tried to think of other movies that ended in a similar manner.

Would 12 Monkeys fit the bill? I saw it once and don't remember much of it, but it seems to me the ending implied that, well, a chain of events was set in motion that would wipe out the earth.

Now, I'm not talking about post-apocalyptic or sci-fi movies where the "earth was destroyed" and we're picking up the pieces; but real honest-to-God, no-happy-ending, the-world-is-toast, so-don't-have-a-nice-day movie.

[Ranchoth]

<<Now, I'm not talking about post-apocalyptic or sci-fi movies where the "earth was destroyed" and we're picking up the pieces; but real honest-to-God, no-happy-ending, the-world-is-toast, so-don't-have-a-nice-day movie.>>

Well, I don't know if this counts, but **slight spoiler space**




...In "Beneath the Planet of the Apes", the already post simian-apocalypse Earth gets blown up, or at least char-broiled. I mean, talk about your bad luck...



Nick Gaston

[More Cowbell]

Does the Orson Wells narrated movie "The Man Who Saw Tomorrow" count?

[Little Nemo]

Kim Newman did an entire book on Armageddon Movies.

[Fern Forest]

Last Night The world ends. Maybe the entire universe, it's never explained.

[Gozu Tashoya]

Let's not forget the infernally bad Titan A.E. where the earth got blown up in the first 15 minutes or so.

[casdave]

Not a film, but a series made for TV from the book, Hithchikers Guide to the Galaxy

[Revedge]

"Miracle Mile"
"On the Beach"

[Miller]

Both Titan, AE and Hitchhikers deal with the aftermath of the end of the world, not the end of the world itself. I think what the OP wants here are movies with the ultimate bummer ending. You know, everyone dies, and I mean everyone.

Terminator might count, since the movie ends with the main character preparing for an inevitable nuclear holocaust. Of course, in the sequel, she totally evits WWIII, which might disqualify the first film.

[Speaker for the Dead]

Originally posted by casdave
Not a film, but a series made for TV from the book, Hithchikers Guide to the Galaxy

Several times, in fact!

*Spoiler*

*        *
**      **
***    ***
****  ****
**********
****  ****
***    ***
**      **
*        *

But only once did the cast die

[arara123]

Has anyone seen Dead or Alive by Takashi Miike .

FANTASTIC film.

In the end

Spoiler...


















everyone/everything in the universe gets blown up.

[bafaa]

Originally posted by divemaster
...in movies, that is. I was thinking about Dr. Strangelove and tried to think of other movies that ended in a similar manner.

Would 12 Monkeys fit the bill? I saw it once and don't remember much of it, but it seems to me the ending implied that, well, a chain of events was set in motion that would wipe out the earth.

Now, I'm not talking about post-apocalyptic or sci-fi movies where the "earth was destroyed" and we're picking up the pieces; but real honest-to-God, no-happy-ending, the-world-is-toast, so-don't-have-a-nice-day movie.

I don't think 12 Monkeys fits the bill. It is about scientists from the future sending Bruce Willis back in time to our present to try to get a sample of the virus that killed off most of the population so they can create a cure to protect what's left of mankind. The end seems to imply (to me anyway) that they got that sample and will therefore be able to create a cure and save the future (their present). Hell, some people might even say it's a happy ending since they did get the sample. Of course that is open to interpretation but at the very least you have to admit that since Bruce Willis was sent back in time that the world didn't actually end or there wouldn't be anyone to send him back in the first place. Makes perfect sense doesn't it?

[Sofa King]

When Worlds Collide, of course.

[divemaster]

Yeah, that whole 12 Monkeys thing is faint in my mind. I just recall an impression that whatever the mission was to "save" the earth from the virus failed.

I had forgotton about On the Beach. That certainly fits the bill. I read the book, but didn't even think about it as a movie.

[detop]

The Day the Earth Caught Fire, depending on the viewers mood regarding the ending (didn't want to put spoilers ).

[Bossk]

Does it have to be Earth?

Basketball was a peaceful planet. They had no weapons.

[Gozu Tashoya]

Originally posted by Miller
Both Titan, AE and Hitchhikers deal with the aftermath of the end of the world, not the end of the world itself. I think what the OP wants here are movies with the ultimate bummer ending. You know, everyone dies, and I mean everyone.

Ah, my apologies.

In place of Titan A.E. I submit the original (alternate?) ending to Army of Darkness and the rather obscure Japanese mafia vs. zombie movie Versus.

[kingpengvin]

The Day After... (Scared the hell out of me when it was first broadcast) You knew no one was going to survive.

[kingpengvin]

Originally posted by bafaa
I don't think 12 Monkeys fits the bill. It is about scientists from the future sending Bruce Willis back in time to our present to try to get a sample of the virus that killed off most of the population so they can create a cure to protect what's left of mankind. The end seems to imply (to me anyway) that they got that sample and will therefore be able to create a cure and save the future (their present). Hell, some people might even say it's a happy ending since they did get the sample. Of course that is open to interpretation but at the very least you have to admit that since Bruce Willis was sent back in time that the world didn't actually end or there wouldn't be anyone to send him back in the first place. Makes perfect sense doesn't it? [/b]

Sorry but had to come back to this...
That is not what I saw in the ending. The scientists never intended to find a cure. They made sure everything happened the way it was supposed to. That is why she claims her job was in "Insurance". As in ensuring that everything carries on as they should.

Don't forget as Scientists they run the world so they wanted to maintain power. I saw the ending as Bleak. They knew what was to happen to Cole (Bruce Willis) and let it.

[RealityChuck]

Basketball was a peaceful planet. They had no weapons.

Haven't heard that in awhile. Not since I kissed three bucks goodbye.

kingpengvin, I agree. There was never any reason to believe the scientists were good guys (and plenty of signs that they were corrupt). The happy interpretation is the triumph of pure optimism over what actually appeared on the screen.

[Finagle]

12 Monkeys interpretations. The scientists never intended to find a cure, they wanted to maintain the status quo? That makes no sense. Why send anyone back in time at all if you wanted to maintain the status quo?


When Worlds Collide is a pretty classic, Earth-is-Toast movie.

[kingpengvin]

Ok this is strange which is why I liked the movie in the first place so bear with me

They sent out the criminals to show they are doing something (excursions to the outside the time travelling)
to warrent everyone living under their rules.

In the case of Cole they sent him out because he was integral for the events to take place. they needed him to actually create the disater which they have benifited from.

In time travel the folks sending people back have the advantage of being privy to a lot of information each time they send someone back. The person the sent lives through the situation in real time but it automatically history to those in the future.

Chances are they already knew Cole's fate before they even sent him out because they had all of his transmissions sent in the past before they sent him. (UGGGH Time travel is one of those headache inducing things)

Also the theme of the Film seems to show the inevitability of fate as well. Cole as a child sees himself being killed as an Adult as he had in the past. The 12 monkeys group end up carrying out their plan because a) Cole met Goines (Brad Pitt) and gave him the idea and B) Cole's unexpected attack pushed their plans up.
Cole also created the situation in which the Goines Sr. was to destroy the virus which pushed up the plans of the guy who actually did steal and use the virus.

For all of these things to happen Cole had to be there. Do you really think that he accidentally showed up years too soon or in WWI? He had to meet both Goines and Dr Railey (Madeleine Stowe) so that she could lead him to the 12 monkeys, and Goine's father the to his fate.

Now my head hurts as it did when I first thought about the ending. The tip off that finally clued me to how nasty these Scientist folks were was the "Insurance" line.

[bafaa]

kingpengvin, I think you give the scientists too much credit for knowing what is going on. During the movie they grill Cole for info on what he saw. Why do that if they already know everything? Just for appearances?

I never considered the scientists evil just indifferent to Cole's and everyone else's suffering. They see what must be done to keep civilization alive and do it regardless of the consequences. Resources such as living space and food are in limited supply underground. That's why people live in cages. Sucks? Yeah, but it's better than being dead. This is why they are looking for a cure. So they can defeat the virus and allow people to go back to the surface. Even if you believe that they don't want to save the people they would want the cure for themselves so they can go up top every once in a while and get some fresh air.

You seem to believe (as do I) that the scientist at the end on the plane is from the future right? Well, what is she doing there? What does the insurance line mean? Do you think she is there to insure the virus is spread? If the scientists already know everything then they would know that the virus was spread when the vial was examined when David Morse was checking in. No need for her to be on the plane then is there? In fact, getting on the plane next to David Morse actually insures that SHE is now infected with the virus doesn't it? Why would she do that? IMO by getting infected she now carries a sample of the virus in her blood. This is what they need to find a cure in the future. Now when she returns to the future they can create a cure and go back to living on the surface.

Hope all that made sense.
This is what is so great and also tiresome about the movie. Who's interpretation is right? MINE IS!!
Seriously, we may have to agree to disagree.

[divemaster]

The 12 Monkeys "hijack" (I don't think it really qualifies as a hijack, given the wording of the OP), is fascinating. Now I'll have to see the movie again!

[Banjo Billy]

Testament, where it's possible that there might be survivors but it's implied that there won't be any.
Phase IV. A human vs. ants movie where the ants win.
And if I remember correctly (it's been over a decade since I've seen it), I believe that Starship Invasions ends with the Earth blowing up.

[Little Nemo]

I dug out my copy of Apocalypse Movies (literally; I have no idea what the hell is was doing under my bed) and from this source, a partial list:

Fin du Monde (1930)
Things to Come (1936)
Five (1951)
When Worlds Collide (1951)
Invasion USA (1952)
Robot Monster (1953)
War of the Worlds (1953)
The Day the World Ended (1956)
Invisible Invaders (1959)
On the Beach (1959)
The World, the Flesh, and the Devil (1959)
Beyond the Time Barrier (1960)
The Last Woman on Earth (1960)
The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1962)
Panic in Year Zero (1962)
Dr Strangelove (1964)
The Earth Dies Screaming (1964)
The War Game (1966)
The Bed Siting Room (1969)
Glen and Randa (1971)
The Omega Man (1971)
Chosen Survivors (1974)
Zardoz (1974)
Where Have All the People Gone? (1974)
A Boy and his Dog (1975)
Logan's Run (1975)
Damnation Alley (1977)
End of the World (1977)
Cafe Flesh (1981)
The Day After (1983)
Le Dernier Combat (1984)
Threads (1984)
Z for Zachariah (1984)
Radioactive Dreams (1986)
When the Wind Blows 91986)
Waterworld (1995)
Independence Day (1996)
Deep Impact (1998)

[furryman]

I don't think Phase IV counts because the ending implies that the humans can learn to cooperate with the new ant super-species.
There was a obscure British science fiction film about humanities survival after a nucular war called "Threads". The ending implied that eventually everyone would die fron radiation aftereffects like in "On the Beach".