Top five end of the worlds
April 25th, 2008
Is it morbid to delight in watching the Earth burn? I don’t know, I do know however that it is Friday (in Australia) and that means that it is time for the Friday top five time.
Today we have the ‘it’s the end of the world’ top five:
- ID4: Independence Day - Oh the complaints and the criticism that is directed at this film. From computer inaccuracies to the over abundance of America is cool’isms. I’m pretty certain that I’ve heard them all and you know what? I don’t care, this is an awesome ride of a film. Landmarks are destroyed, jet planes swarm and Data is a crazy scientist working in Area 51. I managed to see this on its opening night/morning (we caught the midnight premier) and it was a great experience with a bunch of people who were there to see a dumb popcorn film. I didn’t get to hear the end at the time because there was too much calling out and cheers when we got to see our very own Sydney Opera House with a downed mothership in the harbour.
- Armageddon - If ID4 is considered to be ‘often criticised’ then Armageddon is crucified! Oh and by the way I still don’t care LOL. Big freaking badass space shuttles, that’s what we’re talking about here. At any rate if you want someone to blow something up you go get Bruce Willis or Jack Bauer and since JB wasn’t invented then you go with BW. Another couple of wonderful landmark destruction sequences and what an awesome soundtrack.
- Mars Attacks - It’s not unusual to be loved by anyone. Essentially this film should have been called Tom Jones saves the world. It would be an inaccurate title but I still would have appreciated it. Any film that ends with Tom Jones emerging from a cave and declaring in one voice that it’s not unusual… is just plain brilliant and funny. This is a very uneven film but it has an amazing cast and some great visuals so it makes the list.
- Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea - OK this one is my wild card, it’s here because I dig submarines, big science fiction’y submarines and this one is pretty big, pretty cool and went on to be a standard of my childhood with its TV series later on. It’s a giant film for its time, directed by Irwin Allen and features Barbara Eden and Frankie Avalon as well as one of my favourite actors of the time Peter Lorre. It does feature a wonderful threat to the Earth, pesky meteors have slammed into the Van Allen Radiation belt and caused it to catch fire and this is heating up the Earth. Awesome.
- The Core - I have a love hate relationship with the Core, I love to hate it and it is so bloody awful it’s hilarious. When I grow up I want to be a terranaut. There’s very little in this film that’s plausible which is of course not the reason to watch a disaster film but really guys!? Earth core stops? I’m giggling just thinking about it and will probably watch it again this weekend whilst eating cheetos! Just keep reminding yourself that Hilary Swank is an Academy Award winner.
All I am grateful for this week is that Groundhog Day is not a film that features the almost destruction of the Earth unless you count the space time continuum… no it’s not on the list. I don’t want to hear about Deep Impact either, don’t even bother because you won’t convince me. There are reasons behind this that I’m sure if you did a search of the site you would find yourself but for marital harmony I refuse to bring it up.
The Day After Tomorrow certainly nearly made the list, as did War of the Worlds (original not the disaster of a film) and I haven’t watched Sunshine yet.
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Categories: Top five | Tags: armageddon, id4 independence day, Jack Bauer, mars attacks, The Core, tom jones, voyage to the bottom of the sea
Hmmm… shouldn’t that be “Top Five Ends of the World”?
Anyway… Deep Impact.
I’m pleasantly surprised to see The Core on there. Cheesily excellent.
I’m depressed, but not the least bit surprised, to see Armaggedon on the list.
You know, it’s possible to make an argument to include The Abyss on that list. There is no destruction, really, but it is, in the end, about avoiding that destruction at the hands of the aliens. If you go for that argument, I’d put that one on easily.
Jeff’s last blog post..Hitman Monkey
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There are things I love about Independence Day (the “shooting that green sh**” line, and some of the Smith/Goldblum banter near the end, for example) but I have to say (and it may well just be me) I never feel as awestruck as I feel I should when the big ships turn up, Childhood’s End-style… In fact, I thought the opening episode of “V” caught that way better somehow with smaller spaceships and a smaller budget
(though I particularly love the reference to the 1953 Pal/Haskin War of the Worlds, with the broken streetlight appearing in the post-Atomic mist)
John’s last blog post..Not that kind of Angel
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Oh yeah, and I had a model of the Seaview as a kid that I adored - the coolest submarine ever
John’s last blog post..Not that kind of Angel
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Are you talking about the Independance day with Will Smith (what’s with the ID4), I loved that one. Armageddon was a romantic feel good film and I liked it. Mars attacks is just plain funny.
I don’t know nrs 4 & 5 (although I mÃght have seen the core).
Deep Impact was …hmm well entertainable, but wouldn’t have made my top 5 either..
Arjan’s last blog post..Not an OST not a review
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I watch the Core every time it is on… I still can’t believe they were able to get so many good actors for that movie.
MC’s last blog post..Top 10: My Favorite South Park Episodes
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What’s that australian film where everyone on earth dies suddenly except anyone who was in the process of dying.
I pick that one.
and day of the triffids is good, but i’ve only read the book so can’t comment on the film.
Oh, and When the wind blows
Dan’s last blog post..New arrivals
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Haven’t seen 4 or 5.
I found the other three really funny !!!!
Widdle Shamrock’s last blog post..Hot Hunk Thursday
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Jeff - no I’m using the term “end of the world” and forcing the overall term into plural so it probably should be ‘end of the world’s.
Bloody Deep Impact - I send one space shuttle and dig holes in the ground = lame.
I guess the only reason why I would give Abyss the miss (hey that rhymes) is that they don’t know that the world is at an end.
Because you could also include Terminator and stuff - props to The Abyss though anyway.
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John - it’s interesting that you bring that up because I meant to actually write about that aspect. I managed to see ID4 a couple of times in the cinema and every time I did there were at least some young (very young) kids in there.
The thing was they weren’t frightened in the scenes at Area 51 with the alien etc but they burst into tears and howled during the scenes when the ships were first coming over the cities, specifically the shadow casting.
I always wondered if this is a genetic thing like ducklings have when a shadow falls over them they run because a predator would cast a shadow.
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Arjan - ID4 is the alternative name for Independence Day - it appears on all the posters etc and some people use it just to differentiate from the holiday.
You’d remember the Core if you’d seen it lol.
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MC - I bought the DVD lol but will get stuck watching it on TV whenever it is on. The Day After Tomorrow is a little like that for me too.
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Dan - I have no idea what film you’re talking about! I’m concerned about this. The only even vaguely close film I can think of is On the Beach but it’s not exactly how you describe it.
Day of the Triffids is awesome and I didn’t even think of it to be honest.
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Shamrock - You think the first three are funny then you gotta check out the Core!!
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sunshine was way over rated in my opinion.
swollenpickles’s last blog post..From Blue Harvest to Turkish Star Wars
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would dawn of the dead count??
swollenpickles’s last blog post..From Blue Harvest to Turkish Star Wars
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Swollenpickles - somehow I don’t think you’re alone in your opinion on Sunshine! I was thinking about the Dawn of the Dead/I am legend genre and I think I’m swaying more towards apocalypse films rather than end of the world.
I dunno it is a very grey area I suppose but then the list isn’t exactly scientific
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I’d have had The Day After Tomorrow instead of The Core, but I agree whole heartedly with your top 3!
And for people who love to pick at movies for inaccuracies and whatnot……… build a bridge people! It’s a movie for goodness sake not a documentary. Flights of fancy are allowed to be inaccurate. lol
Bettina’s last blog post..Lest We Forget
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You’re right. One mans apocalypse is another mans end of the world.
swollenpickles’s last blog post..From Blue Harvest to Turkish Star Wars
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The film was from new zealand rather than Australia (well, it’s all the same thing). And was called the quiet earth
Also, what about Shaun of the Dead?
Dan’s last blog post..New arrivals
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I love this type of movie… but I reckon I’d only pick Mars Attacks from your list. Day After Tomorrow would definitely be another - I know it’s incredibly dumb in places, but it’s one of those films I just can’t get enough of.
28 Days Later would also be on my list, along with a low budget Canadian film called Last Night which included David Cronenberg in the cast.
I need to go away and think what the final one would be…
Rol’s last blog post..Sepia
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Jeff - no I’m using the term “end of the world” and forcing the overall term into plural so it probably should be ‘end of the world’s.
Not to belabor the point, but it strikes me more as a “mother in law” to “mothers in law” rule at play here. The ‘end’ is what there are multiples of, not the ‘world.’ But I’ll try to stop picking that nit.
I’ll grant you the Abyss/Terminator argument.
I think the main reason I like Deep Impact (aside from Tea Leone) is the tidal wave scene. It’s got it’s problems, but I like that the dad just stands there on the beach and takes it. I got a real good sense of doom out of that scene. YMMV.
Jeff’s last blog post..Hitman Monkey
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Bettina - I don’t think I’ve seen The Day After Tomorrow enough to confirm if I really like it, I saw it once on DVD half-heartedly and some it on TV the other night.
I liked a lot of the sequences in it and good cast I just need a little more exposure to it.
I feel the same way about those who pick at these films - of course that doesn’t stop me from picking also, it just doesn’t ruin it for me.
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@ Swollenpickles LOL
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Rol - 28 days later intrigues me but we’ve already ruled against apocalypse films
Only Mars Attacks! though!?
No lovin for ID4????
Man that’s cold Rol.
It’s because of Tom Jones isn’t it? He’s ruined all other end of the world movies for you.
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Jeff - there is some reasoning in the butchering of the Queen’s English regarding using the term end of the world like it is a word in itself minus the hyphens however we at QYDJ do not endorse the abandonment of grammar and will point out that strictly your interpretation is correct. But it’s my blog and I’ll cry if I want to.
But to add insult to injury you dare justify Deep Impact here!?!?!
That is a cool scene though grrrrrr.
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Dan - dude you were totally in my spam trap!? And with your gravitar and stuff - there was your little face looking out at me amongst the scum and villainy of the spam trap.
Shaun of the Dead is an apocalypse film which we have covered off as not an end of the world film - it is a separate genre in this context.
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Dan - notice how I ignored your tactless jab at Australia/New Zealand. Maybe that’s why you were in the spam filter
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You might be right about Tom Jones…
ID4 I’ve not seen since it was out at the cinema. I enjoyed it, but never felt any desire to watch it again. I should probably give it another go, to re-evaluate it after all these years.
Rol’s last blog post..(Don’t) Walk This Way
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Rol - less than interesting fact about ID4 is that when it came out on video (those rectangle things that came out before DVDs) it wasn’t the complete film, there were two sequences that were cut by like five or ten seconds for some reason.
One of them was the scene where some military plane gets engulfed in the flames of the ships entry and it cut the sequences as the flames tear up the inside.
I can’t remember the second scene. I only knew this because for some reason I noticed the flame scene and then compared the later DVD.
Ummmmmm I have hobbies you know.
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