Fight Your Way To The Front

Starring: Chris Evans, Jamie Bell, Tilda Swinton, Ed Harris, Sang Kang-ho, John Hurt, Octavia Spencer, Ewen Bremner, Alison Pill

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ - good

"My friend, you suffer from the misplaced optimism of the doomed." - Mason

Why watch this? ... it's a creative, intense spin on a dystopian Earth in a frozen future.

Plot Summary: In a frozen post-apocalyptic world, the last remnants of humanity live aboard the Snowpiercer, a massive train perpetually circling the globe. Within the train, a rigid class system has emerged, with the impoverished lower classes relegated to the tail sections and the wealthy elite residing in the front. A group of tail section inhabitants, led by a determined revolutionary, decides to fight their way through the train's cars and overthrow the oppressive ruling class.

CJ Ent., Moho Film, Opus Pictures, Stillking Films;
Radius-TWC thru The Weinstein Co.

Don't settle. You don't have to. Even at the end of the world.

Starring: Dylan O'Brien, Jessica Henwick, Michael Rooker, Dan Ewing, Ariana Greenblatt, Hero and Dodge, Ellen Hollman, Tre Hale, Pacharo Mzembe, Senie Priti, Amali Golden, Te Kohe Tuhaka

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"I really didn't have your typical upbringing. I mean, I did at first and then the world ended." – Joel

Why watch this? It's a post-apocalyptic movie... with a great love story.

Plot Summary: Seven years after giant monsters take over the world, a timid young man named Joel lives in an underground bunker with other survivors. When he reconnects via radio with his high school girlfriend and discovers she is 85 miles away, he decides to embark on a perilous journey to be with her. Along the way, he must face his fears and learn how to survive on the monster-infested surface, with the help of a loyal dog and a pair of seasoned scavengers.
 

Dad's Preview: In a sea of recent CGI-effects laden films, I find it rare that one packs some real emotional punch. Here the effects never dominate the film. Its center is the story and down-to-earth characters - you might even say, "A boy and his dog." This action movie is refreshing, full of heart and creative. Our likeable yet flawed hero's journey, undertaken for love, is wrought with serious danger. Joel's success hinges on his ability to accept help and grow as a person. You can't ask for more than that. Even with some of the slimiest, creepiest creatures on film, it's still a family-friendly affair, with an emotional ending you might not see coming. I am surprised that no sequel is planned.

21 Laps Entertainment, eOne Films;
Paramount Pictures/Netflix

In a moment the world changed forever.

Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Robert Duvall, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, Molly Parker, Michael Kenneth Williams

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"Each day is more gray than the one before. It is cold and growing colder as the world slowly dies." - Man

Why watch this? To witness real courage in the face of an uncertain future.

Plot Summary: In a desolate, ash-covered post-apocalyptic world, a father and his young son embark on a grueling journey southward in search of a warmer climate and a more hospitable environment. Along their perilous path, they must scavenge for food, avoid dangerous encounters with other desperate survivors, including cannibalistic gangs, and grapple with the constant threat of starvation and despair. Despite the pervasive bleakness, the father strives to instill in his son a sense of hope and the importance of clinging to their humanity.

2929 Productions; Dimension Films

They're already here.

Starring: Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Miranda Otto, Tim Robbins, Justin Chatwin, Rick Gonzalez, Lenny Venito, Gene Barry, Yul Vazquez

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"This isn't a war any more than there is a war between men and maggots. This is an extermination." – Harlan Ogilvy

Why watch this? This remake is action-packed, terrifying... and visually jarring.

Plot Summary: Ray Ferrier, a divorced dockworker and estranged father, struggles to connect with his two children during a weekend visit when strange lightning storms strike their New Jersey town. These storms mark the beginning of a devastating alien invasion, as colossal tripod war machines emerge from the ground, incinerating everything in their path. Ray must now protect his children and navigate a world descending into chaos.

DreamWorks Pictures, Amblin Ent.,
Cruise/Wagner Prod.; Paramount Pics

Welcome to the 23rd century. A perfect world of total pleasure...with just one catch.

Starring: Michael York, Jenny Agutter, Richard Jordan, Roscoe Lee Browne, Farrah Fawcett-Majors, Peter Ustinov

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"I've never seen a face like that before. That must be the look of - of being old." - Logan, when looking at an old man's face for the first time.

Why watch this? ... to be reminded that there are some great sci-fi films from the 70's.

Plot Summary: In the 23rd century, humanity lives in a sealed city where every citizen's life is artificially limited to the age of thirty. A special assassin squad, called Sandmen, enforces this rule by eliminating those who attempt to escape the designated termination ritual known as "Carrousel". A Sandman named Logan 5 is tasked with infiltrating a rumored sanctuary outside the city walls, but he soon finds himself on the run with a woman named Jessica 6, questioning the very foundation of their seemingly idyllic society.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer; United Artists

The end of Earth will not be the end of us.

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Mackenkzie Foy, Ellen Burstyn, John Liethgow

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"We used to look up at the sky and wonder at our place in the stars. Now we just look down, and worry about our place in the dirt." - Cooper

Why watch this? What will we do when our planet can no longer sustain humanity?

Plot Summary: In a dystopian future where Earth faces extinction due to environmental disaster and widespread crop blights, former pilot Cooper must leave his family behind to embark on a perilous space mission. Along with a team of researchers, he travels through a wormhole near Saturn in search of a new home for humanity. The crew faces difficult choices and the extreme effects of time dilation as they explore potentially habitable planets in a distant galaxy.

Warner Bros. Pictures, Legendary Pictures,
Syncopy Inc., Lynda Obst Prod.; Paramount Pics

1997. New York City is now a maximum security prison. Breaking out is impossible. Breaking in is insane.

Starring: Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Adrienne Barbeau, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Pleasence, Isaac Hayes

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"Are you crazy? Nobody gets to meet the Duke. You meet him once and then you're dead!" - Cabbie

Why watch this? Kurt Russell is so dope in that eye-patch!

Plot Summary: In a crime-ridden future of 1997, Manhattan Island is walled off and transformed into a maximum-security prison for the United States' worst criminals. When Air Force One is hijacked and crashes within the prison walls, the President of the United States becomes a hostage. Ex-soldier and criminal Snake Plissken is offered a pardon if he can retrieve the President from the dangerous environment within 24 hours.

Int'l Film Investors, Goldcrest Films Int'l,
City Films; AVCO Embassy Pictures

The wild hot-line suspense comedy.

Starring: Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, Keenan Wynn, Slim Pickens, Peter Bull, James Earl Jones, Tracy Reed

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!" - President Merkin Muffley

Why watch this? This is THE great black comedy about the Cold War.

Plot Summary: In this Cold War satire, a paranoid US General unilaterally initiates a nuclear attack on the Soviet Union. This forces the President, his advisors, and a British liaison officer to desperately try and recall the bombers before the situation escalates into global catastrophe. However, unforeseen obstacles and misunderstandings complicate their efforts to prevent a devastating worldwide nuclear exchange.

Hawk Films; Columbia Pictures

No children. No future. No hope.

Starring: Clive Owen, Clare-Hope Ashitey, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, Pam Ferris, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Charlie Hunnam, Peter Mullan, Danny Huston

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"As the sound of the playgrounds faded, the despair set in. Very odd, what happens in a world without children's voices." - Miriam

Why watch this?  This film shows us a future you might not want to see, but rather need to see.

Plot Summary: The story is set in dystopian 2027, twenty years since the last baby was born due to a mysterious infertility in women. This has led to war, global chaos, and a general sense of dread. England remains an isolated country still holding onto some form of government. It is now a police state, rounding up refugees, deporting them, or worse. Theo Faron, a former activist, is forcibly taken by a group of militants, called the Fishes, led by his ex-wife Julian. They want him to use his connections to acquire transit papers for a young girl named Kee. Theo quickly becomes the only chance Kee has to get her out of a crumbling country.

Strike Ent., Hit and Run Productions,
Toho-Towa; Universal Pictures

LIVE DIE REPEAT

Starring: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, Brendan Gleeson, Noah Taylor, Jonas Armstrong, Tony Way, Noah Taylor

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"Find me when you wake up." -  Rita Vrataski

Why watch this? The film's premise will blow you away. That and Emily Blunt.

Plot Summary: In a future where Earth faces an alien invasion, a reluctant military public relations officer, Major William Cage, is thrust into a combat scenario. After dying in the ensuing battle, he finds himself in a time loop, repeatedly reliving the same day and being killed over and over. He seeks out a formidable Special Forces warrior, Sgt. Rita Vrataski. Together they must utilize the time loop to learn, adapt, and ultimately find a way to defeat the overwhelming extraterrestrial threat.

Village Roadshow Pics, RatPac Ent., 3 Arts Ent.,
Vis Productions; Warner Bros.

What is the secret of Soylent Green?

Starring: Charlton Heston, Leigh Taylor-Young, Chuck Connors, Joseph Cotten, Brock Peters, Paula Kelly, Edward G. Robinson

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"I was there, I can prove it! When I was a kid, you could buy meat anywhere! Eggs they had, real butter! Not this... crap!" - Sol

Why watch this? This is a thought-provoking film about a possible, horrible, dystopian future.

Plot Summary: In an overpopulated and resource-depleted 2022, Detective Thorn investigates the seemingly routine murder of a powerful executive at the Soylent Corporation, which provides the world's dwindling food supply. As Thorn delves deeper into the investigation, he uncovers layers of powerful forces attempting to obstruct his efforts. Driven by a desire for truth in a world seemingly devoid of it, Thorn follows a trail that leads to a chilling and shocking secret.

Walter Seltzer, Russell Thacher;
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

The thing that won't die, in the nightmare that won't end.

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, Linda Hamilton, Paul Winfield, Lance Henriksen, Earl Boen

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"Listen, and understand! That terminator is out there! It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear! And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead!" – Kyle Reese

Why watch this? ... it's a sci-fi action flick that features Mr. Universe as a relentless cyborg.

Plot Summary: In a future ravaged by a war between humans and intelligent machines, a cyborg assassin is sent back in time to 1984 Los Angeles to kill a woman named Sarah Connor. A soldier, Reece, from the future is also sent back to protect Sarah, as she is destined to give birth to the leader of the human resistance.

Hemdale, Pacific Western Prod., Euro Film
Funding, Cinema '84; Orion Pictures

Same Make. Same Model. New Mission.

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick, Edward Furlong, Joe Morton, Earl Boen

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"It is in your nature to destroy yourselves." The T-800 Terminator

Why watch this? Cameron delivers an incredible sequel using ground-breaking effects, a buffed-up Linda Hamilton, and a flipped narrative.

Plot Summary: A reprogrammed cyborg is sent back in time to protect a young John Connor from an advanced, shape-shifting Terminator designed to eliminate him. John and his mother Sarah join forces with the protector to prevent the coming nuclear apocalypse by destroying the technology that creates Skynet. Together, they must combat the relentless new threat while fighting to change the future and ensure human survival.

Carolco Pics, Pacific Western Prod., Lightstorm
 Ent., Le Studio Canal+; Tri-Star Pictures

In Space, No One Can Hear You Clean

Starring: Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin, Fred Willard, John Ratzenberger, Kathy Najimy, Sigourney Weaver

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"I can't just sit here and... and do nothing. That's all I've ever done! That's all anyone on this blasted ship has ever done - nothing!" - Captain

Why watch this? Wall-E will work his electronic way into your heart.

Plot Summary: Earth is a trash-filled wasteland, centuries after humanity evacuated due to an uninhabitable environment on the ship Axiom. WALL-E, the last remaining trash-compacting robot, discovers a tiny living plant, initiating a chain of events that could potentially allow humanity to return to Earth. He follows a probe named EVE to the Axiom, where they must overcome challenges posed by the ship's autopilot.

Pixar Animatoin Studios; Walt Disney
Studios Motion Pictures

A chilling, bold, mesmerizing, futuristic detective thriller.

Starring: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, M. Emmett Walsh, Daryl Hannah, William Sanderson, Brion James

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"I need ya, Deck. This is a bad one, the worst yet. I need the old blade runner, I need your magic." - Bryant

Why watch this? It's haunting, brooding and dark... and a mesmerizing sci-fi classic.

Plot Summary: In a dystopian future Los Angeles, a burnt-out detective (aka: a "blade runner"), Rick Deckard, is tasked with hunting down and "retiring" a group of advanced androids called replicants, who have escaped from off-world colonies. These replicants seek to find their creator and extend their limited life-spans, while the blade runner wrestles with the complex morality of his job and his growing connection to a beautiful replicant who believes she is human.

The Ladd Co., Shaw Brothers; Warner Bros.

Watch out! They get you while you're sleeping!

Starring: Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Leonard Nimoy, Jeff Goldblum, Veronica Cartwright

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"I keep seeing these people, all recognizing each other. Something is passing between them all, some secret. It's a conspiracy, I know it." – Elizabeth Driscoll

Why watch this? The original 1956 film was creepy. This remake is downright terrifying.

Plot Summary: A San Francisco health inspector, Matthew Bennell, and his colleague Elizabeth Driscoll discover that residents are slowly being replaced by alien duplicates. These duplicates appear identical to the humans they replace but are devoid of emotion and empathy. As the alien takeover spreads throughout the city, Bennell and Driscoll, along with two friends, must attempt to survive and warn others of the impending global invasion.

Solofilm; United Artists

THE FUTURE BELONGS TO THE MAD

Starring: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Riley Keough

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"If I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die historic on the Fury Road!" - Nux

Why watch this? I never saw this greatness coming, but there's no question - it's great!

Plot Summary: In a post-apocalyptic world where resources are scarce, Max is captured and enslaved by the tyrannical Immortan Joe. Simultaneously, Imperator Furiosa, one of Joe's lieutenants, defies him by absconding with five women, leading to a relentless pursuit across the desert. Max eventually becomes involved with Furiosa's escape, forging an uneasy alliance as they battle Joe and his forces in a desperate struggle for freedom and a better life.

Village Roadshow Pictures, RapPac-Dune
Ent., Kennedy Miller Mitchell; Warner Bros.

They came to CONQUER the EARTH!

Starring: Gene Barry, Ann Robinson, Les Tremayne, Bob Cornthwaite, Lewis Martin, Paul Frees, Housley Stevenson Jr. William Phipps

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"The jets went in, but not one of them came out. I watched high-level bombers drop everything they carried. They were knocked out of the sky and their bombs did nothing. Nothing was effective against them." - Dr. Clayton Forrester

Why watch this? This is the best of the early sci-fi films about aliens.

Plot Summary: Earth is suddenly invaded by Martians in powerful war machines, initiating a global conflict as humanity struggles to defend itself. Scientist Clayton Forrester and Sylvia Van Buren are among those who experience firsthand the devastating attacks and attempt to find a weakness in the invaders' seemingly impenetrable defenses.

George Pal; Paramount Pictures

You Will Orbit into the Fantastic Future!

Starring: Rod Taylor, Alan Young, Yvette Mimieux, Sebastian Cabot, Whit Bissell, Tom Helmore, Doris Lloyd, Paul Frees

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"George... I speak to you as a friend – more as a brother... if that machine can do what you say it can, destroy it. Destroy it, George, before it destroys you!" – David Filby

Why watch this? It's a thought-provoking rendition of H. G. Wells' classic novel.

Plot Summary: Set in Victorian England, the film follows an inventor who builds a machine to travel through time. His journey takes him into a distant future where humanity has split into two distinct groups: the peaceful, surface-dwelling Eloi and the monstrous, subterranean Morlocks. He becomes entangled in their struggle and works to understand the secrets behind their existence and the decline of mankind.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Galaxy Films;
Loew's Ltd.

Free your mind

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Joe Pantoliano, Marcus Chong, Juian Arahanga

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

DML Top 50 #19 - Dad's Full (Spoiler) Review and Deep Dive of The Matrix

"Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet. You are a plague, and we are the cure." - Agent Smith to Morpheus, as he interrogates him

Why watch this? Conceptually, visually, creatively - this film set a new action sci-fi standard.

Plot Summary: A computer programmer named Thomas Anderson, known in the hacking underworld as Neo, feels that something is fundamentally wrong with his reality. He is contacted by the enigmatic Morpheus and Trinity, who offer him the chance to discover a shocking truth: that his world is actually a computer-generated simulation. Upon swallowing a red pill, Neo awakens in the desolate real world and begins a journey to free humanity from the machines that have enslaved them.

Village Roadshow Pictures, Grouch II Film
Partnership, Silver Pictures; Warner Bros.

Just One Man Can Make A Difference.

Starring: Mel Gibson, Bruce Spence, Mike Preston, Max Phipps, Vernon Wells, Emil Minty, Kjell Nilsson, Virginia Hey, William Zappa

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"We've all lost someone we love. But we do it my way! Fear is our ally. The gasoline will be ours. Then you shall have your revenge.” – Lord Humungus

Why watch this? A bigger budget helped the second Max film cement its place in post-apocalyptic film lore.

Plot Summary: Following a global war and civilization's collapse, loner Max scavenges the Australian wasteland for fuel and supplies. He encounters a small community defending their oil refinery from a ruthless biker gang led by deformed Lord Humungus. Max, initially seeking only his own advantage, eventually agrees to help the community transport their precious fuel in a desperate bid for freedom and survival.

Kennedy Miller Productions; Roadshow
Film Dist., Warner Bros.

Hunted... haunted... wanted... like beasts of prey!

Starring: Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowell, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, James Whitmore, James Daly, Linda Harrison, Lou Wagner, Woodrow Parfrey

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

DML Top 50 #9 - Dad's Full (Spoiler) Review and Deep Dive of Planet of the Apes

"Man is a nuisance. He eats up his food supply in the forest, then migrates to our green belts and ravages our crops. The sooner he is exterminated, the better." – Doctor Zaius

Why watch this? ... it's compelling through-out, but the last scene makes it a legend.

Plot Summary: An astronaut crew crash-lands on a mysterious planet in the distant future, where they discover a highly evolved society of apes has become the dominant species, enslaving primitive humans. As the lone surviving spaceman navigates this new world and seeks to prove his intelligence to his captors, he uncovers the shocking truth about the planet's identity and past.

APJAC Productions; 20th Century Fox