Hollywood Has A Post-Apocalyptic Story Problem (2024)

The quality of movies and television shows is at an all-time high, in terms of both production value and caliber of acting. There are a few flops from time to time, but that's the nature of show business. One of the more popular genres in cinema is the dystopic, post-apocalyptic future where everybody is fighting to survive while a self-serving antagonist with nefarious intentions hides around every corner. Many of these projects are wildly popular for good reason. They often serve as cautionary tales that are heavily influenced by the biggest anxieties of the time.

The 1950s featured movies about nuclear war, while the '80s and '90s focused more on rapidly spreading diseases. The early 2000s heavily featured world-ending natural disasters as the rise of climate change was on everyone's mind. Now, it seems that there are a variety of doomsday-causing events in cinema and TV, as society's interests are scattered. Most viewers watch them because they serve as a good escape from reality. It's also satisfying for the audience to put themselves in the protagonist's shoes and determine whether they would make the same choices or not. However, there are so many doomsday projects in development that it's time to go the opposite route.

Too Many Shows in a Post-Apocalyptic World

The table above shows only the post-apocalyptic shows that have come out since 2010, and that's not even the bulk of them. It seems like no matter which channel a viewer flips to or which streaming service they watch, there's a bevy of shows following a character or two who's struggling to survive in a barren world that's only a shadow of the world from reality. They're fun, there's no denying that. A story about the apocalypse allows the audience to experience the rush of fear, adrenaline, and suspense, all from the safety of their living room.

With so many of the same kind of TV series, it's difficult to see the difference between them. Many deal with deeper themes like bigotry and oppression, but they always have the standout protagonist who ends up having to overcome impossible odds to save what they hold dear. Silo is about a society living underground in a toxic future where they believe the many rules in place are there to protect them, but the main character has the wool pulled from their eyes to learn that that might not be the truth. The idea of an underground society used as a social experiment isn't too different from vault-dwellers in the upcoming Fallout adaptation on Prime Video.

Netflix's canceled Resident Evil series shared many commonalities with HBO's The Last of Us. A zombie outbreak isn't anything new either, as exhibited by The Walking Dead and its surplus of spin-offs. With so many pieces of media having covered these themes, perhaps TV shows should try to explore the same themes in a different setting. An office setting can explore oppressive dictatorships just as easily as a small community in a barren wasteland.

Even Movies Follow This Trend

The movie theater is just as overwhelmed with doomsday movies as the television. Recently, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes premiered, showing the events of the 10th Hunger Games. It's a world reshaped after cataclysmic events that forced the new government to organize the country into different districts, each with its own specialty. Coming to theaters in 2024 is Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, a prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road, which takes place in a dystopic landscape where society has collapsed and there are critical shortages of resources.

Post-apocalyptic movies are a little more spaced out through the years, but when written on paper, there's an overwhelming number of them. From I Am Legend to Snowpiercer to The Book of Eli, these films show a bleak future where society failed. They all deliver the same message: Humanity should do better.

Perhaps it's time for writers and directors to deliver that message in a variety of ways. It's effective, but developing another film in a dystopic future is just laziness at this point. Better yet, more optimistic stories might serve audiences better.

More Optimism is Necessary

Is the over-saturation of post-apocalyptic productions in Hollywood a problem, or is it just part of the cinematic makeup? Nobody claims that there's a horror movie problem or a drama movie problem. Perhaps the vast quantity of apocalypse cinema reflects the rising anxiety the general public has toward political conflict and economic stress. Maybe they reveal the public's desire for a simpler life. Not that running from fungal-infected zombies or sleeping with one eye open is an easier life, but the concern of real-world stressors like rent and bills is absent from these projects.

Gene Roddenberryhad the right idea to imagine a future where humans evolved and learned to coexist with their neighbors. Instead of real-world conflicts reaching a boiling point that preceded the end of the world, Star Trek showed audiences the other possible outcome. Star Trek's Earth eliminated poverty, bigotry, and currency, and everyone had what they needed to survive. Perhaps futuristic productions that highlight the best of humanity could also serve to relieve society's anxiety about the future. Give the younger generations something to aspire to. Of course, doesn't mean there's zero conflict. Star Trek still involves itself with heavy-hitting themes like war, but it shows a more enlightened approach to such topics.

It's not that there's no hope in post-apocalyptic stories. There are frequent moments of victory for the protagonists, and they always share a common goal of saving the world. Rather, it's the society portrayed in the background that gets depressing. Everyone is out to get each other, and they only look out for themselves. Even characters who live in a close-knit community can easily backstab their compatriots.

Reality is already terrible for many. Modeling a future characterized by knowledge and inclusion rather than strife and oppression, could better serve audiences. Perhaps it's time to start looking to the future with the belief that things can get better rather than worse.