Chaos. Violence. Natural disasters. Swarms of killer bees? The post-apocalyptic films on this list are some of the worst ever made, relying on cheap thrills, science fiction genre stereotypes, and terrible dialogue to bring some truly strange and baffling alternate future realities to moviegoers.
These movies bombed in the box office, some never earning back their massive budgets. Others have fallen through the cracks over the decades, lost in a sea of underwhelming science fiction features. Some of them star household names, from Kevin Costner to Dennis Hopper to Michael Caine. Others present unknowns whose careers likely weren’t helped by their scenes in their respective films.
Reader beware: you’re about to enter catastrophically bad fictional worlds!
The 5th Wave (2016) – 15%
Adapted from an award-winning young adult novel of the same name, The 5th Wave was a massive disappointment for science fiction fans. After surviving an alien invasion, Cassie, played by Chloe Grace Moretz, must fight to save herself and her little brother.
There is absolutely nothing original or interesting about this story, and every plotline or piece of dialogue seems to be stolen from the post-apocalyptic alien invasion films that came before it.
The Swarm (1978) – 11%
The worst of the worst when it comes to post-apocalyptic disaster films, the antagonist in this film is a swarm of South African killer bees. That’s right… bees. These killer bees have especially pernicious stings, and they are intent upon taking out as many people as possible.
Of course, the military intervenes, led, impressively, by Michael Caine. It’s safe to assume this isn’t a film he’s proud of participating in, but it has developed a reputation as an end-of-the-species flick to remember because it was a total flop.
The Postman (1997) – 9%
Kevin Costner really tried some new and different things with science fiction films in the 1990s, but the results were not very good. While Waterworld has developed a cult reputation, there aren’t many people these days defending The Postman, which tries and fails to make a high art film about post-apocalyptic America.
The Postman was Costner’s return to directing after Dances with Wolves. The U.S. government has dissolved, and the country has been split up into combatant tribes and communities. Costner plays a wandering actor who reenacts Shakespeare. The unnamed nomad eventually assumes the identity of a post office worker after finding a U.S. Post Office vehicle in the Oregan flatlands.
Space Truckers (1997) – 8%
With this film, National Lampoon writer Ted Mann set out to make a deep space trucker film. What he made was a deep space dud starring big names like Stephen Dorff and Dennis Hopper.
Hopper plays a rogue trucker in 2196 competing against the increasingly corporatized intergalactic businesses monopolizing the deep space speedways. What could have been a fun romp on par with Starship Troopers or Mars Attacks! is instead a weaker Spaceballs that attempts to take itself way too seriously.
Babylon A.D. (2008) – 6%
Taking place in a post-apocalyptic, technological near-future, Babylon A.D. tanked in theatres. Focused around a nun tasked with protecting a girl who may be carrying a deadly virus, the movie stars an out-of-place Vin Diesel as a mercenary initially hired to capture the girl.
Most of the film’s action plays out in an overpopulated, slum-filled Russia. From its convoluted, nonsensical plot involving clairvoyance and strange religious orders to its stereotypical action sequences, there is nothing exciting or innovative about Babylon A.D.
Left Behind (2014) – 1%
This film, based on the book series by the same name, answers the question: what would happen if the Biblical Rapture came upon Earth? The answers provided by the makers of this movie are incredibly boring and uninteresting.
Starring Nicolas Cage, this new Left Behind brings the prophecies outlined in the New Testament’s Book of Revelations to life. Saved souls ascend to Heaven, while the rest are left behind (heyyyy) to fend for themselves. The rest is, well, religious history.
It should be noted that the highest-rated Left Behind movie (Left Behind: The Movie, starring Kirk Cameron) only scored 16%.
Future World (2018) – 0%
Bypassing theatres and going straight to video and streaming services, Future World is not a post-apocalyptic movie to remember. Co-directed by and starring James Franco, the movie trails a young boy scavenging through a future desert wasteland trying to seek a cure for his mother’s illness.
A wannabe Mad Max, there is nothing that stands out about Future World. It’s characters, circumstances, and landscapes are all derivative.
Solarbabies (1986) – 0%
Before the era of the young adult dystopic novel craze, along came Solarbabies. A film made to appeal to young audiences, this light, post-apocalyptic drama stars a young Jason Patric and Jami Gertz.
The film follows the trials and tribulations of teenagers in an orphanage, cut off from the forbidden world outside. Divided up into good and bad kids, the orphans are visited by a magical sphere from space whose messages are only understood by the good kids. This strange, cheap flick also involves futuristic roller skating competitions.
Mars Needs Women (1966) – 0%
Back in 1966, director Larry Buchanan envisioned a post-apocalyptic scenario not on Earth, but on its neighbor, Mars. In this B-movie, Earthlings intercept and decode a radio message from Mars saying, “Mars needs women.” The third planet prepares for an invasion, hoping to save its female population from the incoming droves of horny Martians.
The Martian men settle upon a group of women to mate with on their unpopulated home planet, but things don’t go as planned. Made in two weeks with a $20,000 budget, Mars Needs Women is about as sloppy and problematic as it gets.
Megaforce (1982) – 0%
This stuntman’s dream film was a nightmare for fans of post-apocalyptic science fiction. Set in the fictionalized Republic of Sardun, Megaforce follows a group of international secret military aces who come to the country’s aid as they attempt to ward off their neighboring invaders from the country Gamibia.
Even by 1982’s standards, this flick blows. The military group, aptly titled Megaforce, hit the streets with their advanced weapons and vehicles, descending upon the Gamibians with their suave styles and ridiculous moves.
