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The film industry has always been fascinated by the possibilities of impending doom. Whether it is through an alien invasion or natural disaster, many movies have been made about several scenarios wherein a large group of people or even the entire planet meets its harrowing fate.

As the visual effects technology becomes better, filmmakers have also become more audacious about the plots but are still able to shed enough focus on the human drama and how mankind copes with the situation. Here are the five best movies that you can watch:

1. Earthquake
The title itself already tells the audience what the movie is about, but the premise that a seismic activity might happen anytime is very real for pretty much everyone. The 1974 film was able to recreate the destruction of cities using scale models cut between real actors and large sets.

It was also one of the first films that attempted to make the cinemagoers feel part of the experience. They achieved this by adding large speakers to some cinemas’ pumped audio that sounded similarly to an earthquake. The absence of acting and plot did not deter or prevent the film’s success, since audiences paid mostly to watch the disaster.

2. War of the Worlds
The popular H. G. Wells novel has actually been adapted into film several times though there are really only two that stand out: the 1953 version by George Pal and the 2005 movie by Steven Spielberg. None of these adaptations used the same setting and period described in the book and instead was made for the current time when it was filmed. Still it shows the central enemies were the aliens in their iconic tripods. Both films captured the chaos of humans while they attempt to escape the wrath of their conquerors, something sorely lacking in other invasion films like Independence Day.

3. The Poseidon Adventure
Not all doom movies need to involve a large state or the entire world. This 1972 film follows a group of characters trying to save their lives from their sinking ship. Aside from the obvious irony derived the cruise ship’s name (Poseidon), the water scenes were very realistic, and it starred a powerhouse cast where five of them won in the Academy Awards.

Aside from the special effects, moviegoers were also guessing which of the stars would meet their fate or survive at the end of the movie.

4. Deep Impact
The year 1998 saw two movies of doom that had the same subject: a large asteroid is on its way, and it is capable of destroying the planet. Mimi Leder’s film may not be as action packed or as visually engrossing as Michael Bay’s Armageddon, but the movie made up for a tighter script and much better cast.

5. Children of Men
What if men and women started becoming infertile? This is the subject of P. D. James’s novel adapted into a 2006 movie by Alfonso Cuaron. Essentially a science fiction film, it nevertheless explored at how nations and people react to a realization that the entire human race is beginning the process of slow extinction.

It was a departure from movies predicting the quick end of civilizations and exposed humanity into their simplest emotions. Many experts and fans agree that Children of Men should be one of the top science fiction and doom movies of all time.

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