I’ve been sorting through my films over the last few days sorting out what is what and trying to find out what is missing. I usually let others watch them and quite often they are not returned. It is annoying.
The number of films I have with a survival theme though was surprising. I have quite a few, percentage wise, so I’m starting to watch them and see what I can pick up when I go to bed. My memories of them though are that I thought most were unrealistic. Forget the zombies which clearly are meant to be fiction but the scenes that they give seem to be more about a lack of electricity than anything else. Most of them have no shortage of good quality fuel, car parts and everyone is a mechanic and can repair their own vehicle. Reminds me of the 70s when the Chinese though every Western person was an astronaut and we all thought every Chinese person was a martial arts expert. In survival films every person seems to be an instant survival expert.
Currently watching the remake of BattleStar Galactica. I’ve started the 1st Series. Nukes explode on the hull and next minute everything back and going fine. Vipers being wiped out but I do remember a few realistic bits where a shortage of trained people were an issue and Democracy, Collaberation and Guerrilla Warfare are topics. I’ll be watching it this time with a different eye. I did like it when I watched it because it did look at things more realistically than the original series and of course the special effects are much better.
Most of the older survival related films though are simply popcorn movies. Fun to watch but not very realistic because they never really thought beyond nuclear warfare or an asteroid impact. More modern ones seem to have more realism in them no matter what the theme but all still have some technology that saves us all. This is pretty much in line with our prepping though where older stuff was all guns and armour. Now we are looking at survival seeds, medical supplies and issues several years down the line. A lot more realistic.
Any recommedations for films or books?
I still like VIRUS the 70s version with an all star cast Glen Ford, Robert Vaughn, George Kennedy etc
FLOOD with Robert Carlisle based on the brilliant book is another good movie, V for Vendetta is a modern Classic political SHTF movie, I believe Brad Pitt is currently making WORLD WAR Z in Scotland.
Eon Flux is a futuristic survivors living in totalitarian society movie. Doomwatch the movie rattled a lot of people back 1970 ish. THE LAST TRAIN had some potential but ruined by bad script management.
Dont forget Michael York in Logans Run. Then Earth 2 had potential. TV Movies like Jeramiah and Jericho were quite good as well. I think almost anything except modern BBC stuff is always worth watching but if you want pure garbage scripts, lousy acting and scripts that focus more on being PC multi cultural, inclusive and diverse than dramatic try Day of the Triffids and Survivors remakes they are the hallmark of garbage.
I’m watching the series that got me into prepping, Survivors (the original series NR). Although it’s painful to watch in parts, cringing at the patronising lectures some of the characters are forced to give, it addresses many issues that we’re going to face if there is a massive die off of the population: towns & cities where secondary diseases are rampant, dwindling supplies over the years of everything we can’t reproduce ourselves, abuses of power… the list goes on. It’s very 1970s including flared trousers but pretty well thought out so far: I’m halfway through series one.
Yup its got the 1970s patronising middle class BS that most dramas of the period had, nice Grammar school professionals leading the lesser secondary modern chappies to safety :), Doomwatch was the same as was the DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS and NO BLADE OF GRASS, But still far more gritty and understandable that the bloody aweful remake which appear to make sure they just tick the inclusive boxes first.
NR: I hadn’t thought about it before but now you mention it the lack of PC is most refreshing. And funny! Most of the baddies so far seem to be either from Wales or north of the Watford Gap so yes, very 1970s BBC. Good fun though.
Try watching a movie called ‘Tomorrow, when the war began.’
Don’tforget Threads.Very over the top and depressing but a good movie non the less.Scared me silly as a kid.
I’ve just started reading Day of the Tryffids by John Wyndham.
I’d forgotton how good an author he was.
This was written in 1951, but his insight into some social aspects of survivor behaviour are still relevant and fresh.
As normal, the book is far better than the film 🙂
Recommended entertainment.
Try NIGHT OF THE TRIFFIDS which came out only a year or so ago its a good follow on.
Cheers NR.
Didn’t know of the follow up?…. I think Amazon is going to get an order from me today!
Lightspeed
Two of the best books I have enjoyed lately actually come from the Zombie Genre, DAY BY DAY ARMAGEDDON and Plague of the dead, Morningstar saga.