Apocalyptic War (2019): Subgenres of Terror

By Steve Hutchison

Two popular subgenres converge. Film critic Steve Hutchison covers 50 excellent apocalyptic war films and ranks them mathematically. A synopsis, five ratings, and a review are provided for each film. How many have you seen?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Steve Hutchison
• Release date: Mar 5, 2023
• ISBN: 9781778871511

Steve Hutchison

Artist, developer and entrepreneur in film, video games and communications Steve Hutchison co-founded Shade.ca Art and Code in 1999, then Terror.ca and its French equivalent Terreur.ca in 2000. With his background as an artist and integrator, Steve worked on such games as Capcom's Street Fighter, PopCap's Bejeweled, Tetris, Bandai/Namco's Pac-Man and Mattel's Skip-Bo & Phase 10 as a localization manager, 2-D artist and usability expert. Having acquired skills in gamification, he invented a unique horror movie review system that is filterable, searchable and sortable by moods, genres, subgenres and antagonists. Horror movie fans love it, and so do horror authors and filmmakers, as it is a great source of inspiration. In March 2013, Steve launched Tales of Terror, with the same goals in mind but with a much finer technology and a complex engine, something that wasn’t possible initially. He has since published countless horror-themed books.

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Tales of Terror’s

Subgenres of Terror 2019

Apocalyptic War

INTRODUCTION

Two popular subgenres converge. Film critic Steve Hutchison covers 50 excellent apocalyptic war films and ranks them mathematically. A synopsis, five ratings, and a review are provided for each film. How many have you seen?

#1

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

1991

Two robots from a post-apocalyptic era travel back in time to alter the teenage years of an influential resistance leader.

Stars

8/8

STORY

8/8

CREATIVITY

8/8

ACTING

8/8

QUALITY

8/8

Terminator 2 only feels like a vague remake of the original in how it justifies Arnold Schwarzenegger’s return; this time defending the woman his previous incarnation attempted to kill. He helps returning actress Linda Hamilton’s character and her son, played by the excellent Edward Furlong. Standards have been upped a notch. Action predominates and the horror aspect is put aside.

This is the first film in history to successfully juggle with 3D effects. It achieves this with great talent, but, more precisely, because the new villain is made of malleable liquid metal. Blinn textures flatter the camera and convince the audience more easily than fur, hair and other particles. The visuals are not only ground-breaking, but also scripted not to be subject to bad CG.

Two unstoppable killing machines fight each other; the strongest trying to kill two mere humans, the other defending them at all cost. Extended car chases, big guns, explosions, gore; you get it all! It’s brilliantly written and rigorously directed. The movie is virtually flawless and arguably one of the best ever made. It explores every cinema genre seamlessly and with constant intensity.

#2

Total Recall

1990

A man goes for a virtual vacation on planet Mars as a spy.

Stars

8/8

STORY

6/8

CREATIVITY

8/8

ACTING

8/8

QUALITY

8/8

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sharon Stone and Michael Ironside, to name a few; Total Recall has some of the best Hollywood actors at the peak of their career and offering some of their best performances yet. This is a smart action-packed science fiction masterpiece directed by none other than Paul Verhoeven and based on a short story by Philip K. Dick. What a delight!

It has some of the best and catchiest music in film history. It contains several futuristic concepts we haven’t seen before. It has a confusing storyline that plays with your mind but makes perfect sense when all is said and done. The script constantly gets you wondering what is real, what is virtual, and you may not get straight answers by the time the end credits roll.

Everything in Total Recall, from the cars to the architecture, has a futuristic yet somewhat primitive look. The film has its own aesthetic and looks like nothing else. The make-up required to make us believe we are among mutants is quite elaborate and very realistic. Action, aliens, technology, romance, gore; you have it all. Total Recall is, without a doubt, one of the best movies ever made!

#3

The Stand

1994

A bacterial apocalypse polarizes two groups of survivors.

Stars

7/8

STORY

8/8

CREATIVITY

8/8