In the midst of a real-life pandemic, some viewers might want some sort of glimpse into
what might be on the horizon. But while there are plenty of pandemic films out there, not
all of them are created equal. So here are the best and worst pandemic movies you can
watch today.
In the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, Steven Soderbergh's 2011 film Contagion skyrocketed
to the top of the rental charts, and it wasn't exactly a surprise as to why. Soderbergh's
grim yet gripping portrayal of a worldwide pandemic seemed to echo exactly the state
of a world adversely affected by COVID-19. And with an all-star cast, Contagion pulls
a Scream by killing off one of its A-listers in the very first scene. If you've somehow
avoided spoilers by now, we won't ruin it for you but the scares and shocks continue
at a breakneck speed until the film's very end.
When it was released in 2011, Contagion performed well with critics and at the box office, and
scientists even went out of their way to praise the film's accuracy. However, nearly ten years
later, the film has seen a massive resurgence, thanks in large part to its accurate and optimistic
portrayal of the scientific community's ability to fight infection and disease, no matter
how dangerous.
None of the Resident Evil film adaptations are particularly great, with most of them
boasting pretty bleak scores on Rotten Tomatoes. But according to the numbers, Resident Evil:
Apocalypse is the worst of them all. With the lowest rating in the entire series specifically,
20 percent this sequel to the 2002 original Resident Evil was released in 2004, and it
clearly didn't stand up to its predecessor.
Apocalypse finds Resident Evil's protagonist, Alice, held captive by the Umbrella Corporation,
a pharmaceutical company investigating the zombie outbreak that happened during the first
film. As Alice and other survivors try to outrun the zombies, which have overtaken the
nearby Raccoon City, our hero discovers some unsettling secrets about Umbrella's recent
experiments and exactly how they've created this quickly growing pandemic.
"According to Ashford, Umbrella knows they can't contain the infection. So at sunrise
this morning, Racoon City will be completely sanitized."
If you're looking for a pandemic movie to occupy your time, Apocalypse probably isn't
it unless you're looking for a truly terrible movie to distract you. Its low critical score
led to some pretty rough reviews, including one from Roger Ebert where he called the film
a, quote, "utterly meaningless waste of time." So all in all, it might be best to avoid it,
even in the event of a real apocalypse.
Based on a nonfiction book by Richard Preston called The Hot Zone, Wolfgang Petersen's 1995
pandemic film Outbreak depicts, well, the outbreak of a serious disease similar to Ebola
that begins in Africa and eventually spreads to the United States. When the virus reaches
the fictional small town of Cedar Rapids, both the CDC and the Army's research wing
dedicated to infectious diseases must fight the pandemic, along with civilians, while
they all realize just how serious of a threat they face.
Despite the film's seriously stacked cast, it received mixed reviews upon its release.
But in the years since it came out, it's become endlessly rewatchable, especially when people
are looking for a classic pandemic flick. If you want a film about surviving the worst
possible virus, Outbreak is definitely a good choice for your upcoming Netflix queue.
Anyone who's currently stuck inside during the COVID-19 outbreak is definitely familiar
with the concept of cabin fever, but apparently, even a real-life quarantine isn't as bad as
the 2016 film Cabin Fever. A remake of Eli Roth's 2002 film of the same name, Cabin Fever
focuses on a group of young vacationers who develop a super-contagious illness after running
into an infected hermit near their rental cabin. Though the original film garnered positive
reviews, the 2016 remake didn't fare quite as well.
"No, no, no, stay back! Stay back!"
Director Travis Zariwny tried as hard as possible to stay faithful to the original film, even
going so far as to use Roth's exact script, despite the fact that he cut nearly a third
of the plot. And though Roth eventually praised Zariwny's approach to the material, critics
definitely didn't. Thanks to its slavish faithfulness, lack of reason to even exist, and decidedly
D-list cast, Cabin Fever garnered a rare 0 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, proving
that Zariwny should've let sleeping dogs lie with this film.
When it comes to modern zombie classics, Danny Boyle's 2002 film 28 Days Later is definitely
at the top of the pack.
A deadly and devastating virus ravages London after environmental activists inadvertently
release infected chimpanzees from a research center and into the city. And in the aftermath,
Jim, a bike messenger in a hospital with an unrelated coma, wakes up to find the normally
bustling city deserted and in ruins with no idea what could have happened.
"Hello!"
Eventually, Jim meets and teams up with other survivors as they try to escape the outbreak.
But in the process, they discover a horrible secret about the disease itself and about
Major Henry West, who seems helpful... at first. But hey, you can't always trust Doctor
Who.
The film was a success with critics and at the box office, thanks to its political message
and excellent central performances, and a few years later, it spawned a well-regarded
sequel, 28 Weeks Later. Boyle has dropped numerous hints that a third film, which may
be titled 28 Months Later, could be in the works someday, giving fans some hope that
there's even more to the story.
When it comes to zombie films, few names loom as large as George A. Romero, the famous director
who's largely credited with making this genre mainstream thanks to films like Night of the
Living Dead and the original Dawn of the Dead. However, even creative geniuses can have their
misfires, as Romero showed with 2009's Survival of the Dead.
Officially the final entry in Romero's Night of the Living Dead series, the film follows
a group of National Guard members presumed missing and briefly glimpsed in a previous
installment, Diary of the Dead, and their struggles on the mysterious and fraught Plum
Island.
Ultimately, the film garnered pretty terrible reviews across the board, with critics calling
it entirely uninspired and lacking in ideas. What makes it even sadder is that it was Romero's
final film before he passed away in 2017, but Survival of the Dead notwithstanding,
his legacy remains intact.
"They're coming to get you, Barbara."
South Korea's cinematic landscape is finally gaining international recognition thanks to
Parasite's historic victory at the 2020 Oscars, the country's incredible films are now getting
the attention they deserve but those in the know are familiar with some of the best South
Korean films around, including Train to Busan.
Directed by well-known South Korean director Yeon Sang-ho, Train to Busan tells the story
of a group of people stuck on a train that suddenly experiences a zombie outbreak out
of nowhere. As the healthy people left on the train struggle to contain the disease
and escape the zombies, their true natures are revealed as they try to reach the quarantine
zone in Busan. And as the survivors lose family members and make enormous sacrifices to try
to get to a safe place, the outbreak runs rampant throughout the train, splitting survivors
into different cars as they do their best to survive.
Thanks to its incredible action sequences and effective storytelling, Train to Busan
remains a South Korean favorite with critics and fans alike. In 2020, it was announced
that a sequel, Bando, which means "peninsula," is on the way. On top of that, a remake is
also coming, meaning audiences will be able to relive Train to Busan all over again before
the next part of the story arrives.
Despite a cast full of well-known faces and an original premise, some pandemic movies
just fall short, and the 2009 film Carriers is a perfect example. Directed by Alex and
David Pastor, the film follows a group of young adults experiencing a major pandemic
in the United States. Brian and Danny, two brothers, decide to gather some friends including
Brian's girlfriend Bobby and Danny's friend Kate and escape to a secluded beach, which
they believe is safe from the virus. However, on their journey there, they find themselves
facing infection.
"Get the hell out of here right now! I said right now!"
Unfortunately for Carriers, the film's reception was impeded by an extremely limited release,
and though many critics praised the performances, the film's extraordinarily dark ending drew
criticism. If you really run out of other choices when it comes to pandemic movies,
Carriers might be an option, but it's definitely not a first pick.
The idea of a zombie apocalypse is definitely terrifying, but that doesn't mean parts of
it can't be hilarious. Luckily for audiences, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost explored the funny
side of a frightening pandemic in Shaun of the Dead, their critically beloved 2004 comedy.
As Shaun and Ed, Pegg and Frost tell the story of two relatively laid-back guys who end up
surrounded by a surprising zombie outbreak and must do their best to survive or, at the
very least, make it to the pub for some pints.
"Take car, go to mum's, kill Phil, grab Liz, go to the Winchester, have a nice cold pint,
and wait for all this to blow over."
With a plan in place that involves drinking at the Winchester until conditions are safer,
Shaun and Ed try to gather their friends and family to keep them safe, and though it's
pretty easy to outrun the super-slow zombies depicted in this particular outbreak, there's
still plenty of stumbling blocks for the gang to overcome.
With a supporting cast that includes names like Bill Nighy and Lucy Davis, as well as
a surplus of excellent jokes and plenty of laughs, Shaun of the Dead is a delight whether
or not there's a real-life pandemic going on. And during the 2020 COVID-19 crisis, Pegg
and Frost even reprised their roles for a PSA to reassure anxious fans during a trying
time.
Intended as a spiritual sequel to Romero's 1978 version of Dawn of the Dead which was
released in Italy as Zombi Zombi 2, directed by Lucio Fulci, definitely didn't live up
to Romero's classic film. The film tells a lurid tale of a small island in the Caribbean
cursed by ancient voodoo, which subsequently spawns zombies as its dead residents rise
from their graves to kill the living with nasty bites and deadly infections.
When a scientist goes missing while exploring the island and his boat returns empty to New
York City, his daughter takes it upon herself to try and figure out what happened to her
father, only to discover the horrors that await her on the island.
Though it performed admirably well at the box office and even spawned a few sequels,
Zombi 2 definitely isn't in the top tier when it comes to zombie and pandemic movies. Most
of its poor reviews were due to its over-the-top graphic violence, which drew significant controversy
upon the film's release. So if you're looking for something to pair with Dawn of the Dead,
it looks like you can skip Zombi 2. Of course, it does have a sequence where a zombie fights
a shark, so there's that.
Though plenty of pandemic movies feature zombies or deadly viruses, some envision the aftermath
and consequences caused by those types of apocalyptic problems, and 12 Monkeys is a
perfect example. Directed by Terry Gilliam, the film finds its characters struggling to
contain a virus that's forced all of humanity to live in an underground bunker away from
the pandemic.
After the virus decimates humanity in 1996, survivors in 2035 use time travel to discover
the origins of the outbreak and discover the truth about the Army of the 12 Monkeys, the
group that may have released the virus in the first place.
"The Army of the 12 Monkeys. See?"
As a result, we get a movie full of goofy characters, timey-wimey twists, and some bleak
visions of a very weird future.
Thanks to Gilliam's sharp direction and excellent storytelling, as well as impeccable performances
across the board, 12 Monkeys was soundly praised when it was released in 1995, proving to be
a success at the box office as well. Years later, it even spawned a spin-off television
series that premiered in 2015, proving that Gilliam's absurd and creepy story had the
potential to live on throughout different generations.
After Seth Grahame-Smith's 2009 novel, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, became a surprise
smash hit, a film adaptation seemed inevitable. After years in development hell, that adaptation
eventually broke out and ended up on the big screen. The 2016 film stars Lily James as
Lizzie Bennet and Sam Riley as Mr. Darcy. Together, the unlikely couple, along with
their family and friends, have to band together to defeat zombies while still making arrangements
to marry and start their lives together.
Maybe the movie should've stayed in development hell. Critics bashed the film for not being
a particularly fun take on either Jane Austen's original material or the zombie spoof genre,
and clearly, filmgoers felt the same way. The movie was a commercial bomb, earning just
over $16 million on a budget of $28 million. You might think this film would have Austen
rolling over in her grave, but more likely than not, it wouldn't even elicit a posthumous
reaction from the late British satirist.
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