Simplify Your Family's Emergency Preparedness

Apocalyptic Movies

What to watch with your family

collage of apocalyptic movie posters.

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Getting your family interested in emergency preparedness can be a challenge. Not everyone can easily see why it’s so important. So why not make it more fun? 

 

 

Today I’m sharing 6 apocalyptic movies you can watch with your family. Let Hollywood kickstart a conversation about different ways your family can better prepare for any type of disaster.

 

 

Grab some popcorn, favorite candy and a fizzy drink and settle in for a family movie night.

#1 - Contagion

Contagion movie poster.
Contagion movie poster.

Summary

Picture March of 2020, but way worse. An unknown virus is spreading from an unknown location, killing millions of people.

My Opinion

I like that you see the entire thing unfold, from the first person infected, to what the world looks like months in to the epidemic. I also really like that you get to see the perspective of normal civilians, the media spin on things, and also the CDC’s role in all of it.

This one wasn’t as action-packed as some of the other movies on this list, so my kids weren’t as impressed with this movie. But that’s one of the reasons that it feels more realistic than some of these other ones, too. So … pros and cons. I give it a solid 4 stars.

Conversation Starters/Topics

I think this is a decently realistic movie with a lot of topics to think about.

  1. Quarantine
    I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: Covid was NOTHIN’, folks. That wasn’t really a real quarantine. We have no idea how bad it could have been…
  2. Medical Treatment & Overrun Facilities
    Makeshift medical facilities, medical staff doing their best, scientists working feverishly around the clock to figure out a cure, etc.
  3. Self Defense (against other civilians)
    Let’s just say you get a sense of what desperation does to people, and it’s not always pretty.
  4. Role of the Media in Emergency Situations
    There was a character in this movie who was a vlogger (for lack of a better term), and played a major role in the spread of (mis)information to the public.

#2 - Greenland

Greenland movie poster.
Greenland movie poster.

Summary

A planet-killing asteroid is rapidly approaching Earth, as this family attempts to travel to a government-built bunker located in Greenland. 

My Opinion

My family (teens and tweens) liked it, so that was a win in my book! It was definitely a riveting story, full of action.

Conversation Starters/Topics

This movie is mainly about racing to a destination…there’s not a ton of survival other than fighting the traffic and crowds. However, there were 3 main topics that caught my attention.

  1. Communication
    It’s hard to imagine a situation where our phone calls and text messages just wouldn’t go through. But it’s a very real possibility, especially in a localized emergency situation. This husband and wife were literally at the same facility but couldn’t get ahold of each other when they couldn’t find each other, and therefore, ended up separated as they attempted to travel out of the area. This situation really drives home the importance of having a Family Emergency Plan.
  2. Medication
    The little boy in this movie has a medical condition. This is a topic that is often overlooked, and emphasizes the importance of having extra medications and having a plan for emergency situations.
  3. Skills

    The reason this family had been chosen by the government to “deserve” a spot in the bunker, was because of this man’s skills. The government had hand-picked people who would be able to rebuild life as we know it. This guy wasn’t a rocket scientist – he was an engineer who designed buildings. It’s an interesting topic to consider – what skills would you bring to the table, if you literally had to start from scratch?

#3 - War of the Worlds

war of the worlds movie poster.
war of the worlds movie poster.

Summary

An alien invasion. Blah blah blah. But this one is super weird…

My Opinion

This movie was WEIRD. Not my jam.
But given some of the topics you could get from it, I feel like it has a place in this lineup of movies (and the fact that it’s Tom Cruise…I mean…come on). But no, I did not enjoy watching this movie. We didn’t even show it to the kids. It’s weird. Aliens come to overtake earth and basically grind up human beings and spit out their blood everywhere. It’s weird.

Conversation Starters/Topics

  1. Dealing with Weirdos
    There is a scene with Tim Robbins who is a total textbook doomsday prepper, but with serious mental issues. It’s weird and crazy.
  2. Fried Cars
    An interesting thing that is a real possibility – not necessarily due to aliens, but something like an EMP (see the bonus pick at the end of this post for more info on that).

#4 - A Quiet Place

A Quiet Place movie poster.
A Quiet Place movie poster.

Summary

A family is trying to survive in a world that has been overtaken by blind aliens with super crazy awesome hearing. Translation: you have to be quiet all.the.time. if you want to survive. 

My Opinion

Although this movie looks like a horror movie, it totally isn’t. I actually really liked it! I also love the mom and the dad (Emily Blunt and John Krasinski). It’s one of my kids’ favorite movies, so it’s a great excuse to get some conversations going. It is definitely intense, but not horror. I don’t do horror.

Conversation Starters/Topics

  1. Communication
    They are completely isolated from other survivors, trying to get a radio working to see if anyone else is out there. This is a great segue into the topic of Emergency Communications (ie “HAM” Radio).
  2. Living Off the Land/Off Grid
    Basically life as we know it is no longer a thing. This family is completely alone, figuring out how to make things work (and they are thriving)! Washing clothes by hand, hanging them to dry, growing/catching their own food, etc.  But still living in their same house – it’s pretty incredible. The kids are still doing schoolwork (their mom is their “teacher”), etc.  
  3. Skills
    In a different way than I mentioned with Greenland – rather than having skills that the government would deem necessary to recreate a thriving society, this family relies on their own skills to survive. For example: the dad is working on fixing a radio. The mom is taking her own blood pressure every day as her due date approaches (yes, she’s pregnant)! It’s pretty cool to see how they rise to the occasion rather than just giving up.

#5 - The Impossible

The Impossible movie poster.
The Impossible movie poster.

Summary

The incredible story of a family who was in Thailand on vacation in December 2004 when the Indian Ocean tsunami hit. 

My Opinion

This was a really incredible story – great for the whole family. 

I liked that this was a true story, based on a real event in recent history. It makes it really relatable.
HOWEVER … WARNING … I was not prepared for a full-on naked boob shot of the mom! It wasn’t in a sexual way – she was wounded and needed to take care of it. But still – I was really shocked and it made for an awkward moment as we all sat there and watched it as a family, teenage boys and all. 😳 

But overall, a really great story about a real family who experienced a really terrifying tsunami.

Conversation Starters

  1. Natural Disasters
    They’re real, they happen, and they can happen even while you’re on vacation. I hear a lot of people say, “Oh, we don’t need to worry about earthquakes – we don’t live in a place that gets earthquakes.” But those same families have taken their kids to Disneyland … 
    This family certainly wasn’t expecting to experience any sort of natural disaster. They were staying at a hotel, relaxing at the pool when the tsunami hit. I think this is a really great example of how we really don’t have any control over nature.
  2. Resilience/What Would You Do?
    Sometimes you are put in situations where you literally just have to keep going. Sometimes you just have to figure it out until you find help. Not to freak your kids out or anything, but I think this could lend to some really helpful discussions about what they would do if they were separated from the family in a situation similar to this.

Bonus Book Recommendation

One Second After

one second after book cover.
one second after book cover.

Summary

Picture March of 2020, but way worse. An unknown virus is spreading from an unknown location, killing millions of people.

My Opinion

I like that you see the entire thing unfold, from the first person infected, to what the world looks like months in to the epidemic.

I like that you get to see the perspective of normal civilians, the media spin on things, and also the CDC’s role in all of it.

Conversation Starters

I think this is a decently realistic movie with a lot of topics to think about.

  • Quarantine
  • Medical Treatment & Overrun Facilities
  • Self Defense (against other civilians)
  • Trust/Distrust in the Media

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