It's The End of the World! No Wait...It's Not.

What do the above movies have in common? Apocalypticism—a belief that there will be an apocalypse, an imminent ending of the world. Such a belief is a defining feature in the Christian tradition, notably the book of Revelations and the book of Daniel. Moreover, this belief system has become a means behind many blockbuster hits, generating a wealthy amount of profit for the entertainment industry. As the selective few posters illustrate, there are various interpretations as to how such an event will unfold—global warming, viral infections, natural disasters, these are just a few possibilities out of many. In a sense, these apocalyptic movies are quite "monstrous" in their own way; like zombies, vampires and other literal monsters, the "end of times" also addresses yet another fear humans have surrounding death: global destruction. The difference, however, is that apocalypticism addresses humanity's fear on a much more macroscopic and global level compared to that of monsters.

Usually imbued at the end of such apocalyptic movies are survivors and the restoration of the Earth back to its simplistic way. This can actually reflect the way of thinking that many apocalyptic Americans hold—that there has been a loss of a golden age, creating both nostalgia and a hopeful mindset that it such an age can be restored again. From a Christian perspective, survivors in apocalyptic movies can be comparable to Jesus himself in the sense that both were able to triumph over death although within such comparison also arises a contrast: Jesus resembles the triumph of death towards a path of eternal life; human survivors, on the other hand, are still mortal and susceptible to dying. Furthermore, Jesus is s redeemer, a saviour of all humanity whereas humans cannot achieve the same feat. Nevertheless, the ultimate idea here is that apocalypticism is but another "monster" bringing the reality and idea of death closer to humanity and aside from its entertainment purposes; it also helps us address the sociophobics surrounding death.