Apocalypse Movies [Paperback]

Kim Newman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2002

"Vivid, intelligently critical, perhaps best book ever written on the subject. Film history is all about choices. Newman's concise, no-bones prose keeps you humming through the book, all the way from the post-WWII 'bomber command' cycle of American war films through the 'asteroid-threatens-the- earth' cycle of the late 1990s (even an aside to last year's 'Arlington Road.') Special treats: two chapters devoted to the now classic fifties cyles 'Monsters & Mutants,' and 'Norms vs. Mutates.' The common thread, from post-1945 on, is The Bomb, and as Newman's sublime thesis suggests, ALL MOVIES post WWII have had to acknowledge the reality of the nuclear genie in some way. Most insightful chapters: 'Learning to Love the Bomb,' focusing on sci-fi films during mid-sixties, early-seventies detente' and 'There ain't no Sedalia!' examines the last major burst of made-for-TV nuclear war movies in the mid-(Reagan)eighties. Newman's critical eye, sharp prose turns this into a landmark book of film scholarship. Film buffs: buy it, read it, read it again."

Product Details

• Paperback: 276 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press (November 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312253699
• ISBN-13: 978-0312253691
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #222,457 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perhaps Best Book Ever Written on the Subject, March 11, 2000

By 

Reader from SF-Bay area. - See all my reviews

This review is from: Apocalypse Movies (Paperback)

Had heard of Kim Newman from his 'Anno Dracula' novels (esp. the well-done 'Bloody Red Baron.')

When I saw this book on shelf, couldn't believe it. Couldn't believe the author.

Newman has also contributed to some of the Overlook Encyclopedias of Film.

In short: Vivid, intelligently critical, perhaps best book ever written on the subject.

Film history is all about choices. Newman's concise, no-bones prose keeps you humming through the book, all the way from the post-WWII 'bomber command' cycle of American war films through the 'asteroid-threatens-the- earth' cycle of the late 1990s (even an aside to last year's 'Arlington Road.')

Special treats: two chapters devoted to the now classic fifties cyles 'Monsters & Mutants,' and 'Norms vs. Mutates.'

The common thread, from post-1945 on, is The Bomb, and as Newman's sublime thesis suggests, ALL MOVIES post WWII have had to acknowledge the reality of the nuclear genie in some way.

Most insightful chapters: 'Learning to Love the Bomb,' focusing on sci-fi films during mid-sixties, early-seventies detente' and 'There ain't no Sedalia!' examines the last major burst of made-for-TV nuclear war movies in the mid-(Reagan)eighties.

Newman's critical eye, sharp prose turns this into a landmark book of film scholarship.

Film buffs: buy it, read it, read it again.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The End of the World Was Never So Much Fun, February 20, 2001

By 

Ricky Hunter (New York City, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Apocalypse Movies (Paperback)

To appreciate this book you must have enjoyed watching either giant insects (of any sort) or a zombie-like person stumbling after someone with a delicious brain. If either of these concepts sound like a bad idea for cinema, this book may not be for you. Kim Newman's Apocalypse Movies (End of the World Cinema) is a joy to read as he takes the reader through a rogue's gallery of weird charaters while charting the science fiction and horror movies that have signaled mankind's doom since cinema began. The book is well researched, nicely written and much fun. These joyous films will be presented to the reader in a new and larger context that will only deepen their delightfully guilty pleasure. A wonderful book.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a Way To Go!, April 2, 2003

By 

Edward Garea "Edward Garea" (Branchville, New Jersey United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Apocalypse Movies (Paperback)

When I first picked up this book I was expecting a cursory explanation of movies such as "Five" or "On the Beach," each film accompanied by a long-winded explication of the movie's social relevance and dull political analysis. To say I was pleasantly surprised upon reading this book is, to say the least, putting it mildly.

Newman covers the phenomenon of end-of-the-world films with a zest and a writing style rarely seen in works such as this. He deftly traces the genesis of the movies back to their ancestors in literature, even citing Mary Shelley's "The Last Man," her second science-fiction novel. (It was written in 1826 and is about a plague that destroys mankind.) It takes a thorough knowledge of the subject-matter to be able to speak of Mary Shelley in the same breath as Roger Corman. And it takes a thoroughly facile writing style to keep us interested until the back cover. Fortunately, Newman possesses both.

And did I mention Roger Corman? Yes I did, and this is what makes the book such a delight. Newman covers all end-of-the-world movies, noting correctly that the world does not necessarily have to end; the threat is enough. Whether it's "The Thing From Another World," or the ants of "Them," or even the paper-mache crabs of Corman's "Attack of the Crab Monsters," each film gets its due in Newman's pages.

So for those who wiled away a Saturday afternoon watching Godzilla save Tokyo from yet another guy in a monster suit, remember: you weren't just watching a Grade-Z movie, you were watching an apocalypse movie.