Customer Reviews

Apocalypse Movies

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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.

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.

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.

I had the good fortune of stumbling on this book accidentally, and as post-nuclear literature and film is a hobby of mine, I snatched it up and immediately read it cover to cover. I have rarely been so impressed by any book about film. Newman provides a fantastic survey of post-nuclear, disaster, and other "apocalypse" types of movies while maintaining a scholar's approach and a likable wit. The writing style flows easily, and the humor helps maintain a slightly "human" perspective about such grim subject matter.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in post-nuclear or disaster/apocalpse movies either for fun, research, or learning. The lists of movies, let alone the discussion of them, make this book worth every penny.

That is about it. This book contains more movie names and pictures than you would get in 10 of them there movie magazines.

However the writing is more of a rattling with a few names dropped now and then to try to keep it coherent. There are a few tidbits of history and biography with no real backup information and the author is strongly opinionated.

If you already know the movie then you can find this interesting as memorabilia and the pictures are fun for reminiscing. However, if you have not already seen the movie, at best this book will give you some titles to look-up. There the author has no time or inclination to really explain much as the next sentence must be reserved for another movie or two.

There is a small three-page bibliography that does not contain any ISBN numbers.

There is an extensive index to help handle the volume of titles. I looked-up "Them!" and got several references that were half sentences talking about something else and said like in the movie "Them!."

Again the black and white stills from the movies are worth while.


Atomic Bomb Cinema: The Apocalyptic Imagination on Film

Kim Newman's Apocalypse Movies (End of the World Cinema) is actually broader than the title implies as it covers all forms of threats to humanity over the decades in cinema. It is a fascinating, well-researched account that lets the author roam freely and entertainly over the horror and science fiction cinematic landscape. This book will have the reader running to the video store in order to spend many hours sitting in the dark watching (or more likely) re-watching much schlock (glorious, glorious shlock) with a new perspective and an ability to put these tarnished gems in their broader context. A wonderful read for film buffs or those who would like to become one.

A misleading title. Most of the movies listed here are NOT "apocalypse" films. There is also very little analysis. A pretty book with little substance. Poor.