Two Cents’ Worth: What’s Your End of the World Movie?

I’ve had a lot of new segments since I started this blog, but one that I haven’t really had yet is a weekly question for you all, my readers.  A lot of other blogs have done a great jobs starting up discussions with this sort of segment, so I thought I might give a crack at it.

Two Cents’ Worth gives you all to give just that, your two cents’ worth, with a different questions each week.  Seeing as we are rapidly approaching the supposed End of the World (if the Mayans are believed, which I’m just going to assume they aren’t seeing as their foretelling abilities didn’t prevent the fall of their own empire), I thought I might be interesting to see what all of your favorite End-of-Days films are.  Here are the criteria:

•  Must be End of the World, not Post-Apocalyptic
•  World doesn’t necessarily have to be destroyed, only in danger of complete destruction
•  Must be your favorite, not necessarily the best

To kick things off, here is my pick.

Cabin in the Woods (2011)

So I can’t go into why this fits the category without spoiling the movie, but I can explain why I absolutely loved it.

Directed by Drew Goddard (Cloverfield, Lost, Alias) and written by the Nerd God Himself, Joss Whedon, Cabin in the Woods seems like a fairly standard Horror Comedy at first glance.  Once you get past the trailers and actually start watching the movie, however, it becomes clear that Cabin in the Woods is far from just another Evil Dead/Scream ripoff.  If you have seen the movie, you will recognize that there is next to nothing I can do to describe the plot or the overall premise without spoiling some of the biggest aspects of the film, so I’m just going to jump to why this would be my choice for the End of the World.

In general, I appreciate serious, thought-provoking movies, but given the choice I will always go for something with a comedic edge over something bleak and cerebral.  While a lot of mainstream comedies tend to hit their audiences over the head with comedy, I’ve always found that dark comedies tend to hit home more often for me.  Whether the film skews towards the darker side (i.e. Any Tarantino or Coen Brothers movie) or the comedic side (Zombieland, Drop Dead Gorgeous), I always love a good mix of violence and snappy dialogue.  I also love it when movies make a mark in my memory by doing something so differently or so well that they stay with you well after the credits roll.

Anybody else think the main girl looks like a young Uma Thurman?

Both of those things are perfectly combined in this film, and while I do fully understand why it isn’t for everyone, I am more than confident in saying I fall squarely within the “for” category.  Cabin in the Woods takes the sort of witty, amusing dialogue and entertaining character interactions that Whedon perfected on the small screen with shows like Firefly and Buffy the Vampire Slayer and combines it with what I consider the most inventive and effective premises of the year.  Some people only like humor when is tossed in their face, but Whedon’s brand of comedy is so understated that it makes you feel like you are in on an inside joke (Think Two and a Half Men‘s obtrusive laugh track vs. The Office‘s awkward brilliance).  The tone of the film slowly changes from amusing to horror over the first hour, but within the space of about two minutes takes an abrupt turn into one of the most amazingly manic and gut-wrenching finales I’ve ever seen.

Well, there you have it, what I’d like to watch as our world comes to a close.  What is your pick?  Sound off in the comments below!