Steffen :
>
> Thank you very much for some great replies. This topic seems to demand a
> lot of discussion, but yes I did say a "short" essay so either I will go
> with one of the sub-sub-genres of the sub-genre or I may look at the
newest
> apocalyptic films. Anyway, thank you very much for your recommendations
and
> thoughts on the topic.

One thing I feel needs mentioning is that the merest surface of
post-apocalyptic movies has been skimmed here, in that all that's been
covered has been the (relatively) *good* films that have come out of the
genre. There has also been a huge amount of bad product made, building on
genre themes in not necessarily obvious ways. In the "good but possibly only
by genre standards" you'll get some based on other media (various Philip K
Dick interpretations, Judge Dredd, Blade, Freejack), many just following the
bandwagon, and even more starring Rutger Hauer (Split Second, Salute Of The
Jugger). And there are loads more in the "straight to video" box for
films... Plus some weird bits like "In The Aftermath" mixing (bad) post
apocalyptic movie with Japanese animation (scenes from "Angel's Egg").

I do doubt that the big-budget post-apocalypse efforts would have emerged
without the Mad Max series, as they progressed it from a bunch of blokes
driving around the desert on the cheap to effects set-piece based science
fiction with a bunch of blokes driving around the desert expensively. I do
agree that the genre existed beforehand, but George Miller showed that it
could do well, and hence that it was worth spending money on. (I suppose the
"bunch of blokes driving in the desert" part really defines it as a
particular sub-genre, but it does avoid the hairy question of
post-apocalyptic or dystopic).

Glad to see Romero's zombies getting their mention from Jim as one
apocalyptic and two post-apocalyse movies.

Nice to see someone coming up with a book (Kevin with "Phoenix from the
ashes"). Slight shame it's a 1987 book, which smacks of immediately post Mad
Max. Anyone able to come up with any more recent reading material ?

Steve W.