What do you want to watch tonight?
Each title says who it's good for, and who it isn't. Tap what you want tonight, or say no to one and why.
Closest to 2012 first
The Day After Tomorrow 2004
Film
After paleoclimatologist Jack Hall is largely ignored by UN officials when presenting his environmental concerns about the beginning of a new Ice Age, his research proves true when a superstorm develops, setting off catastrophic natural disasters throughout the world. Trying to get to his son, Sam, who is trapped in New York City with his friend Laura and others, Jack and his crew must travel to get to Sam before it's too late.
The sides of The Day After Tomorrow
- A new ice age in days
- A father walking to New York
- Wolves in a library
Good for you if
- you like a frozen New York and giant tornadoes.
- you like a father walking through the snow to reach his son in New York.
Bad for you if
- you need the climate science to be accurate.
- you roll your eyes at message movies. The climate warning is said out loud, in speeches.
About: nature · survival · family
Armageddon 1998
Film
When an asteroid threatens to collide with Earth, NASA honcho Dan Truman determines the only way to stop it is to drill into its surface and detonate a nuclear bomb. This leads him to renowned driller Harry Stamper, who agrees to helm the dangerous space mission provided he can bring along his own hotshot crew. Among them is the cocksure A.J. who Harry thinks isn't good enough for his daughter, until the mission proves otherwise.
The sides of Armageddon
- Oil drillers sent to blow up an asteroid
- A father and his daughter
- Animal crackers
Good for you if
- you want a big, loud end-of-the-world film.
- you like a gruff father who can't say how much his daughter means to him.
- you like a crew of rowdy drillers who'd follow Harry anywhere.
Bad for you if
- you need the science to hold up. Here oil drillers are trained as astronauts in a matter of days.
- two and a half hours is too long for you.
About: sacrifice · family · heroism
World War Z 2013
Film
Life for former United Nations investigator Gerry Lane and his family seems content. Suddenly, the world is plagued by a mysterious infection turning whole human populations into rampaging mindless zombies. After barely escaping the chaos, Lane is persuaded to go on a mission to investigate this disease. What follows is a perilous trek around the world where Lane must brave horrific dangers and long odds to find answers before human civilization falls.
The sides of World War Z
- A father racing across the world
- Zombies that run in swarms
- A walk through a lab
Good for you if
- you like a pandemic told as a race against time.
- you like zombies piling up against a wall.
- you want disaster on a world scale.
Bad for you if
- you want gory zombies. This one keeps the bites off screen.
- you want a zombie story that builds slowly. Philadelphia falls in the first ten minutes.
About: survival · family · pandemic
War of the Worlds 2005
Film
Ray Ferrier is a divorced dockworker and less-than-perfect father. Soon after his ex-wife and her new husband drop off his teenage son and young daughter for a rare weekend visit, a strange and powerful lightning storm touches down.
The sides of War of the Worlds
- A father fleeing with his kids
- Tripods rising from the ground
- A cellar and a probe
Good for you if
- you like an invasion seen from the ground, from a family's view.
- you like terrifying destruction scenes.
- you like a long, quiet scene hiding in a basement.
Bad for you if
- you want something for the kids. Here two children run from an alien invasion, terrified.
- you need the science to hold up. The tripods were buried under our cities long before us.
About: survival · fatherhood · fear
San Andreas 2015
Film
In the aftermath of a massive earthquake in California, a rescue-chopper pilot makes a dangerous journey across the state in order to rescue his estranged daughter.
The sides of San Andreas
- The big one hits California
- A rescue pilot looking for his daughter
- A tsunami in San Francisco
Good for you if
- you want cities collapsing on a giant screen.
- you like daring rescues.
Bad for you if
- you roll your eyes at big sincere moments. San Andreas ends with an American flag over the ruins.
- you want a film about people more than events. Here the earthquake drives every scene.
About: family · survival
Mad Max: Fury Road 2015
Film
An apocalyptic story set in the furthest reaches of our planet, in a stark desert landscape where humanity is broken, and most everyone is crazed fighting for the necessities of life. Within this world exist two rebels on the run who just might be able to restore order.
The sides of Mad Max: Fury Road
- One long chase across the desert
- A warrior woman leading an escape
- Cars, fire and a flamethrower guitar
Good for you if
- you want two hours that almost never stop moving.
- you like orange deserts and blue nights that look like paintings.
- you like a desert world with its own rules, from war boys to a warlord who rations the water.
Bad for you if
- brutal crashes and wounds ruin a film for you.
- you want a story told in words. Nobody here talks much.
About: freedom · survival · water
Interstellar 2014
Film
On a dying Earth, a former NASA pilot leaves his two children behind to travel through a wormhole and look for a planet humans can live on.
The sides of Interstellar
- The father and the daughter
- The science you can believe
- The organ and the silence
- The loneliness out there
Good for you if
- goodbyes hit you harder than explosions.
- you like wormholes, black holes and a planet where one hour costs years.
- you want to feel very small in your seat.
Bad for you if
- you'd rather not think about relativity and time stretching to follow a plot.
- big speeches about love make you roll your eyes.
- nearly three hours is too much for one evening.
About: time · sacrifice · home · the people left behind
Terminator 2: Judgment Day 1991
Film
Ten years after the events of the original, a reprogrammed T-800 is sent back in time to protect young John Connor from the shape-shifting T-1000. Together with his mother Sarah, he fights to stop Skynet from triggering a nuclear apocalypse.
The sides of Terminator 2: Judgment Day
- A killer robot sent to protect a boy
- A mother preparing for the end
- A liquid metal enemy
Good for you if
- you like a truck chasing a boy's dirt bike down the Los Angeles river canals.
- you like a villain that can become anyone.
- you like a bond growing between a boy and the machine sent to protect him.
Bad for you if
- you need the science to hold up. A liquid metal man pulls himself back together from puddles.
- shootouts and a nightmare of fire are too much for you.
About: fate · family · humanity
Jurassic Park III 2001
Film
In need of funds for research, Dr. Alan Grant accepts a large sum of money to accompany Paul and Amanda Kirby on an aerial tour of the infamous Isla Sorna. It isn't long before all hell breaks loose and the stranded wayfarers must fight for survival as a host of new -- and even more deadly -- dinosaurs try to make snacks of them.
The sides of Jurassic Park III
- A plane crash on the dinosaur island
- A boy who survived alone
- A bigger predator
Good for you if
- you like a dinosaur fight.
- you like a short, fast survival film.
Bad for you if
- you or young kids scare easily. Pterosaurs attack in a fog-filled aviary.
- you need the logic to hold up. A satellite phone rings inside a dinosaur.
About: survival · family
Jurassic World 2015
Film
Twenty-two years after the events of Jurassic Park, Isla Nublar now features a fully functioning dinosaur theme park, Jurassic World, as originally envisioned by John Hammond.
The sides of Jurassic World
- A dinosaur theme park open to the public
- A new dinosaur that escapes
- A trainer and his raptors
Good for you if
- you want big dinosaurs on a big screen.
- you like chases through a jungle and a crowded park.
- you like the dream of a dinosaur park open to the public, at last.
Bad for you if
- you watch for the people more than the dinosaurs. Here the creatures are the stars.
- you'd rather not be scared. The Indominus rex hunts the park's guards through the jungle.
About: greed · nature · control
Maze Runner: The Death Cure 2018
Film
Thomas leads his group of escaped Gladers on their final and most dangerous mission yet. To save their friends, they must break into the legendary Last City, a WCKD-controlled labyrinth that may turn out to be the deadliest maze of all. Anyone who makes it out alive will get answers to the questions the Gladers have been asking since they first arrived in the maze.
The sides of Maze Runner: The Death Cure
- A rescue from a walled city
- A cure that costs lives
- A train heist
Good for you if
- you like a train heist to start.
- you like a group that never leaves anyone behind.
Bad for you if
- two hours and twenty minutes is a lot for your evening.
- you lose track easily. Thomas, Newt, Minho, Teresa, Gally and Brenda each have their own path.
About: friendship · sacrifice · trust
Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials 2015
Film
Thomas and his fellow Gladers face their greatest challenge yet: searching for clues about the mysterious and powerful organization known as WCKD. Their journey takes them to the Scorch, a desolate landscape filled with unimaginable obstacles. Teaming up with resistance fighters, the Gladers take on WCKD’s vastly superior forces and uncover its shocking plans for them all.
The sides of Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials
- Out of the maze, into a desert
- An organisation that lied
- Infected people in the dark
Good for you if
- you like nonstop running and escapes.
- you like zombie-like threats in ruined cities.
Bad for you if
- you'd rather slow down with the characters. The Gladers barely stop running across the Scorch.
- jump scares in the dark are too much for you.
About: trust · survival · rebellion
Independence Day 1996
Film
Strange phenomena surface around the globe. The skies ignite. Terror races through the world's major cities. As these extraordinary events unfold, it becomes increasingly clear that a force of incredible magnitude has arrived. Its mission: total annihilation over the Fourth of July weekend. The last hope to stop the destruction is an unlikely group of people united by fate and unimaginable circumstances.
The sides of Independence Day
- Giant saucers over every city
- The White House blown up
- A president's speech
Good for you if
- you want the classic alien invasion on a world scale.
- you like Will Smith's one-liners, like the punch that comes with "Welcome to Earth".
- you like a rousing speech before the final battle.
Bad for you if
- you lose track of big casts. It cuts between a pilot, a cable engineer, a president and a drunk crop duster.
- you need the science to hold up. A cable engineer decodes alien signals off a TV feed.
About: unity · survival · courage
Prison Break 2005
Series
Due to a political conspiracy, an innocent man is sent to death row and his only hope is his brother, who makes it his mission to deliberately get himself sent to the same prison in order to break the both of them out, from the inside out.
The sides of Prison Break
- An innocent man on death row
- A brother with the prison plans tattooed on his body
- A breakout from Fox River
Good for you if
- you like a plan that can fall apart in every episode.
- you like an escape plan hidden in the tattoos covering Michael's body.
- you like two brothers who will risk anything for each other.
Bad for you if
- you need an escape plan that could work in real life.
- five seasons of escapes and manhunts is too much for you.
About: brotherhood · injustice · freedom · conspiracy
The Hunger Games 2012
Film
In a dystopian society where the Capitol forces each district to send two young tributes to fight to the death in a televised spectacle, a girl volunteers to take her sister’s place, setting the stage for a struggle of survival and defiance.
The sides of The Hunger Games
- Survival in the arena
- Peeta or Gale
- A rebellion against the Capitol
- The show around the games
Good for you if
- you like a hunt where anyone could die next.
- you like a heroine who survives with a bow and her wits.
- you like a girl who takes her little sister's place.
Bad for you if
- teenagers killing teenagers is too much for you.
- two hours and twenty minutes is long for your evening, and it's only the first film.
About: survival · spectacle · rebellion
Transformers: Age of Extinction 2014
Film
As humanity picks up the pieces after the battle of Chicago, a shadowy group reveals itself in an attempt to control the direction of history…while an ancient, powerful new menace sets Earth in its crosshairs. With help from Cade Yeager, Optimus Prime and the Autobots rise to meet their most fearsome challenge yet.
The sides of Transformers: Age of Extinction
- An inventor finds Optimus in a barn
- Robots hunted by humans
- Robot dinosaurs
Good for you if
- you want robot dinosaurs, nothing else.
- you like nonstop destruction.
Bad for you if
- you need things to make sense. Here alien robots turn into trucks and dinosaurs.
- nearly three hours of explosions is far too long for you.
About: family · war
Mission: Impossible - Fallout 2018
Film
When an IMF mission ends badly, the world is faced with dire consequences. As Ethan Hunt takes it upon himself to fulfill his original briefing, the CIA begin to question his loyalty and his motives. The IMF team find themselves in a race against time, hunted by assassins while trying to prevent a global catastrophe.
The sides of Mission: Impossible - Fallout
- Plutonium gone missing
- A HALO jump at night
- A helicopter chase in the mountains
Good for you if
- you like Tom Cruise doing his own stunts, from a skydive to a helicopter.
- you like masks and double-crosses where nobody is who they seem.
- you like a countdown to two nuclear bombs that never lets you breathe.
Bad for you if
- two and a half hours is too long for your evening.
- you need it believable. Ethan Hunt walks away from crashes no one could survive.
About: loyalty · sacrifice · choices
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire 2013
Film
After surviving the Hunger Games, Katniss and Peeta struggle with the consequences of their victory as unrest spreads across Panem. Forced back into the spotlight, they become symbols of hope and resistance while the Capitol prepares a new and deadly challenge that will change the future of the nation forever.
The sides of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
- Victors sent back into the arena
- A spark becoming a revolution
- A jungle full of traps
Good for you if
- you like the dread of being sent back into an arena you barely survived.
- you like a deadly arena that changes every hour.
- you like a game where nobody is who they seem.
Bad for you if
- fights to the death are too much for you.
- you can't watch trauma up close. Katniss still wakes up screaming from the last Games.
About: rebellion · propaganda · survival
Man of Steel 2013
Film
A young boy learns that he has extraordinary powers and is not of this earth. As a young man, he journeys to discover where he came from and what he was sent here to do. But the hero in him must emerge if he is to save the world from annihilation and become the symbol of hope for all mankind.
The sides of Man of Steel
- A baby sent from a dying planet
- A farm boy hiding his strength
- A city levelled by a fight
Good for you if
- you like flying and fighting at full force.
- you like a Superman raised by two fathers, Jor-El and Jonathan Kent.
- you like Hans Zimmer's rising score as Clark learns to fly.
Bad for you if
- you want a sunny Superman. This Clark spends years hiding who he is, afraid of how the world will react.
- you can't stand endless destruction. Smallville and Metropolis are levelled in the last hour.
About: identity · hope · fathers
Cloverfield 2008
Film
Five young New Yorkers throw their friend a going-away party the night that a monster the size of a skyscraper descends upon the city. Told from the point of view of their video camera, the film is a document of their attempt to survive the most surreal, horrifying event of their lives.
The sides of Cloverfield
- A goodbye party in Manhattan
- A monster attacks the city
- Everything filmed on a camcorder
Good for you if
- you like an attack seen only from the ground.
- you like a monster you barely see.
- you like the Statue of Liberty's head in the street.
Bad for you if
- you want steady, framed images. Everything is shot on a shaking camcorder.
- you need answers. Nobody learns what the monster is or where it came from.
About: survival · love · chaos