The Best Movies About Disease Outbreaks are an interesting genre of the movie with few examples available in theaters. Due to its subject matter and how it can make people feel uncomfortable or uneasy, most people avoid these types of films. But with Hollywood’s pressure to produce new and different content, we may see more movies with this theme available in theaters soon enough.
- Contagion, 2011
Contagion is a 2011 U.S. medical disaster film that dramatizes a global pandemic of deadly disease, based on the best-selling novel by Michael Crichton. The movie was released in North America on October 21, 2011 and stars an ensemble cast of Jodie Foster, Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Laurence Fishburne, Marion Cotillard and Jude Law among others. In Contagion the world is hit by a pandemic that kills more than 25% of the global population after an airborne spread of germs from animals to humans. The movie begins with a woman in Hong Kong who contracts H5N1 avian flu from her nephews who are playing with bird feathers then falls into coma before dying. The virus then spreads globally
- I Am Legend, 2007
I Am Legend is a 2007 movie that tells the story of a man who survives a global pandemic. The movie depicts how he has to cope with loneliness and the fear of his own death as well as fighting off other zombies. The movie offers an insight into what it would be like to be completely on your own in times of crisis, while also highlighting some valuable lessons about self-reliance and family bonds.
- 28 Days Later, 2002
In the movie, a virus that causes a pandemic is unleashed from a lab in London. 28 Days Later is a 2002 British horror film directed by Danny Boyle and starring Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris and Brendan Gleeson. The film depicts the breakdown of society following the accidental release of a virus that kills within 28 days. A sequel, 28 Weeks Later, was released on 11 May 2007.
- World War Z, 2013
World War Z is a 2013 American apocalyptic action horror film directed by Marc Forster. The screenplay by Matthew Michael Carnahan and Damon Lindelof is from a screen story by Carnahan and J. Michael Straczynski, based on the 2006 novel of the same name by Max Brooks. The film stars Brad Pitt as Gerry Lane, a former United Nations investigator who must travel the world in order to find a way to stop the zombie pandemic that is toppling armies and governments, while putting his family in danger.
- Outbreak, 1995
The 1995 movie Outbreak is the most accurate depiction of how disease can quickly spread in a population. This movie is based on a true story and shows what happens when people ignore doctors’ advice to get vaccinated. The movie discusses subjects like disease ecology, emerging diseases, and public health policy because it’s important to know if scenes in the movie are realistic or not. It also provides insight into things like quarantine procedures and how quickly bacteria can develop resistance to antibiotics when people don’t take doctors’ advice seriously enough.
- 28 Weeks Later, 2007
The film, 28 Weeks Later (2007) is a sequel and the second installment in the loosely connected “28 Days Later” trilogy. The events of the movie take place six months after those of its predecessor, 28 Days Later (2002).
- Resident Evil, 2002
Resident Evil is a 2002 horror film written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson. The film is the first installment in the Resident Evil series, which has since expanded to encompass video games, novels, comics and animation. Resident Evil follows the actions of Alice (played by Milla Jovovich) and her battle against a powerful corporation known as Umbrella Corporation that controls the world with deadly living bio-weapons called zombies and other creatures that it creates from human DNA.
- 12 Monkeys, 1995
12 Monkeys is a 1995 science fiction film directed by Terry Gilliam. The movie tells the story of 12 Monkeys, a deadly virus that has wiped out most of humanity. The movie is set in 2035, when James Cole (played by Bruce Willis) is sent back in time to find the original virus and bring it to the scientists in order to create a vaccine.
- The Crazies, 2010
The Crazies is a 2010 American horror film directed by Breck Eisner and written by Scott Kosar and Ray Wright. It tells the story of an outbreak of a fictional virus in the fictional town of Foster Valley, Pennsylvania. The film stars Timothy Olyphant as Sheriff David Dutton and Radha Mitchell as Dr. Kathy Redman. The Crazies’ story centers on Sheriff Dutton’s attempts to quell both the violence caused by those infected with the virus as well as those who refuse to heed his warnings about it until he has to quarantine himself when his son becomes infected; Dr. Redman’s
- The Stand, 1994
The Stand is a 1994 American apocalyptic supernatural horror film directed by Mick Garris. The movie is based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. The film depicts an outbreak of superflu that wipes out most of humanity, leaving behind some immune survivors. The Stand was nominated for three Saturn Awards and won two, for Best Fantasy Film and Best Supporting Actor (Gary Sinise). Critics have noted that it is one of the best-adapted screen versions of a King work.
- Dawn of the Dead, 2004
Dawn of the Dead is a 2004 horror movie, and it’s one of the more iconic ones in the zombie genre. It was directed by Zack Snyder, written by James Gunn and stars Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Michael Kelly, Jake Weber. The movie depicts a fictional world where a virus has turned most of humanity into zombies. The zombies are slow and clumsy but inexorable, and they have no known cure or vaccine.
- Children of Men, 2006
The 2006 film by director Alfonso Cuaron, Children of Men, is a dystopian thriller about a world where women have become infertile and civilization is on the verge of collapse. It portrays a world where the only hope for the future lies in the unborn child. But as society starts to unravel and violence erupts all around them, even this most cherished hope looks impossible. The movie follows Theo, who has been recruited to carry out a secret mission that may be key to finding out what has happened to humanity’s ability to reproduce.
- Quarantine, 2008
Quarantine is a 2008 American supernatural horror film written and directed by John Erick Dowdle. The film follows the story of a television news crew that’s quarantined in their television station after being infected with a zombie virus. The movie Quarantine is worth mentioning because it depicts the scary scenario of mass hysteria in the event of an outbreak. It is also one of the most successful films about disease outbreaks with an 8.1 rating on IMDB.
- The Andromeda Strain, 1971
The Andromeda Strain is a 1971 movie that was based on the novel of the same name by Michael Crichton. It is about a group of scientists who are working on an experiment to find life outside Earth. The Andromeda Strain is a science-fiction thriller that has been seen as one of the best movies out there about disease outbreaks. The movie was made based on Michael Crichton’s novel of the same name, which was published in 1969.
- Rise of the Planet of the Apes, 2011
The movie has a very important message which is to learn to co-exist with the animal world in order to make it habitable for both humans and animals. The film is set in 20th century America. The main character of the film, Will Rodman, is a scientist who studies apes. He creates a cure for Alzheimer’s disease using an extract from an ape’s brain. However, the virus mutates and turns him into an ape instead of a human being. The film follows his journey as he seeks out other apes and learns how they live in order to find a cure for himself.
