Have you ever imagined how future would be? For someone living in 50s or 60s, promise of interstellar exploration, meaningful medical breakthroughs and promises of interstellar exploration meant future. We are more worried of where the advances in science and technology will take us more than anything else. Taking a “U” turn into a horrible place that would dictate the end of our destiny is the most gripping issue that is concerning researchers and activists a lot lately.

Nuclear War Movies

What nuclear war movies are hinting these days is that, the once bright seeming future may turn sour thereby bringing an end to our beautiful planet. Cinematic examples of natural calamities and misuse of marvellous inventions can eventually result in a manmade disaster. The movie Mad Max: Fury Road is based on an after nuclear apocalypse scene where the strong are trying to suppress the weak and using them for maintaining their position of power. Movies follow a similar pattern where a lone warrior is battling a brigade of madmen making an attempt to restart civilization and fighting with the selfish.
Nuclear war certainly poses devastating military threats from nuclear war which was either started by an accident or intentionally. Accidental nuclear war has occurred almost several times already. There are over 15,000 nuclear weapons already available all over the world. The threat of nuclear holocaust is on an all-time high. Nuclear holocaust has become a common feature in film and literature in speculative genres such as post-apocalyptic, dystopian and science fiction.

Thousands of nuclear weapons in 2016 were on hair-trigger alert. Modernization in the field has enhanced the risk associated with nuclear terrorism, accidental nuclear war and nuclear proliferation. Scientists are of opinion that small scale nuclear war between two nations can have devastating global consequences and such conflicts are more likely to trigger full-scale nuclear war.

Philosopher Derek Parfit questions mankind as to what would be the outcome of a war. Would it be peace or a nuclear war that kills 100 percent of the population? He believes that human extinction would in itself be a great disaster that can wipe away civilization from Earth.

Nuclear Holocaust Movies

Nuclear holocaust movies are creating awareness about where we are headed to. Several scholars believe that a global thermonuclear war can result in extinction of human race. This has become plausible scientifically after the concept of nuclear winter was conceptualized during 1983. Several models have been developed from the past decade which considers that total extinction is likely to happen and have suggested that some parts of the world would be rendered uninhabitable.

During early 1980s, scientists began considering the effects of soot and smoke arising from plastics, petroleum fuels and wood from the cities that have been devastated by nuclear explosion. It was speculated that the intense heat would drift particulates to high altitudes where would they block a fraction of sunlight. The concept of nuclear winter has been captured in several movies based on nuclear apocalypse such as Dr. Strangelove. Movies are in a way creating awareness amongst people who are not aware of scientific terminologies and what can an apocalypse result in.

Nuclear – Themed Movies

Nuclear-themed movies highlight the growing concern amongst the masses as to what would happen if nations lose their decorum and indulge in a nuclear warfare, which would result in total annihilation. The movies shed light upon what can happen and what would be the result of such an event. Is human race equipped to take such risks? Can we still survive after a nuclear warfare? What would life be after everything has been reduced to ashes? These questions surface whenever you watch a movie that is based on nuclear- apocalypse theme.

It is hard to estimate the casualties that would result from nuclear winter or any other event associated with the nuclear war. However, it is likely that the primary impact would be global famine which could result in mass starvation due to disruption and production of food grains. As per a report published in 2013, more than two billion people would be at increased risk of dying from starvation in case of a nuclear exchange between Pakistan and India or during the usage of a proportion of nuclear arms between Russia and the US.

Various independent studies prove that the agricultural outputs would be greatly impacted by climatic changes that would be driven by nuclear wars. Reduction in supply of food would as well be exacerbated by increase in price of food commodities, thereby impacting millions of vulnerable people in the poorest nations. Nuclear-themed movies carry a strong point with them. It is essential for general public to remain educated and for the leaders to understand the consequences of any such event on the common man.