8 Highest-Rated World War III Scenario Movies, Ranked by IMDb
People need little reason to go to war, and the threat of World War III has frightened us for more than half a century. Hollywood reflects these fears by depicting different World War III scenarios in thrillers, comedies and documentaries.
The 20th century brought humanity new discoveries and new fears. Poison gas, which was used during World War I, was replaced by a new weapon of mass destruction: the atomic bomb, which could potentially spark World War III.
The threat of World War III was especially acute in the 1960s, but even more than half a century later, these fears persist and are reflected in cinema.
8. 'The Sum of All Fears', 2002
IMDb Score: 6.5/10
In 2002, a Syrian farmer found an atomic bomb that the Israeli Air Force had lost during the Yom Kippur War in 1973 on the Golan Heights. He sold it to arms dealer Olson for $400.
Olson then sold the bomb to Austrian neo-fascist Dressler. Meanwhile, the Russian President died of a heart attack. Alexander Nemerov, considered a hardliner in Washington, becomes the new president.
Concerned about this, US President Robert Fowler sends CIA Director Jack Ryan to Russia to assess the implementation of the nuclear weapons disposal program.
The Sum of All Fears is an extremely realistic portrayal of what could happen if even one nuclear warhead falls into the wrong hands.
7. 'The Day After', 1983
IMDb Score: 7.0/10
It's an ordinary, peaceful town in Texas where life goes on as usual. Everyone watches TV and listens to the radio. However, they do not take the reports of conflicts on the border of the NATO and USSR zones of influence seriously.
Then, suddenly, the ground near the town opened up. Missiles soared into the sky and headed for the USSR.
The events of The Day After are divided into two parts: before and after the war that lasted only a few minutes but completely turned everything upside down. The second part of the movie depicts life after the last war in human history.
6. 'WarGames', 1983
IMDb Score: 7.1/10
Schoolboy David is a genius of programming. He is so good that he not only bypasses the school system and changes his and his friend's grades, but also hacks the US military command system.
Later, the military base receives a message about the need for combat readiness, and the world is one step away from World War III.
Director John Badham raises an important question about how easily irreversible actions are sometimes committed. When David hacks into the military system, he treats it like a game and doesn't suspect where it could lead.
5. 'The Man Who Saved the World', 2014
IMDb Score: 7.5/10
Sometimes, the real heroes are the unsung saviors who remain in the shadows. This was particularly true of Soviet officer Stanislav Petrov, who, in September 1983, recorded a computer failure in the missile attack warning system. This prevented a potential third world war.
Peter Anthony's documentary recounts the life of the retired officer – a forgotten man offered the opportunity to travel to the US and share his story from forty years ago.
In The Man Who Saved the World, Anthony captures the reality of the past and the present, both of which remain vulnerable to nuclear arsenals and the threat of radioactive ash.
4. 'When the Wind Blows', 1986
IMDb Score: 7.7/10
Perhaps no story about nuclear war is more touching than that of British citizens Jim and Hilda, an elderly couple.
One day during the Cold War, the governments made a fatal decision, and missiles shot up, sowing death and destruction.
After surviving the bombing, Jim and Hilda faced countless difficulties, sometimes comical but often tragic. However, they fully understand how different this new war is from World War II, which they remember so well, when they experience radiation sickness.
3. 'Seven Days in May', 1964
IMDb Score: 7.8/10
John Frankenheimer's political thriller Seven Days in May was released the same year as Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove, which overshadowed it. However, it is still worthy of attention.
Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, and Ava Gardner star in this drama about an attempted military coup in which an Air Force general plans to remove a president who is losing the support of the people.
The plot becomes more suspenseful when the general's aide discovers evidence that the general is planning a coup and wage war against Russia by any means necessary.
2. 'Fail Safe', 1964
IMDb Score: 8.0/10
Just one computer error and humanity is finished. Sidney Lumet's Fail Safe is a story about an irreparable mistake made by the American security infrastructure.
Bombers are en route to Moscow, and the president is doing everything in his power to prevent a conflict. He goes through all the stages, from hope for a resolution to fatalistic resignation.
Lumet's movie also remained in the shadow of Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove – the two films have the same theme and a similar premonition of an imminent apocalypse, as well as a reflection on the world order of 1964.
1. 'Dr. Strangelove', 1964
IMDb Score: 8.3/10
Dr. Strangelove satirizes Cold War politics and the narrow-mindedness of governments constantly fearing an atomic bombing.
General Jack D. Ripper, an Air Force base commander obsessed with the idea that Communists are out to steal Americans' "precious bodily fluids," sends a squadron of nuclear-armed bombers to bomb the USSR.
President Muffley attempts to avert disaster by convening his advisers, including the courageous General Turgidson and the wheelchair-bound former Nazi scientist Dr. Strangelove.
