The war is already over as the film opens.
Gregory Peck stars as the commander of a US sub which resurfaces after the war and docks in Melbourne.
He then closes on a chilling shot of an empty and silent San Francisco harbor.
We were all just pawns in a stupid game being played by faceless power-mad zealots.
Thank god, then, for the Cuban Missile Crisis in October of 1962.
It doesnt have a happy ending.
The trick then is to get all the kids back to their homes before its too late.
Even thePeanutsstrip contained a few fallout jokes.
Still I was obsessed with the possibility, and ached to see that rising mushroom cloud in the distance.
The movies had a way of making the Apocalypse seem totally fucking awesome.
That same year also sawChosen Survivors, starring Jackie Cooper and genre regulars Bradford Dillman and Richard Jaeckel.
Ive always been a sucker for any movie with a President in it.
Although the Soviets are mentioned a few times, its less a Cold War picture than a post-Vietnam film.
But thats not his real beef.
We even get a brief turn fromThis Is Not a Tests Seamon Glass.
In a ten-minute prologue, we get some lighthearted banter during the change of crews inside a missile silo.
Cant say Ive seen another nuke film have a go at do anything similar.
After that, sadly, its all pretty dumb and slow.
Never put much stock in a film best remembered for its central vehicle.
Then along came Ronald Reagan, and when he was elected in 1980, hoo-nellie!
), who wouldnt want to see the whole damn world go kablammo?
Things very slowly escalate.
Problem is, the pacing and performances are so lackluster its hard to tell things are getting more exciting.
Guess they couldnt afford to disappoint all the annihilation-happy viewers whod tuned in expecting to see the worst.
A few political commentators, however, blasted it as nothing more than cheap, fear-mongering liberal propaganda.
In the films second half, the main characters all make a run at cope.
The film then ends with a deliberate echo of the closing lines of Orson Welles 1938War of the Worldsbroadcast.
Its also the only major nuke film to take into account the Electromagnetic Pulse, which I always appreciated.
Even though they survive the blast, its all pretty much downhill from there.
Plus it has a surprising soundtrack full of pop hits by David Bowie and Roger Waters!
What makes it all the weirder was that writer/director Steve De Jarnatt finished the script forMiracle Milein 1979.
Other studios were likewise interested, but likewise wanted to change the ending.
Were left as much in the dark as Edwards, which only makes the ending that much more shocking.
The film opens with some promise.
US-Soviet relations have thawed considerably, though not everyone is happy about this.
Thats when things get complicated.
While trying to escape Washington before a missile strike, the Presidents helicopter crashes and hes presumed dead.
Problem is, Martin Landau isnt quite dead yet.
So yes, theres plenty ofStrangeloveandSeven DaysandFail-Safehere, but with a few important digressions.
After that, any subsequent nuke films would be little more than fuzzy nostalgia.
It all seems like so much ancient history.
Oh wait, NO IT DOESNT.
Yet looking back on all these films, I cant help but feel weve lost something important.
They were, after all, some pretty exciting times.
