Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Break Down The Biggest Problems Apocalyptic Films Never Properly Address

body of water under gray clouds

body of water under gray clouds

Reddit user ShinyDisc0Balls asked: 'What's a problem that's never addressed in apocalyptic movies?'

Make us preferred on Google

Some people say, "It's just a movie. There's no need to think so deeply about it."

However, some plotlines are just too problematic not to notice.


Despite people pointing these problems out, they are rarely ever addressed.

These problems can be as minor as a woman having perfectly manicured nails despite being trapped in a cave for an extended period of time to something as big as characters not contracting life-threatening diseases despite not having proper nutrition, shelter, or medical care for years.

Redditors have noticed this too and were ready to share what they think are the biggest problems in apocalyptic films that are never addressed.

It all started when Redditor ShinyDisc0Balls asked:

"What's a problem that's never addressed in apocalyptic movies?"

Vroom, Vroom

"If it goes on long enough, keeping cars operational. Tires going bad, gasoline going bad, even fuel lines going bad if a car's been sitting for a few years. Mice chewing on the wires. Sometimes they'll show the effort to obtain gas (but never address it going bad over time) and sometimes they'll show a battery being jumped, but mostly it's hop in a car you just found and drive off."

– froglover215

"Station Eleven (the novel, haven’t seen the show) was very fixated on the idea that gasoline goes bad after about three years. After that, it’s all horses all the time."

– Yellwsub

Medical Issues

"No one has dysentery. Everyone would have dysentery."

– YaBoyfriendKeefa

"Especially if you’re on the Oregon Trail."

– rapalosaur

""Where are we going?""

"Oregon"

""F**k""

– Buckus93

"Disease. Seriously if most doctors and infrastructure are gone, people would be dying left and right, and zombies or radiation would be the least of their problems."

"Appendicitis. I didn't even think of things like that! People would die of pretty routine stuff that they couldn't get treated easily."

– Affectionate_Ad_7802

"The big killer with food poisoning is all the water you lose when your body literally flushes out whatever you ate."

– P-Tux7

Or Dental Issues

"Dental care. How many people would be straight up dying from abscesses, or in pain from f**ked teeth."

– softcore_UFO

Silence Is Golden

"Why do "traditional zombies" only make noise when they're right up in your business?"

"Zombie moving through the woods in stealth mode, no branches snapping, no leaves rustling, no moaning or growls."

"But right when they're about to get their funky zombie mitts all over your throat, they are loud as sh*t."

"What's the deal?"

– Reddit

No Escape

""Speaking of which, why don't they ever use bicycles to get around? They're quiet, comparatively low maintenance, can go over most ground, and definitely faster than any zombie."

Sayakai

"Realism" (within the context of zombies) has always been my go-to for why slow zombies are scary enough on their own and fast zombies are a lazy shortcut."

"Yeah, they're slow and loud and clumsy. A brisk walk is enough to get you away from any zombie, or group of zombies. In a fight, they're predictable and slow. But they're immune to pain, and immune to fatigue, immune to fear or bribery or demotivation. And their main physical vulnerability - "destroy the brain" - is way more difficult than TV and movies portray: headshots are tough to pull off with guns, and skulls are actually pretty durable. Get into a physical altercation with one, and that's actually serious trouble - you'll get tired real fast but the zombie will not, and one f**kup will be enough to get you bitten."

"Briskly walk away? Sure, you can probably sustain that for a while. But where are you going? Zombies are everywhere, so you might be briskly walking from one meat grinder to another. And of course there are potential dangers on your chosen path. And still, you'll need to eat food and drink water and sleep and the zombies will not."

"In reference to the old fable of the tortoise and the hare -- the tortoise won the race. And slow zombies are the tortoise."

– effseadot

Perfect Looks

"Body hair for women."

"I mean, you will see this woman in rags, covered in dirt, with the stringiest hair that looks like it hasn't been washed, much less conditioned in a year. Yet, they have perfect brows and look like they've had a full-body wax within the past week. So, they must be doing this somehow."

– zazzlekdazzle

"Also, they'll still have perfectly straight, white teeth."

– Buckus93

Cold, Cold World

"Camp setting in general. You know what is bad for your health? Cold ground. You want to have a failure in your every organ below the ribcage? Couple of months of outdoor sleep would definitely do it. Sleeping bags are great, but they are designed to keep you from losing heat into the air, not into the ground — think of them like of portable blankets. You don't see apocalyptic survivors making an insulated bed or sleeping in a hammock."

– Alex_Downarowicz

"Can You Hear Me? Over."

"Charging their walkie talkie batteries."

"Zombie apocalypse and they always have freshly charged radio batteries that last... forever."

"Just once I wanna see someone sit down and stick their radio in a charging cradle."

– dirtymoney

"Or furiously turning the crank on one of those crank-operated radios or flashlights."

– MedusaStone

​Hygiene

"Don't forget tampons!"

– Nightmare_Fuel-

"Ellie in the Last of Us was soo pumped when she found a box in one episode, also Joel was excited to have a fresh pot of coffee as well."

– Will0w536

The Grass Isn't Growing

"Lawncare/overgrowth."

"Not all of them, but TWD for example, all of the lawns were tended to as if there WASN'T you know, a zombie apocalypse happening."

– Plus-Statistician80

Unrealistic Travel

"People in movies often travel a lot of distance with next to no food or water on them. If you are on foot you would need a descent amount of calories to sustain your energy. And a good pair of shoes. Your feet would be a mess in no time. And you would stink to high heaven."

– KevinDean4599

"And that would attract zombies….the scent."

– RedditRee06

Addiction

"Caffeine and nicotine withdrawal. After a week, there are going to be a bunch of very grumpy people around."

"Cigarettes and coffee are going to be valuable exchange items."

– rosanymphae

As if a zombie apocalypse isn't scary enough without thinking about the loss of coffee!

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Ellen Pompeo
Dominik Bindl/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival

Ellen Pompeo Sparks Representation Debate After Being Cast As Woman With Hearing Loss In New TV Series

Actor Ellen Pompeo has sparked a debate about representation after announcing her next television gig.

Pompeo, best known for her long-running stint as the titular Dr. Meredith Grey on Grey's Anatomy, is set to star in a new medical drama in development at Hulu playing a character with hearing loss.

Keep ReadingShow less
Rafael "Ted" Cruz; Elon Musk and Donald Trump
PBD Podcast; Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Ted Cruz Details How Trump Reacted After Elon Musk Tweeted That He's In The Epstein Files Amid Their Public Fallout—And Yiiikes

The relationship between tech investor Elon Musk and MAGA Republican President Donald Trump might be best described as complicated. Musk and Trump teamed up for the 2024 election over their shared White nationalism.

In the immediate aftermath of the inauguration, Musk held a major role in the second Trump administration, heading up the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) that slashed appropriated funds' budget line items from agencies and departments across the federal government—something only Congress has authority to do—often based on a label of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) assigned by AI output and carried out by untrained, unqualified "tech bros."

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

It Looks Like Trump's Tacky Monument To Himself In DC May Become A Reality—And People Are Truly Disgusted

Critics pounced on President Donald Trump's latest vanity project after Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced that excavation will begin for an enormous arch that will bear Trump's name.

Trump has given significant attention to White House renovations and other pet projects around Washington, D.C., since returning to office. Trump's White House renovations have already cost nearly $1 billion, according to one analysis.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kevin Dillon, Adrian Grenier, Kevin Connolly, Debi Mazar, Doug Ellin, Jerry Ferrara, Rex Lee and Jeremy Piven posing on a red carpet event in front of an "Entourage" step and repeat.
Gregg DeGuire / Contributor/Getty Images

'Entourage' Creator Speaks Out After Debi Mazar Claims Set Became 'Toxic' After Birth Of Her 2nd Child

Loosely inspired by the early days of Mark Wahlberg's rise to fame in Hollywood, Entourage, which Wahlberg executive-produced, was one of the most successful original series ever produced by HBO.

Premiering in 2004, Entourage went on to run eight seasons, and win six Emmy awards, even spawning a film, which premiered on HBO in 2015.

Keep ReadingShow less
Evan Rachel Wood reflects on being recast in Practical Magic 2 after originating the role of Kylie Owens.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images; Courtesy of Warner Bros.

'Practical Magic' Star Evan Rachel Wood Reveals Nobody From Original Film Reached Out To Her Before Her Role Was Re-Cast For Sequel

When Practical Magic 2 was announced last year, fans were ready to head back to the Owens family home—but apparently, not everyone from the original cast got the invitation.

The sequel picks up 25 years after the 1998 cult classic, with Joey King and Maisie Williams taking over as Kylie and Antonia Owens, the daughters of Sandra Bullock’s Sally. The recasting hasn’t exactly worked its magic on everyone, with fans complaining about Evan Rachel Wood and Alexandra Artrip being replaced in the roles they originated.

Keep ReadingShow less