Sci-Fi Films About Ruins: A Cinematic Journey

Description: Although primarily set on water, the film includes scenes of submerged ruins, hinting at the civilization that once was.

Fact: The film was one of the most expensive ever made at the time, with a budget of $175 million. The set for the atoll was built on a floating platform in Hawaii.

Description: The final installment of the Matrix trilogy features scenes in a devastated, ruined city, symbolizing the battle between humans and machines.

Fact: The film was shot simultaneously with "The Matrix Reloaded" to save on production costs. The ruined city was created using a combination of practical sets and CGI.

Description: This adaptation of H.G. Wells' novel features the protagonist traveling through time to witness the rise and fall of civilizations, ending in a world of ruins.

Fact: The film's time machine was designed by the same team that worked on the original 1960 film's time machine. The futuristic city was built on a soundstage in Vancouver.

Description: While not exclusively about ruins, the film features scenes of New York City and other places turned into frozen wastelands, showcasing the aftermath of a sudden global weather shift.

Fact: The film used over 200,000 gallons of water for the flood scenes in New York. The wolves in the film were actually huskies dyed to look like wolves.

Description: In this adaptation of Richard Matheson's novel, Will Smith's character navigates a post-apocalyptic New York City, now a ruinous landscape filled with infected creatures.

Fact: The film was shot in New York City, with CGI used to remove modern elements like cars and signs. The scene where the deer runs through Times Square was filmed with a real deer.

Description: Set in a post-apocalyptic world, Eli (Denzel Washington) travels through a landscape filled with ruins, carrying a sacred book that could save humanity.

Fact: The film was originally titled "The Last Book" and was inspired by the Mad Max series. The ruined city scenes were filmed in New Mexico.

Description: Tom Cruise stars in this film where Earth has been left in ruins after an alien invasion, with him as a technician maintaining drones in the desolate landscape.

Fact: The film was inspired by the works of artists like Moebius and Syd Mead, known for their futuristic and dystopian designs.

Description: This film presents a world where silence is survival, with ruins of civilization serving as a haunting reminder of what once was.

Fact: The film was shot in near silence to capture the essence of the story. The director, John Krasinski, also stars in the film with his real-life wife, Emily Blunt.

Description: This film, based on Cormac McCarthy's novel, explores a father and son's journey through a post-apocalyptic world, where ruins of civilization are a constant backdrop to their struggle for survival.

Fact: Viggo Mortensen lost 30 pounds to portray the gaunt, starving father. The film's bleak setting was shot in various locations including Pennsylvania, Oregon, and Louisiana.

Description: Set in a post-apocalyptic world where survivors live underground, the film features surface expeditions to the ruined, frozen Earth above.

Fact: The film was shot in Toronto, with the underground scenes filmed in an abandoned subway station.