The Apocalypse Is Good For You

Why are we drawn to post-apocalypse stories? One theory is that shows of social chaos and survival prepare us better for the fearful time we live in and that fans of such stories are better able to cope with anxiety.

So turn off the news, cut down on your meds and watch these two very different and exceptional shows.

‘Station Eleven’

Fans of “The Leftovers,” in which 2% of the world’s population disappears, will appreciate this new HBO miniseries, in which almost everyone is killed by a flu that “explodes like a neutron bomb over the surface of the earth.” Patrick Somerville created both, this one based on a 2014 novel by Emily St. John Mandel.

The story opens with Jeevan, an EMT trainee, rescuing Kirsten, a child actress, and taking her to his brother’s apartment high over the city of Chicago, where they seal themselves off from infection and the collapse of the city. Himash Patel plays Jeevan, and Matilda Lawler plays Kirsten, in one of the finest performances I’ve seen by a child actor.

Then the action moves forward 20 years, where an older Kirsten (Mackenzie Davis) leads a troupe of actors who travel among survivor settlements to perform Shakespeare.

Along the way you’ll be rewarded with some stunning and unforgettable passages, such as episode five, where a settlement of survivors in an airport terminal watches the arrival of a flight of sick passengers; will they disembark? Or episode nine, when Jeevan is attacked by a wolf and ends up assisting in a rough and improvised birthing center.

“Station Eleven” received rapturous reviews; I don’t disagree, but you will have to pay close attention as the story jumps among three time periods. There are some disturbing scenes, but you’ll see more Shakespeare than violence, maybe too much for someone like me with thriller genes. Be assured that the emphasis is not on the pandemic, but on a rebirth of art and the bonds that connect the survivors.

Stream on HBO Max.

‘Wall-E’

As a one-time science fiction editor, I’m occasionally asked for my favorite sci-fi movies. Some are surprised when I mention “Wall-E” in the same breath as “2001: A Space Odyssey” or “Blade Runner.” The animation wizards at Pixar have made many memorable films, but this is their most ambitious and original and in my view the best.

Hundreds of years into the future, our environmental recklessness has turned Earth into a giant trash heap. Wall-E is a garbage bot who tidies up his tiny corner of the planet during the day and at night inserts a tape into a dusty Betamax and watches “Hello, Dolly.” He has cute binocular eyes and is quite huggable, but there’s no one to hug him except for his sidekick, a cockroach. One day a probe bot named Eve lands in search of life. She’s been sent from the huge starship where humans have escaped into an orgy of luxury.  The two bots have a magnetic attraction, and when Eve returns to the ship, Wall-E hitches a ride; much action ensues.

I love many things about “Wall-E.” It’s an almost Chaplinesque silent film with little dialogue.  It’s a charming love story. Although Earth is a grim and desolate mess, the ending offers hope for its future. Its only human star is my favorite character actor (and an old personal friend) Fred Willard. And the music is playful fun: from “Put on Your Sunday Clothes” to Louis Armstrong’s “La Vie en Rose” — to Strauss’s “Thus Spake Zarathustra,” in a nod to Kubrick and one of the great openings in film history. I guarantee 97 enjoyable minutes for the entire family. Don’t skip the end credits.

Stream on Disney; rent on Amazon, YouTube.