The defence The Auteur Devotee
“Form is the argument.”
Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.
Back to trending 
The Quiet Earth
Drama · Science Fiction · Thriller · 1985
After a top-secret experiment misfires, a scientist may be the only man left alive in the world.
Movie details
The Quiet Earth
“The End of the World is Just the Beginning”
1985 Drama · Science Fiction · Thriller 1h 31m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
6.7 / 10
Community rating
After a top-secret experiment misfires, a scientist may be the only man left alive in the world.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over The Quiet Earth?
For the defence
The Auteur Devotee
“You watch the director, not the movie.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Popcorn Loyalist
“Big screen, big feelings, no apologies.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
These Final Hours
Sci-fi · 2014
With the end of the world only hours away, self-absorbed James heads to the ultimate party-to-end-all-parties. On his way there, he saves the life of a young girl named Rose who is searching desperately for her missing father. This simple act sets James on a path to redemption.
The Survivalist
Drama · 2015
In a time of starvation, a survivalist lives off a small plot of land hidden deep in forest. When two women seeking food and shelter discover his farm, he finds his existence threatened.
Warning Sign
Drama · 1985
An accident occurs in an ultra-secret government biological weapons laboratory spreading a sinister bacteria.
Unthinkable
Drama · 2010
The government gets wind of a plot to destroy America involving a trio of nuclear weapons for which the whereabouts are unknown. It's up to a seasoned interrogator and an FBI agent to find out exactly where the nukes are.
How to Blow Up a Pipeline
Crime · 2023
A crew of young environmental activists execute a daring mission to sabotage an oil pipeline.
Right at Your Door
Drama · 2006
A dirty bomb goes off in Los Angeles, jamming freeways and spreading a toxic cloud.
Victor Frankenstein
Drama · 2015
Eccentric scientist Victor Von Frankenstein creates a grotesque creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment.
UNABOMBER
Thriller · 2026
Follow Ted Kaczynski's transformation from Harvard prodigy into the infamous Unabomber. Subjected to controversial psychological experiments by Professor Henry Murray, Kaczynski's troubled past resurfaces decades later when his manhunt, led by FBI agent Joanne Miller, brings to light the chilling consequences of ambition and isolation.
Awake
Drama · 2021
After a sudden global event wipes out all electronics and takes away humankind’s ability to sleep, chaos quickly begins to consume the world. Only Jill, an ex-soldier with a troubled past, may hold the key to a cure in the form of her own daughter. The question is, can Jill safely deliver her daughter and save the world before she herself loses her mind.
Twelve Monkeys
Sci-fi · 1995
In the year 2035, convict James Cole reluctantly volunteers to be sent back in time to discover the origin of a deadly virus that wiped out nearly all of the earth's population and forced the survivors into underground communities. But when Cole is mistakenly sent to 1990 instead of 1996, he's arrested and locked up in a mental hospital. There he meets psychiatrist Dr. Kathryn Railly and the son of a famous virus expert who may hold the key to the Army of the 12 Monkeys; thought to be responsible for unleashing the killer disease.
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Geoff Murphy
Written by
Bill Baer · Bruno Lawrence · Sam Pillsbury
Bruno Lawrence
Zac Hobson
Alison Routledge
Joanne
Anzac Wallace
Api's Mate
Pete Smith
Api
T
Tom Hyde
Scientist
N
Norman Fletcher
Perrin
Court is in session
Put The Quiet Earth on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist
“Technique in search of a pulse.”
Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.