The Slow Burn of Society’s Downfall (video).

So, the slow collapse film genre—a cinematic subcategory that’s less about the explosion-filled, adrenaline-pumping chaos of “Mad Max” and more about watching society unravel like a cheap sweater. While “Mad Max” tends to get all the glory for depicting the end of the world as one long, dusty car chase, there’s a quieter, more insidious breed of collapse film that deserves our attention. Today, we’re diving into two of these overlooked gems: Alfonso Cuarón’s 2006 masterpiece “Children of Men” and the less celebrated but oh-so-90s “Prayer of the Rollerboys.” Oh, and we’ll sprinkle in a few other mentions just to keep things spicy.

Children of Men: When Humanity Takes a Timeout

First up, “Children of Men,” the film that makes you wonder if Cuarón somehow got his hands on a crystal ball. Set in a bleak 2027, where humans have collectively decided that breeding is just too much hassle, “Children of Men” serves up a world on the brink of collapse. The premise is simple: no children have been born for 18 years, society is falling apart, and everyone’s just about ready to give up. Enter Theo (played by Clive Owen), a reluctant hero dragged into a mission to save humanity’s last hope—a pregnant woman.

Now, for reasons known only to my over-caffeinated brain, I kept calling Julian (played by Julianne Moore) “Julia” throughout the entire discussion. Maybe it’s because I had just finished rereading “1984” and was subconsciously trying to turn her into George Orwell’s rebellious muse. Either way, apologies to Ms. Moore for the name mix-up—at least I didn’t try to rename the entire cast.

“Children of Men” does a brilliant job of showing a world that’s falling apart at the seams, not with a bang but with a whimper. It’s the kind of movie where you don’t need to see the apocalypse—it’s in the background, simmering under the surface like a pot about to boil over. The real kicker? It’s all painfully believable. In a world where everything’s gone to hell, people aren’t riding around on motorcycles with spiked helmets—they’re just trying to get through the day without getting blown up by a random bomb. Fun times, right?

Prayer of the Rollerboys: Dystopia on Rollerblades

Next, we slide into “Prayer of the Rollerboys,” a film that feels like the result of a late-night brainstorming session between someone who really loves “The Warriors” and someone who thinks rollerblades are the future of transportation. Set in a dystopian near-future (which, let’s face it, is code for “the 90s but with more leather”), the movie follows a gang of bleach-blonde, neo-fascist rollerbladers who are determined to take control of a crumbling society.

If you’re wondering why you’ve never heard of this cinematic gem, it’s probably because the film’s primary audience was people who were too busy playing with their Pogs to notice the world collapsing around them. But despite its obscurity, “Prayer of the Rollerboys” is a fascinating artifact of its time—a film that says, “Yes, the world is ending, but we’re going to do it on wheels.”

The premise is as bonkers as it sounds: Griffin (played by Corey Haim) is a young man trying to navigate a world where the economy has tanked, jobs are nonexistent, and gangs of rollerblading fascists patrol the streets. The Rollerboys, led by the sinister Gary Lee (Chris Collet), have a plan to “take back” America, and they’re not above using a little chemical warfare to do it. It’s a film that takes the idea of societal collapse and asks, “What if it also involved a lot of rollerblading?”

While “Prayer of the Rollerboys” might not have the gravitas of “Children of Men,” it offers a unique look at the slow collapse of society from a very 90s perspective. The film is full of laughable dialogue, over-the-top performances, and a plot that veers dangerously close to “so bad it’s good” territory. But underneath all the camp, there’s a genuine attempt to grapple with the anxieties of the time—anxieties that, in hindsight, weren’t all that far off the mark.

Rates of Collapse: From Zero to Apocalypse in 3.5 Seconds

So, what’s the deal with these slow collapse films? Why do we find ourselves drawn to stories where the world falls apart, not in an instant, but over a long, agonizing period? Maybe it’s because, deep down, we know that if society ever does collapse, it won’t be in a blaze of glory. Instead, it’ll be a slow, messy decline where everything just sort of… stops working. And isn’t that just the most terrifying thing of all?

In “Children of Men,” the collapse is existential—society is crumbling because humanity has lost its future. In “Prayer of the Rollerboys,” it’s more tangible—an economic collapse that leads to a dystopian world where people literally skate to survive. Both films, in their own way, tap into a deep-seated fear that the end won’t be a big, dramatic event, but a series of small, unremarkable failures that add up to something catastrophic.

What’s the Appeal?

Perhaps the appeal of these films lies in their ability to make the apocalypse feel personal. It’s easy to distance yourself from the spectacle of a global catastrophe, but it’s much harder to ignore the slow, creeping sense of dread that comes from watching society unravel at the seams. These films remind us that the end of the world isn’t always about explosions and car chases—it’s about what happens when the systems we rely on start to break down, one piece at a time.

Parting Thoughts

In the grand pantheon of apocalyptic cinema, “Children of Men” and “Prayer of the Rollerboys” might not be the most famous, but they offer a unique perspective on the end of the world. They show us that sometimes, the most terrifying collapse is the one that happens slowly, right before our eyes. So, next time you’re in the mood for a movie night, why not skip the blockbuster disaster flicks and opt for something a little more subtle? After all, there’s something oddly comforting about watching the world fall apart—especially when it’s happening on someone else’s screen.