World War III Themes In Contemporary Pop Culture Part II

In the later half of the 00s, at a time when WWIII-themes in fiction, television and cinema were scarce, a handful of notable books and television shows were released. Together, they managed to keep the WWIII genre afloat through some difficult times. The 2006 TV series Jericho was one of those life rafts. The show …

WWIII Pop Culture: By Dawn’s Early Light Part II

By Dawn’s Early Light’s greatest asset is its combination of cast and perspective. The story structure is the engine that propels the plot. Instead of one storyline, By Dawn’s gives the viewer four major plotlines moving in the same direction, all closing in on the same convergence point. It has more in common with a …

World War III Pop Culture: The Day After Part II

The lead up to nuclear war presented in The Day After is a textbook example of a late Cold War era escalatory scenario. It is practically an exact copy of the ones used in Title X wargames at the time, and very similar to what could be found in military publications of the ‘80s. Realism …

World War III Pop Culture: Red Dawn Part I

A couple of years ago the 1987 film Dirty Dancing enjoyed a resurgence in popularity and was capturing a new generation of fans (Millennials) who finally realized just how bad the movies of their generation really were. So they focused their attention on the iconic films of the previous generation (Generation X) and latched onto …