One man (or woman) (or small team of mixed gender, race and backgrounds) puts their life (or lives) on the line to save the whole planet, galaxy or in some cases, the universe.

Armageddon

Who are you going to call when there’s a giant asteroid hurtling through space towards Earth? Bruce Willis! Bruce shows that asteroid who’s boss with some unlikely help from his motley crew of roughnecks. Not only does he save the world with style, but he does it to a bitchin’ soundtrack by Aerosmith.

The Abyss (Extended Version)

Ed Harris must have been livid when he found out they’d edited the last scenes of the film, demoting him from planetary savior to mere everyone-at-the-bottom-of-the-ocean savior.

Star Wars (Various Episodes)

We’ve seen it a million times: maniacal Sith lord has his finger hovering over the big red button on a fully functional battle station, and directly down the barrel of the laser canon is an innocent planet populated by cute fuzzy muppets and a few rebels. Who’s gonna stop him? Somebody with a light saber! Risking life (and quite often limb) these fearless Jedi repeatedly put it all on the line to protect a planet from being lased.

Men In Black (and MIB2)

The special effects are pretty good. We don’t think anyone goes into a Will Smith / Tommy Lee Jones film thinking “Oscar.” Everyone knows these films are dumb, so there’s no need to badmouth them here. The point is, these guys save the world, usually several times in each film. That’s movie innovation. Also, look for David Cross in both films, playing one character with two very different jobs.

Moonraker / The Spy Who Loved Me

The same film really, where James Bond saves the planet from a man bent on ending life on earth and starting it again, with a select group of people stowed away on a self-sustaining space station or sea lab, respectively.

Independence Day (ID4)

Oh look, Will Smith is back. And this time, Jeff Goldblum is helping out. Because, boy, that Goldblum is a leading man you can get behind. Actually, we think he might have saved the world in Vibes also. Sorry for putting in that link; don’t watch that film. So, ID4. The most remarkable thing about this title is the geographical inaccuracy. Get a map, and mark the Grand Canyon and Area 51. Lovely walk in July’s Nevada sun.

The Fifth Element

Lus Besson directing Bruce Willis (again!) and Milla Jovovich decked out in Gaultier. Need we say more? Watch it! If you can rip your eyes from a scantily clad Milla Jovovich, you’re in for a treat. Not only is Luc Besson’s vision of the future totally sweet, but we get to see flying cars in super-tall NYC. The unique thing about this film is that Bruce and Milla save the entire universe.

Die Hard 4, Live Free or Die Hard

Did someone say “Bruce Willis?” In the past, John McClane hasn’t saved the whole world in his efforts to prevent crimes. But in this film, the villain wanted to cause so much trouble, that one might argue that it was in fact, saving the entire world… from economic destruction. Okay, technically it’s mostly just America that’s getting shut down. But here in the US, that’s all that matters.