7 movies where humanity is the villain

Human beings think pretty highly of themselves, but the rest of the food chain — as well as a few alien species — often don't see humanity as the good guys.

With "War for the Planet of the Apes" hitting theaters this weekend (here's the Tribune's review), we are taking a look at seven movies, listed chronologically, in which human beings pretty much suck.

1. "Bambi" (1942)

Walt Disney's classic tale of nature's cycle, of a young deer growing from fawn to full-grown buck, would be a pleasant idyllic story if not for the presence of the hunters who first kill Bambi's mother and later set off a wildfire that threatens his entire herd.

2. Most Bugs Bunny cartoons (1940s, '50s and '60s)

Rabbit Of Seville from Wet The Face on Vimeo.

Bugs was happy to live in his hole, singing his songs and staying out of trouble. But then some uncaring human would invade Bugs' space — most notably the obsessed hunter Elmer Fudd and the scheming cowboy Yosemite Sam — and the rabbit would have to fight back and, invariably, win.

3. "Watership Down" (1978)

More rabbits fight for their survival in this animated adaptation of Richard Adams' novel that's not for small children or the faint of heart. A group of rabbits leave their doomed warren looking to establish a new home, but perils on the outside include predators, other rabbits and, of course, humans.

4. "District 9" (2009)

Writer-director Neill Blomkamp's science-fiction drama imagines a race of refugee aliens has landed in South Africa and has been quarantined for decades in slumlike conditions. The parallels to apartheid, as the earthlings give their alien guests brutally harsh treatment, is chilling.

5. "Fantastic Mr. Fox" (2009)

In Wes Anderson's charming stop-motion adaptation of Roald Dahl's children's classic, a cagey fox (voiced by George Clooney) can't resist stealing from the local farmers — and when the nasty farmers retaliate, it takes Mr. Fox's whole animal community to band together against them.

6. "Avatar" (2009)

A mining company from Earth sets up shop on the planet Pandora to dig up a valuable mineral, blind to the damage being done to the native population, the Na'Vi. Funny that a movie that casts greedy, rapacious humans as the villains went on to be the highest-grossing movie of all time and spawned an immersive attraction at Walt Disney World.

7. "Chasing Coral" (2017)

Director Jeff Orlowski and his team of adventurous filmmakers and marine experts race the clock to document the damage that human-caused climate change is doing to the ocean's coral reefs. The footage in the film — which premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival (here's our review) and debuts Friday on Netflix — is beautiful and heartbreaking.

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