Over the years, few genres have brought moviegoers to theaters and packed auditoriums quite like the disaster film. For pretty much the entire existence of cinema, movies like Airport, Independence Day, and Contagion have entertained and terrified audiences with stories about natural disasters, alien invasions, pandemics, and other end-of-the-world type events.
Come with us as we break down 32 crazy disaster movies that have us preparing for the end times. And while it may be the end of the world as we know it (at least for characters in these movies), we feel fine… with these choices.
2012 (2009)
Roland Emmerich’s 2012, which was released in 2009, is definitely one of the longest and craziest disaster movies to come out in the 21st century and is full of every one of the genre’s best tropes. Cities are destroyed, families are torn apart and brought back together, and there’s a whole subplot about the presidential line of succession. But hey, it taught us that cars can drive on broken roads, if they’re limos.
The Impossible (2012)
Bet you can’t watch The Impossible without crying. Bet! J.A. Bayona’s 2012 drama about the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami is one of the most terrifying disaster films and will make you think twice about going on a beach holiday. More realistic than most movies from the genre, this family-centric drama has its share of horrifying and traumatizing episodes before it’s said and done.
Independence Day (1996)
Roland Emmerich’s Independence Day, one of the biggest ‘90s movies, has become a staple of the Fourth of July holiday and a movie with so many quotable moments. And after years of watching it, we’ve all been conditioned to freak out at the sight of bright lights coming down from the sky.
Armageddon (1998)
Is Armageddon a realistic, or even good movie? No, not really. But Michael Bay’s over-the-top 1998 disaster film about a group of oilmen going to outer space to blow up a planet-killing asteroid is just so much fun.
Greenland (2020)
Gerard Butler has become the king of mid-level action and disaster movies in the past decade or so, and one of his best additions to the genre is Greenland. Directed by Ric Roman Waugh, this 2020 spectacle was a race against time to reach an underground bunker on Greenland before the arrival of a comet with the potential to wipe out all life.
The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
The Day After Tomorrow, a Roland Emmerich picture, hasn’t really stood the test of time, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still enjoy this 2004 disaster film. A young Jake Gyllenhall and a very paternal Dennis Quaid taught us about family and the movie itself showed us what happens when wolves get trapped on a medical ship in the middle of Manhattan.
Volcano (1997)
One of two similar disaster movies released in 1997, Volcano showed what would happen if there was a massive volcanic eruption beneath the streets of Los Angeles. Would people put aside their differences and work together or turn against one another in spite of themselves? Both, it turns out.
Don’t Look Up (2021)
The 2021 Netflix original satirical comedy, Don’t Look Up is probably one of the most frighteningly accurate disaster movies ever made for one reason: humans don’t listen to reason, logic, or the smartest person in the room. Instead, they listen to the “smartest” person in the room, or in the case of Adam McKay’s movie, the loudest.
Contagion (2011)
Watching Contagion before and after the COVID-19 pandemic are two completely different experiences. Upon its release, this star-studded thriller about a deadly pathogen killing millions around the world felt like a work of fiction; now, a documentary.
Airport (1970)
Airport, not to be confused with the Airplane! parody film, was released in 1970 and knocked it out of the park with both its story and theatrics. What happens when a massive snowstorm, a bomb threat, and other issues impact a Chicago airport all at once? Well, George Seaton’s massive movie (with an even bigger cast) offers a look at the very scenario.
The Wave (2015)
Not all disaster films are set in America or American-made, which is the case for the 2015 thriller, The Wave. This white-knuckle thrill ride follows a Norwegian geologist as he tries to save his family and countless others from being swept away by a massive, once-in-a-generation wave reaching heights of 250 feet. Less came and more drama, this European film is pretty much the antithesis of most disaster films.
Moonfall (2022)
Roland Emmerich’s 2022 action spectacle, Moonfall, offers a scenario in which an alien lifeform has taken control of the Moon and is throwing it into Earth’s gravitational pull, which could result in death and disaster for all living things. It’s wild, it’s overstuffed, and it has every trope in the book, but this movie is so much fun to watch.
San Andreas (2015)
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has taken on Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and John Cena over the years, but the 2015 disaster film, San Andreas had him facing his biggest threat yet: an earthquake.
Dante’s Peak (1997)
Starring Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton, Dante’s Peak follows a volcanologist and the mayor of a Washington mountain town as they fight for survival when a long-dormant volcano erupts. This movie packs a punch and shows you why not to walk in a lake field with volcanic ash.
The Day The Earth Caught Fire (1961)
Let’s go back to 1961 and talk about The Day the Earth Caught Fire, about a group of reporters who find themselves in a life-or-death situation after dual nuclear blasts by the USA and USSR alter the planet’s rotation. If there’s a natural disaster, it appears in this black-and-white thriller.
Geostorm (2017)
Though it lost a lot of money at the box office, Geostorm is still an enjoyable experience, especially if you’re a fan of the disaster film genre. Two brothers (played by Gerard Butler and Jim Sturgess) are forced to put aside their differences as they race to fix a weather-controlling satellite that is about to put Earth, and everything on it, out of commission.
World War Z (2013)
One of the best zombie movies of the past decade or so, World War Z follows Brad Pitt’s Gerry Lane, a former UN investigator trying to come up with a solution for a global outbreak. Big set pieces, great special effects, and a relatable protagonist make this a disaster film worth checking out.
The Core (2003)
If you’ve ever wanted to see what happens when the Earth’s inner core stops rotating and how humanity comes up with a plan to fix that issue, then now’s the time to check out The Core. This 2003 action-thriller follows a group of scientists as they travel deep into the core to essentially kickstart the planet and save the day before it’s too late.
Deep Impact (1998)
Moviegoers had a big decision to make when it came to asteroid movies in 1998: Armageddon or Deep Impact. The second of those two films, which had a cast that boasted the likes of Morgan Freeman, Tea Leoni, and Robert Duvall, focused just as much on the stakes at home as it did in the sky, creating a wild, albeit a tad bit melodramatic, affair.
War Of The Worlds (2005)
Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise came together in 2005 for the biggest, loudest, and most harrowing adaptation of War of the Worlds. Though technically an alien movie, this sci-fi epic has some great disaster film staples and set pieces you wouldn’t believe.
Twister (1996)
Though Twister doesn’t deal with an end-of-the-world situation like other movies on the list, natural disasters still count for something. This 1996 summer blockbuster about a group of storm chasers driving up and down highways of Oklahoma in search of the big one has something for everyone, especially fans of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Virus (1980)
Kinji Fukasaku’s 1980 post-apocalyptic disaster film, Virus follows what’s left of humanity as it tries to rebuild following a worldwide catastrophe. Governments vying for control, survivors making sense of their grief, and anti-war sentiments are galore in this one.
Earthquake (1974)
Released during the height of the ‘70s disaster film craze, Earthquake follows all kinds of survivors (with their own personal issues) as they attempt to survive and make sense of a natural disaster of epic proportions. Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, and Richard Roundtree make this a gem 50 years later.
Melancholia (2011)
Okay, Lars von Trier’s Melancholia isn’t your standard disaster film with massive set pieces and acts of heroism, but it does deal with the ramifications of a rogue planet crashing into Earth. The movie, which follows a family as they await the death and destruction of everything they know and love, is heavy and full of emotion.
Pompeii (2014)
Everyone who bought a ticket for Pompeii did so for one reason and one reason only: the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and the destruction of the ancient titular city. Yeah, there are some cool moments before, but let’s be real and call it like it is.
Into The Storm (2014)
Like Twister but want a movie that approaches the whole “tornadoes on the attack” in the found footage format, then look no further than Into the Storm. More of a style-over-substance disaster, this 2014 thriller has some incredible set pieces.
Knowing (2009)
When college professor John Koestler (Nicolas Cage) gets his hands on a coded document accurately predicting the past five decades of disasters and several more in the future, he races against time to stop them from coming to fruition. Knowing blurs the lines of disaster film and sci-fi thriller to create one heck of an experience.
Outbreak (1995)
Released in 1995, Outbreak poses the scenario in which a quiet California town becomes the epicenter of a viral disaster after a monkey stolen from a lab ends up in the nearby forest. Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, Morgan Freeman, and other ‘90s stars attempt to bring the epidemic to an end (in various ways) before it’s too late.
The Midnight Sky (2020)
Not the best George Clooney-directed movie, but also not the worst, The Midnight Sky has a rather simple premise: a lone scientist who is seemingly the sole survivor of an earth-shattering catastrophe goes to great lengths and takes extreme measures to alert a crew of astronauts returning from an extended mission. Far more psychological and emotional than your standard disaster film, this 2020 Netflix film has a lot of surprises along the way.
The Wandering Earth (2019)
One of the best space travel movies of the past decade, as well as one of the most unique disaster flicks, The Wandering Earth, is an epic sci-fi adventure in which the inhabitants of Earth are two millennia removed from leaving our Solar System because of a dying Sun. Though safety and the prospect of a better tomorrow were long ago promised, both become far from certainty and those left on the planet are still forced to fight for survival some 2,000 years later.
Silent Night (2021)
On the surface, Camille Griffin’s Silent Night, which should not be confused with the multiple other movies with the same title, feels like just a normal holiday comedy about friends and families coming together for Christmas. But once you learn that they are getting together for one final hurrah before a mysterious apocalypse wipes out all of humanity, it doesn’t feel as cheery. Still, this movie has as many funny moments and unsettling revelations and perhaps one of the most hilariously disturbing endings in recent memory.
The Andromeda Strain (1971)
Based on the Michael Crichton novel of the same name, The Andromeda Strain is both one of the most iconic sci-fi movies of all time and an all-time great disaster film. When a deadly extraterrestrial organism catches a free ride to Earth on a satellite, a group of scientists try their hardest to understand and contain it before it’s too late.
Each of these movies offers some kind of end-of-the-world disaster situation that is both terrifying and entertaining at the same time. Are they all good? No, not really. But they are crazy and will keep your attention, that’s for sure.
