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Brace yourself — nature is coming for us all! Join us as we count down our picks for the scariest and most destructive natural disaster movies ever made, from terrifying tornadoes and volcanic eruptions to catastrophic tsunamis and world-ending asteroids. Which film left you white-knuckling your armrest? Let us know in the comments below!
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00:06Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most destructive examples
00:11of disastrous cinema, barring those that feature biological or alien invasion plotlines.
00:16There may be some human-made elements to some of these disasters,
00:20but the main crisis is basically natural.
00:22Don't panic! Get off my back!
00:26Number 45. Flood.
00:28No sweat. It's tough to leak.
00:32You just panic, that's all.
00:34I'd like to x-ray inside that violet dirt.
00:37Let's have a look at the hills.
00:39Worry, worry, worry.
00:41The 1970s weren't only a halcyon decade for the disaster movie,
00:44but it was also the era when made-for-television movies ruled the airwaves.
00:48Flood, from 1976, was actually produced for the medium by Irwin Allen,
00:52an absolute legend of the disaster movie genre,
00:55whose legacy included the Poseidon adventure and the towering Inferno.
01:09Flood may not offer up anything new to fans of this well-worn genre,
01:13but it does bring some star power to the small screen,
01:16including Roddy McDowell, Barbara Hershey, and Robert Culp from I Spy.
01:20The end results feel perfectly nostalgic for those who remember growing up with these kinds of TV films,
01:25while also providing all of the expected thrills and drama.
01:29Stand by. We have emergency service on an open line.
01:32OAS inquires if the dam is broken.
01:35Yes, the dam broke.
01:37It's wiped out three-quarters of this town.
01:39We don't even know how many casualties.
01:40What we need is medicine, food, blankets, drinking water.
01:44It's called help. Tell them!
01:46I'll tell them.
01:47Number 44. Hard Rain
01:49Look! We just want the money!
01:53You guys!
01:55You guys walk away!
01:57We won't kill you!
01:59Okay? How's that?
02:01There are a lot of plot elements going on in 1998's Hard Rain.
02:06Storyline balls that are in the air amid the setting of a major deluge.
02:09This film combines elements of crime, drama, and disaster
02:12within a narrative that sets up an armored car heist
02:15in a small town that's dealing with rising floodwaters.
02:18Have you ever been robbed before?
02:20No.
02:21I've only been doing this a couple of months.
02:23Oh.
02:25Yeah, I used to, uh...
02:28Yep, sell construction machinery.
02:30Hard Rain boasts a strong cast,
02:33including Morgan Freeman and Christian Slater,
02:35and retains something of a cult following today,
02:37despite not doing too well during its initial box office run.
02:41Still, excavators of late 90s genre cinema
02:43could do worse than reinvestigating Hard Rain,
02:46warts and all, for a satisfying rewatch.
02:49The dam's gone. You gotta go.
02:53No!
02:55No!
02:57No!
02:58No!
02:59Number 43, The Savage Bees.
03:02Oh, please don't let this be happening.
03:13This effort from 1976 was another made-for-television disaster film,
03:18one that did so well that it actually received a sequel
03:20titled Terror Out of the Sky two years later.
03:23The Savage Bees concerns itself with a swarm of crossbred bees attacking New Orleans during Mardi Gras.
03:29Utilizing that celebratory setting, the film takes the already worn plot device of Jaws
03:34of balancing worries about scaring the populace with the issue of all of the deaths that can and do pile
03:39up.
03:39I repeat, killer bees, any loud noise can arise. Absolute quiet is necessary.
03:47Turn off all radio, all machinery, and get off the street.
03:51Of particular note is the film's ending climax,
03:54which cultivates a surprisingly effective amount of tension as the bees swarm a small car.
04:06Oh, Jeff. Jeff, help. Oh, please help.
04:12Number 42, Night of the Lepus.
04:22Are you one of those disaster movie fans that likes their genre fare silly or scary?
04:26How about a completely campy and ridiculous premise that's being treated totally straight by its cast?
04:31If you answered affirmatively to the latter, then might we suggest checking out Night of the Lepus from 1972?
04:37We say this knowing full well that the threat here is cute, gigantic, cuddly bunnies.
04:45Fire! There's some more!
04:51What makes Night of the Lepus such a unique watch, however,
04:54is the carnage that takes place during this hair-raising adventure.
04:57Pun intended.
04:59There's a surprising amount of gore for a PG film that would most certainly nab a PG-13 today.
05:04Meanwhile, the cast, which includes Psycho's Janet Leigh, all go completely nuts.
05:09It's great.
05:16Number 41, Meteor.
05:19Ah, Paul, the observatory in Frascati is reporting.
05:22There's a cluster big enough to track coming in over Italy south of Pisa.
05:26Speed of approach 15,000 meters per second.
05:29Henry Fonda was no stranger to disaster movies,
05:32having often found himself working within genre parameters during the latter stages of his career.
05:37Meteor was one of those movies, like Rollercoaster and The Swarm,
05:40which has something of a cult status these days.
05:43This isn't only thanks to the presence of other A-list stars like Sean Connery and Natalie Wood within the
05:48cast,
05:48but also thanks to the exaggerated stakes at play.
05:51It is Sunday.
05:54Stay in your homes.
05:56Have faith.
05:58There is nothing we can do but wait.
06:01We will let you know when the danger is past.
06:05Meteor was based upon an actual report from MIT,
06:08one that described a potential disaster scenario from an invading meteorite heading towards Earth.
06:13The production was a troubled one to be sure,
06:15but still manages to deliver on the apocalyptic endgame scenarios
06:19that are part and parcel of the disaster movie genre.
06:33Number 40, Avalanche.
06:35Oh my God.
06:41What are you going to do now?
06:44We're going to set up.
06:45It's sort of fitting that we list Meteor and Avalanche back-to-back,
06:49since that former film actually repurposed footage from the latter in order to complete production.
06:54Avalanche was also famously featured on an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000,
06:58as Crow, Tom Servo, and the gang gently,
07:01and sometimes not so gently,
07:03needle this snow-covered valley of cinematic death.
07:05Has anyone seen my Jeanette?
07:07I'll see if I can find out.
07:10Jeanette? So many new characters.
07:12It's like the third season of Lost.
07:13Rock Hudson, Mia Farrow, Robert Forster, and more star in a story of developer negligence
07:18that results in a ski resort facing, you guessed it,
07:21an avalanche of epic proportions.
07:23It's something of a less-mentioned name from the world of late 70s disaster movie goodies.
07:28Come on, boys. We've got no time to lose.
07:33Come on.
07:36Come on, you guys. Hurry up. Move it.
07:39Number 39. Phase 4.
07:41People are dead back there.
07:43Yes. A tragedy. I don't understand it.
07:48They accepted the order.
07:50Why should they come here?
07:52Irrational behavior.
07:53Consider this cult flick from 1974 as an amalgamation of disaster movie
07:58and apocalyptic animal revenge.
08:00A world where the underground rises up from below
08:03to conquer humanity's dominant place on the food chain.
08:06Phase 4 was envisioned by legendary Hollywood graphic designer Saul Bass,
08:10an insanely creative voice who helped give cinematic life
08:13to these intelligent, collaborative ant colonies.
08:31It's the cinematography of Dick Bush
08:33that perhaps serves as the true star of Phase 4, however,
08:36as the camera captures the scripted motivations of the ant invaders,
08:40lending them an honest and believable personality.
08:42Elsewhere, the dark and creepy musical score
08:45sets the perfect stage for a disaster movie
08:47quite unlike anything else you've ever seen.
08:51She's there. That hill. The queen.
08:56Pubs, you can't do it. Now, come on. Come on.
08:58Queen!
08:58Number 38. Don't Look Up.
09:01A comet bigger than the asteroid that destroyed the dinosaurs
09:04is headed directly at Earth.
09:05If it isn't deflected, the entire planet dies.
09:08Wait, what'd you just say?
09:10It's for a video game.
09:11The disaster movie genre has always been one
09:14where the typical formula is ripe for parody.
09:17Don't Look Up from 2021 deals with a potential catastrophic comet impact.
09:21It was just the latest in this line of meta-disaster pictures,
09:25a film that incorporates modern-day themes of conspiracy theories and climate change.
09:29They found a bunch of gold and diamonds and rare s*** on the comet.
09:35So they're gonna let it hit the planet to make a bunch of rich people even more disgustingly rich!
09:42There are a lot of comedic beats present within Don't Look Up,
09:45but the script from writer-director Adam McKay utilizes that pitch-black sense of humor
09:49alongside some end-of-the-world-level stakes.
09:51The end results are a film that works just as well as a commentary on disaster movies
09:56as it does existing within that same creative space.
10:00Dr. Mindy, the president's plan to save Earth and make it so we can all have a home
10:06is going to work, right?
10:09Every single man, woman, and child on this planet is going to die.
10:13I don't like him. He makes me sad.
10:15I'm sorry about that.
10:19When the first boy gets through the long dive,
10:22I swim to you and report.
10:24Because if it's not working, I have it eased out and thought really more out.
10:27But if it is working...
10:29Then we get on with it.
10:30They're packages.
10:32Or just the delivery bars.
10:34We don't always associate stories of real-life rescues
10:37with the natural disaster genre of movies,
10:39but this is partly why Ron Howard's film 13 Lives works so well on screen.
10:43The director and screenwriter William Nicholson
10:46adapted the harrowing story of the Tam Luang Cave Rescue from 2018,
10:50a story of young boys and their assistant coach
10:52who all become trapped in a cave after it floods.
10:55We need it.
11:00We need it.
11:06This is to get out.
11:13Good work.
11:15The end results certainly felt up to Howard's standard as a filmmaker,
11:19enjoying a positive response from both movie fans and critics
11:22who felt that 13 Lives handled the source material in strong fashion.
11:26All right.
11:27I guess it's our turn now.
11:28You go.
11:29You follow.
11:30Yeah.
11:31And remember,
11:32the current is much stronger than it was.
11:35Number 36.
11:36Arachnophobia.
11:52The Spielbergian touch that permeates arachnophobia from 1990
11:56thankfully dulls none of the bite from this super fun mashup
11:59of animal frights and natural disaster.
12:01Director Frank Marshall adapts a screenplay
12:03from Don Jacoby and Wesley Strick in fine fashion,
12:06balancing nice character moments with levity,
12:08charm,
12:09and yes,
12:10scares.
12:19Arachnophobia isn't only a film that affects those with a fear of bugs,
12:22but instead turns ordinary everyday situations
12:25into close calls with some deadly creepy crawlies.
12:28It also ends up being one of those movies from the early 90s
12:31that used to be everywhere,
12:32yet now seems to be missing from the cinema conversation.
12:36What is it?
12:36Musty?
12:37Musty smell?
12:38Moist?
12:39Dark?
12:40No spiders.
12:42There's no spiders.
12:44There's dark.
12:46Musty.
12:47Nest.
12:48Nest.
12:50Number 35.
12:51Deepwater Horizon.
12:53We've had a major explosion.
12:54We need assistance.
12:55Did you see some fire?
12:56I repeat,
12:56we've had a mass casualty explosion.
12:58We need assistance immediately.
13:00The 2010 Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion
13:03served as the basis for this 2016 disaster movie.
13:06Mark Wahlberg leads the charge here
13:08with a film that may have bombed at the box office,
13:11but eventually found an audience on streaming.
13:13The big special effects provide believable drama and tension,
13:16while the direction of Peter Berg
13:18solidly enlivens a script from Matthew Michael Carnahan
13:21and Matthew Sand.
13:22Ah!
13:24Hey, hey, hey!
13:25Hey!
13:26You good?
13:26I think so.
13:28Where are you going?
13:28I don't...
13:29Monster.
13:30No, no.
13:30You gotta go to Lightbox, okay?
13:32Yeah.
13:32Go to Lightbox.
13:33Right here, come on.
13:33Adapting some truly harrowing real-world events,
13:36this adaptation effectively captures
13:38the biggest environmental disaster
13:40in the history of the United States
13:42and its terror.
13:51Number 34, Melancholia.
13:54Is that right?
13:55Yeah.
13:56In five minutes,
13:58it'll be smaller.
14:00Controversy always seems to follow filmmaker
14:02and provocateur Lars von Trier,
14:04yet Melancholia saw the director's frequently aggressive
14:07and confrontational style muted
14:08in favor of a more streamlined approach to the apocalypse.
14:11This isn't to say that von Trier's film
14:13doesn't explore deeper topics
14:15than merely a planet
14:16that's about to smash Earth into a billion pieces.
14:18Melancholia utilizes this framework
14:20to discuss smaller, more intimate human emotions
14:23such as depression.
14:37This results in an atypical disaster movie experience,
14:40yet one that's also keen to reward patient viewers
14:43that decide to take the trip.
15:02Number 33, The Towering Inferno.
15:08Chief, it's out of control.
15:09We're losing it.
15:10Bring in another line.
15:11It's one of the first efforts that comes to mind
15:13when even the most casual of film fans
15:15hears the words disaster movie.
15:17The Towering Inferno came from the king
15:19of these kinds of pictures,
15:20producer Erwin Allen,
15:21and featured a great script from Sterling Siliphant.
15:24John Gillerman directed an A-list cast
15:26that included two absolute heavyweights,
15:29Paul Newman and Steve McQueen.
15:30Why did they make these goddamn things so heavy?
15:34Geez, you want an easy suit?
15:35I don't see why they couldn't have designed
15:37a survival suit for us
15:38like they did for football players.
15:40Faye Dunaway, Fred Astaire,
15:41and a host of other stars
15:42also make their presence known
15:44as The Towering Inferno
15:45takes an almost perverse delight
15:47in bumping off marquee names left and right.
15:49The effects here are great for their day
15:51while John Williams' score
15:53already proved this composer's mettle
15:54in the film world.
15:55What could we say?
15:56The Towering Inferno is a classic.
16:12Number 32, Snowpiercer.
16:22Director Bong Joon-ho is well known
16:24for the inclusion of social commentary
16:26within his films.
16:27The Academy Award-winning Parasite
16:28is proof of that,
16:29but the filmmaker's adaptation
16:31of a French graphic novel,
16:33Snowpiercer also worked wonderfully
16:34in this regard.
16:35Set during a new ice age,
16:37themes of classism are clearly evident,
16:39as the have-nots at the rear
16:41of an eternally circling train
16:43attempt to work their way
16:44to the front of this Ouroboros of death.
16:46What happens if the engine stops?
16:49We all freeze and die.
16:51But will it stop?
16:52Oh, will it stop?
16:53No, no.
16:54Can you tell us why?
16:56The engine is eternal.
16:58Yes, the engine is forever.
17:00Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton,
17:02Octavia Spencer, and more
17:04all help bring Snowpiercer to life,
17:05but it's Joon-ho's direction
17:07and co-authorship of the screenplay
17:08that keep this train steady
17:10upon its creative tracks.
17:11I've devoted my entire life to this.
17:15The eternal engine.
17:20It is eternity itself.
17:22Number 31, Children of Men.
17:25So why me?
17:26I trust you.
17:29And what happens after?
17:30Well, you take a train back.
17:31It'll be safer.
17:32No, I mean, what happens to us?
17:36I don't know.
17:37It's normally something of a red flag
17:39if a film has too many screenwriters,
17:41a sign that there was some kind of
17:43disagreement or chaos along the way.
17:45That said, Children of Men from 2006
17:47has managed to buck this idea,
17:49earning a cult reputation
17:50for how it handled its premise
17:52of protecting what could be
17:53the last pregnant woman on Earth.
17:55Then the baby kicked.
17:57I feel it.
17:59Little bastard was alive,
18:00and I feel it, and me too.
18:02I am alive.
18:04This plot line wasn't entirely original.
18:07Children of Men has been accused
18:08of ripping off Sergio Martino's 1983 film,
18:112019, after the fall of New York,
18:14while also being an adaptation
18:15of a 1992 novel from author P.D. James.
18:18Still, the execution here
18:20more than stands upon its own merit,
18:22balancing action beats with drama and heart
18:24to create memorable viewing.
18:26You put their lives at risk.
18:28Just let it go.
18:28You don't know what you're doing.
18:29No?
18:30Look around you.
18:32It's the uprising.
18:34And they haven't even seen the baby.
18:35Let's go.
18:36Number 30.
18:38These Final Hours
18:39This Australian thriller
18:40takes an unusual approach
18:41to the disaster movie drama.
18:43Most of it takes place
18:44after an asteroid
18:45has already hit Earth,
18:46and the folks down under
18:47have about 12 hours
18:48until the firestorm
18:49wipes them all out.
18:50As you might expect,
18:52people have wildly
18:53different reactions to the news.
18:54At least they're all together, right?
18:58Ah, they want to live in a world
19:00where you can't even
19:01say goodbye to your grandkids.
19:03Some just want to be close
19:04to their families,
19:05while others decide
19:06to party it up.
19:07The entire movie
19:08is incredibly tense,
19:09focusing primarily on one man
19:11and his struggles
19:12as the clock ticks down
19:13to Armageddon.
19:14It forces you to ask yourself,
19:16what would you do
19:17if the world was about to end?
19:18Oh, yeah.
19:19I love her.
19:21Number 29.
19:23Twisters.
19:23This sequel to the 1996 classic
19:26ramps the danger up to 11.
19:28Tornadoes are one of nature's
19:29most unforgiving forces.
19:31Twisters gets up close
19:32and personal with them,
19:34giving viewers an intense look
19:35at what it's like
19:36to get caught up in one.
19:37Don't let it get me!
19:38No, please!
19:39Keep your head down
19:40and just stay low.
19:41Eyes on me.
19:41I can do it!
19:46Entire buildings
19:47are wiped away
19:48in the blink of an eye
19:48and the threat
19:49of flying debris
19:50never ends.
19:51The movie also
19:52isn't afraid
19:53to kill off
19:53major characters.
19:55Imagine getting swept up
19:56by 200 mile per hour winds
19:58and then falling
19:59from 10 or 20 stories.
20:01It has to be
20:01one of the most terrifying
20:02ways to go.
20:03You've got to be out there!
20:05Keep holding on!
20:06I've got you!
20:08I've got you, Kate!
20:10I've got you!
20:11Number 28.
20:13Pompeii.
20:14Kit Harington plays
20:15a gladiator
20:15during the last days
20:16of the ancient Roman
20:17city of Pompeii.
20:18In 79 AD,
20:20Mount Vesuvius erupted,
20:22burying the city
20:22in lava, rock,
20:24and ash
20:24and killing thousands.
20:25The residents of Pompeii
20:27had no idea
20:28the eruption was coming.
20:29In fact,
20:30they probably didn't even know
20:31that Vesuvius
20:32was a volcano.
20:33It's time to go,
20:34my friend.
20:34The harbor's gone.
20:35We have to find another way.
20:37Then we have to go south
20:38into the hills.
20:38It's too far.
20:39We never make it on foot.
20:40Then we go there.
20:41The film was a bit of a flop,
20:43but definitely not because
20:44of the eruption scenes.
20:45Those are awesome.
20:47Flaming rocks
20:47fly through the air,
20:49people get trampled
20:50as crowds panic,
20:51and a tsunami
20:51destroys everything
20:52in its path.
20:53It's not a perfectly
20:54accurate recreation
20:55of the event,
20:56but it is an exciting one.
20:58Look at me.
21:04Just me.
21:05Number 27.
21:07Armageddon.
21:07The scariest part
21:09of this early
21:09Michael Bay film
21:10is knowing that
21:11it will happen someday.
21:12Not this exact scenario,
21:14obviously,
21:15but giant asteroids
21:15have hit the Earth
21:16before,
21:17and they will again.
21:18And even a moderately sized
21:19asteroid can cause
21:20major devastation.
21:21It's what we call
21:22a global killer.
21:23The end of mankind.
21:26It doesn't matter
21:27where it hits.
21:28Nothing would survive,
21:29not even bacteria.
21:30The scenes of huge
21:31space rocks wiping out
21:33New York, Shanghai,
21:33and Paris are chilling,
21:35and the thought
21:35that there's almost
21:36nothing we could do
21:37about it is even worse.
21:38Seeing an entire city
21:39reduced to rubble
21:40in seconds is enough
21:41to give anyone nightmares.
21:43Even if you're lucky
21:44enough to survive,
21:45the fallout might make
21:46you wish you hadn't.
21:47So, while the consciousness
21:48of the planet is unified,
21:50focused on the NASA mission
21:51taking place right now
21:52in the vast ocean of space,
21:54we're now in the final hours
21:55of the mission
21:56as a freedom and independence
21:58prepared to slingshot
21:59around the moon.
22:00Number 26, 719.
22:04If you're claustrophobic,
22:06this movie is definitely
22:07not for you.
22:08Most disaster movies
22:09don't linger on the suffering.
22:10In the previous films
22:12on our list,
22:12it's implied that deaths
22:13are quick and not that painful.
22:15That is not the case
22:16for 719,
22:17which revolves around
22:18a real-life earthquake
22:19that killed thousands
22:20of people in Mexico City
22:22in 1985.
22:23The movie takes place
22:24almost entirely
22:25in the rubble
22:26of an office building,
22:27where two trapped men
22:28and a handful of other survivors
22:30try to keep each other
22:30from going crazy.
22:32They're terrified
22:32and in pain,
22:33and they have no idea
22:35whether help is coming.
22:36The film is almost scary enough
22:38to be classified
22:39as a horror.
22:41Number 25,
22:43Underwater.
22:43This movie actually
22:45is classified as horror.
22:47Kristen Stewart stars
22:47in this underrated
22:482020 sci-fi,
22:50which takes place
22:51in the near future.
22:52After an earthquake
22:52destroys a drilling operation
22:54at the bottom of the ocean,
22:55the surviving workers
22:56stationed there
22:57have to evacuate.
22:58How was that?
23:01Oh my God!
23:02You're going to explode!
23:03You're going to kill Fred!
23:04With not enough escape pods
23:05to go around,
23:06several of them
23:07are forced to put on
23:08pressure suits
23:09and walk to the nearest
23:10intact facility
23:11a mile away.
23:12In addition to the dangers
23:13of the extreme depths,
23:14they encounter
23:15horrifying monsters
23:16in the water
23:16who want to eat them alive.
23:18It's basically
23:1947 meters down
23:20meets Alien.
23:21Hold on,
23:21we gotta get to the pod.
23:23Come over.
23:25We begin evacuation
23:26to surface immediately.
23:28Number 24.
23:30The Wandering Earth
23:31You might have heard
23:32that someday
23:32the sun will expand
23:33until it swallows the Earth.
23:35In this Chinese film,
23:36that day arrives
23:37much sooner
23:38than people expected.
23:39How can humanity
23:40possibly survive
23:41such an event?
23:42By creating thousands
23:43of massive thrusters
23:44to turn the planet
23:45into one big spaceship.
23:47This movie starts
23:48by killing off
23:48half the Earth's population
23:49and it only gets
23:51freakier from there.
23:52The surface freezes over
23:53as the planet moves
23:54away from the sun
23:55and the AI
23:56doing the navigating
23:57goes rogue
23:57and decides
23:58to abandon everyone.
23:59On their way
24:00out of the solar system,
24:01Earth accidentally
24:02gets trapped
24:03in Jupiter's gravity
24:04and risks crashing
24:05into the gas giant.
24:06The film is an intense
24:07thriller that every
24:08sci-fi fan should watch.
24:16Number 23.
24:18Greenland
24:18Similar to these
24:20final hours,
24:21Greenland follows
24:21a small group of people
24:23as they prepare
24:23for the impact
24:24of a comet
24:24that will obliterate
24:25most life on Earth.
24:32The movie flew
24:33under the radar
24:34thanks to the pandemic,
24:35but the audiences
24:36who did see it
24:37praised its realism.
24:38As a family attempts
24:39to make its way
24:40to an underground bunker
24:41in Greenland,
24:42they're threatened
24:42by more than just
24:43a natural disaster.
24:44Desperate to survive,
24:46people swarm airplanes,
24:47attack each other
24:48and even kidnap
24:49the family's kid
24:50in hopes it will
24:51get them into the bunker.
24:52I'm so sorry.
24:54I'm so sorry.
24:57I'll never let that
24:58happen again.
24:59The violence
25:00and mass panic
25:01make the humans
25:02in the film
25:02much scarier
25:03than the actual comet.
25:05Number 22.
25:06Skyfire.
25:06We really shouldn't
25:08have to say this,
25:09but don't build a resort
25:10right next to
25:10an active volcano.
25:12Another big-budget
25:12Chinese film
25:13with impressive
25:14special effects.
25:15Skyfire features
25:15a group of scientists
25:16and tourists
25:17on a tropical island
25:18who are caught off guard
25:19by an unexpected eruption.
25:28The spectacular scenery
25:30and wild action sequences
25:31alone are enough
25:32to make this one
25:33worth a watch.
25:34Director Simon West
25:35has a fantastic eye
25:36for danger
25:37and the cast
25:38really sells it.
25:50If you loved
25:51Jurassic Park
25:52but would rather
25:53see a jeep
25:53fleeing lava
25:54instead of a T-Rex,
25:55then this is
25:56the movie for you.
25:57Number 21.
25:59Sunshine.
26:00If we had a nickel
26:00for every time
26:01Cillian Murphy
26:02played a physicist
26:03named Robert
26:03who designs a bomb
26:04that will change
26:05the fate of the world,
26:06we'd only have two nickels
26:07but it's weird
26:08that it happened twice.
26:09The sun is dying
26:10and a group of brave scientists
26:11and astronauts
26:12plan to fly as close
26:13to it as possible
26:14and launch a bomb
26:15at its core
26:15to reignite it.
26:16You have to move now.
26:18Captain,
26:18it's right on.
26:20Tomato's not gonna make it.
26:22You have to move.
26:23You have to move now.
26:25It's too far.
26:26The premise may sound wacky
26:28but the movie
26:28is anything but.
26:29The crew must face
26:31dangerous accidents,
26:32equipment failures
26:32and of course
26:33the ever-increasing
26:35intensity of the sun.
26:36Some of them
26:37don't handle the stress well.
26:39Sunshine is another
26:40extremely intense film
26:41where other people
26:42are a bigger threat
26:43than the actual disaster.
26:44Only dream I ever have
26:47is the surface of the sun.
26:49Number 20.
26:50Everest.
26:50This film is another
26:52that stands out from the pack
26:53in that it's actually
26:54based on true events.
26:55This helps give it
26:56a grounded sense of realism
26:58while also thrilling audiences
26:59with incredible scenes
27:00of action and bravery.
27:03I'm done, pal.
27:06I'm done.
27:07The story is based
27:09on the 1996
27:10Mount Everest disaster
27:11which resulted
27:12in the deaths
27:12of eight climbers.
27:14This is a very well-made film
27:16with hair-raising stunts,
27:18gorgeous cinematography
27:19and immersive production design.
27:21It's the closest
27:22that most of us
27:23will get to Everest
27:24and it allows us
27:25to grasp its near-unearthly power
27:27from the safety
27:28of our couches.
27:30Mouth team are going to go up.
27:31They're going to mount a search
27:32as soon as they can.
27:33Anyone who's going,
27:35we're going to leave at dawn
27:36where they're committing.
27:37Of course, at dawn.
27:37That is great, David.
27:38Go let them know what's going on.
27:40I'll be right behind you.
27:40Can the four come in?
27:41Number 19.
27:43Aftershock.
27:43This disaster film
27:45goes a lot harder than most
27:46and it may come
27:47at the detriment
27:48of some viewers' enjoyment.
27:50Aftershock is about
27:51a major earthquake
27:52that hits Chile
27:52and the nasty civil unrest
27:54that follows.
27:56I promise
27:57she didn't suffer.
28:00The violence
28:01is far more graphic
28:03than what you typically see
28:04in disaster flicks,
28:05depicting realistic dismemberments
28:07and acts of extreme indecency
28:09that are shown
28:09in graphic detail.
28:11With the horror
28:11coming from the characters
28:13rather than the calamity itself,
28:15Aftershock serves
28:15as a unique twist
28:16on the genre.
28:17But those wanting
28:18more cinematic fun
28:20out of their disaster films
28:21would do well
28:22to stay clear.
28:31Number 18.
28:33White Squall.
28:34Did you know
28:34that Ridley Scott
28:35directed a disaster film
28:36in the 90s?
28:37It didn't do so well
28:39at the box office,
28:40so we'd forgive you
28:41if you didn't,
28:41but it's well worth
28:42checking out.
28:43It's called
28:44White Squall
28:44and it's about
28:45a sailing ship
28:46that sinks
28:46in the middle of the ocean.
28:55While the story itself
28:56is mostly fiction,
28:58the story came
28:58from the sinking
28:59of the Albatross
29:00in 1961,
29:01which saw the deaths
29:02of six people.
29:03The survivors
29:04then rowed
29:05in small lifeboats
29:05back to Florida.
29:07White Squall
29:07horrifyingly portrays
29:09the dangers
29:09of the open ocean
29:10and how it can
29:11so easily wash away
29:12our structures
29:13and ambitions.
29:14The sinking scene
29:15is particularly stressful
29:17and directed
29:18with the typical
29:19assuredness
29:19of Ridley Scott.
29:30Number 17.
29:31Crawl.
29:32This movie combines
29:34two blood-curdling things,
29:36hurricanes
29:36and alligators.
29:38The story concerns
29:39Hayley Keller
29:39and her father Dave,
29:41both of whom
29:41become trapped
29:42in a crawl space
29:43during a ferocious hurricane.
29:44Dad, it's Hayley.
29:46Call me back.
29:49Ben's worried about you.
29:50Their situation
29:51is made even worse
29:53by circling alligators
29:54who populate
29:54the nearby waters.
29:56Crawl is a wonderful homage
29:57to B-movie creature features,
29:59but it's also competently made
30:01with strong direction
30:02and good performances.
30:03It's much better
30:04than it has any right to be
30:06and features lots
30:07of great monster-based spooks.
30:09The violence
30:10is suitably bloody,
30:11the setting
30:12is eerily claustrophobic,
30:13and there are
30:14jumpscares galore.
30:25Number 16.
30:26Earthquake.
30:27The 70s were big
30:28on disaster flicks
30:29and Earthquake
30:30is one of its
30:31standout examples.
30:32Have I failed
30:33to meet city
30:34or state safety requirements?
30:35That's not the point.
30:36I think we should
30:37go beyond the codes.
30:38You remember
30:39the Sylmar Quaker.
30:40A lot of buildings
30:41that met the code
30:42collapsed.
30:43This film was once
30:44the cornerstone
30:45of cinematic technology.
30:46It won a Special Achievement
30:48Academy Award
30:49for visual effects,
30:50and it was made
30:51with an exclusive process
30:52called Sensoround
30:53that delivered realistic
30:54and engrossing
30:55sound design.
30:56The visual
30:57and auditory experiences
30:58combine to create
30:59a classic of the genre.
31:00The destruction
31:01of Los Angeles
31:02is very cinematic
31:03and captured
31:04with horrifying detail,
31:06including many
31:07graphic deaths
31:08and moments
31:09of great danger.
31:10Even to this day,
31:11Earthquake has the power
31:12to shock and amaze.
31:14This used to be
31:15a hell of a town
31:16all of a sudden.
31:22Number 15.
31:23Only the Brave
31:24Joseph Kaczynski's movie
31:26did not perform well,
31:28grossing just $26 million
31:29on a $38 million budget.
31:31It's a shame
31:32because Only the Brave
31:33is a fantastic disaster movie
31:35that beautifully honors
31:36a real-life tragedy.
31:46It's about the Yarnell Hill Fire,
31:49an Arizona wildfire
31:50that occurred
31:50in the summer of 2013.
31:52It was fought
31:53by the Granite Mountain
31:54hotshots
31:54of the Prescott Fire Department,
31:56and 19 of the 20 firefighters
31:58perished in the blaze.
31:59The movie is richly directed
32:01by Kaczynski,
32:02offering up plenty
32:03of mesmerizing practical effects
32:05that capture the nightmarish reality
32:07of wildfires.
32:08Like Everest,
32:09it flawlessly blends realism
32:11with cinematic flourishes,
32:12depicting a true hell on Earth.
32:15Should have been me.
32:16No.
32:19Yeah, he was better than me.
32:21They were all better than me.
32:22No, shh.
32:23Number 14.
32:24The Impossible.
32:25The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
32:27was a cataclysmic disaster
32:28of unimaginable proportions,
32:30and it's captured
32:31in startling fashion
32:32within The Impossible.
32:33The film expertly
32:35balances the humane
32:36with the grand
32:37by focusing on
32:38one family's experiences
32:39within the bigger disaster.
32:51It does not hold back,
32:53offering many realistic scenes
32:55of intense destruction.
32:56The prolonged tsunami sequence
32:58is absolutely brutal,
33:00complete with widespread carnage
33:01and shocking images
33:03of injury and death.
33:04The aftermath
33:05is equally upsetting,
33:07with the story
33:07packing incredible emotional power.
33:09It examines touching themes
33:11of family,
33:12love,
33:13and endurance,
33:14but it's told
33:15through the lens
33:15of a modern catastrophe.
33:28Number 13.
33:30Volcano.
33:30You can probably guess
33:32what this classic
33:32of the genre is about.
33:341943,
33:35a Mexican farmer
33:35sees smoke
33:36coming out of the middle
33:36of his cornfield.
33:37A week later,
33:38there's a volcano
33:39a thousand feet high.
33:40There's no history
33:41of anything
33:41until it happens,
33:42and there is.
33:43Starring Tommy Lee Jones,
33:45Volcano tells of an eruption
33:46at the La Brea Tar Pits
33:47and the resulting damage
33:49that it causes
33:49to Los Angeles.
33:50This movie trades
33:51traditional disaster scares
33:53for a tense
33:53and slow-paced atmosphere,
33:55as a huge lava flow
33:57slowly approaches
33:58the downtown core
33:59of the city.
34:00Of course,
34:00there are also many scenes
34:02of calamity and death,
34:03with one,
34:04shall we say,
34:05melting
34:05being particularly disturbing.
34:08Volcanoes are
34:09traditional disaster fare,
34:10but by bringing the action
34:11to modern L.A.,
34:13Volcano brings
34:14their apocalyptic dangers
34:15closer to home.
34:16We know it broke through
34:17here,
34:18and the Tar Pits
34:18created this bit.
34:19We now know that
34:20it broke through
34:20a Picard-to-Card,
34:21that means that
34:22it's traveling laterally
34:23underground
34:25over the course
34:25of at least eight miles.
34:27Those who hate
34:30the open ocean
34:31would do well
34:32to avoid the perfect storm.
34:33It is,
34:34you could say,
34:35a perfect storm
34:36of what makes
34:36disaster movies work.
34:38Like The Impossible,
34:39it narrows
34:40a larger event
34:41to focus on
34:42the specific experiences
34:43of a single group.
34:57It's based
34:58on Sebastian Junger's
34:59book of the same name,
35:00which details
35:00the perfect storm
35:01of 1991
35:02and the loss
35:03of a fishing vessel
35:04called the Andrea Gale.
35:05The special effects
35:07remain eye-popping,
35:08and the hugely
35:09talented ensemble
35:10sells the horror
35:11of their situation
35:12with gusto.
35:13With startling scenes
35:14of ocean-based horror
35:15and a bleak ending,
35:17The Perfect Storm
35:17is an unforgettable
35:18viewing experience.
35:29number 11,
35:30Knowing.
35:31While Alex Proyas'
35:32disaster flick
35:33does involve
35:34extraterrestrial beings,
35:36at the center
35:36of the plot
35:37is an apocalyptic
35:38natural disaster,
35:39a solar flare
35:40that will destroy
35:41all life on Earth.
35:42A 100-micro-Tesla
35:44wave of radiation
35:45that would destroy
35:46our ozone layer,
35:48killing every living
35:49organism on the planet.
35:50The lead-up
35:51to this calamitous event
35:52is full of portentous
35:53biblical imagery,
35:54from the whispering spirits
35:56to the spaceships
35:56that represent Noah's Ark.
35:58The movie sets a dour tone
36:00and doesn't really let up
36:01throughout its two-hour runtime,
36:03offering up a modern-day
36:04parable about humanity's
36:05vulnerability.
36:06It's a chilling exploration
36:08of just how fragile life
36:10is on a cosmic scale.
36:11I'm not saying
36:12that 81 people
36:13are going to die tomorrow,
36:14okay?
36:15I'm just trying to understand
36:16why this is saying
36:17they will.
36:18Okay, it's spooky,
36:19all right?
36:19I'll grant you,
36:20it's more than spooky.
36:20Number 10,
36:21The Core.
36:22Doctors Zimski and Keyes,
36:27you guys are our
36:28resident geophysicists.
36:30What do you make of this?
36:30Sure, it was silly.
36:32All right, downright absurd.
36:33The premise,
36:34that the Earth's core
36:35had suddenly stopped rotating,
36:36made no more sense
36:37than our heroes' plan
36:38to nuke it back to life.
36:40Zimski,
36:42we're inside a giant
36:43jump bubble
36:45wrapped in a cobalt cocoon
36:48700 miles below
36:49the surface of the Earth.
36:53Hell of a day.
36:54But in a way,
36:55the improbability
36:56of their mission
36:57just made it
36:57all the more desperate.
36:59Most frightening, however,
37:00was the isolating
37:01and claustrophobic nature
37:02of their task.
37:03As they drilled down
37:05deep into the Earth,
37:06far from friends,
37:07family,
37:08and, well,
37:08human beings in general.
37:10Thank goodness
37:10for unobtainium,
37:12the material used
37:12to build their vessel.
37:14Despite the silliness,
37:15there are some
37:16knuckle-biting scenes
37:17when it all goes wrong
37:18that left audiences
37:19sweating as much
37:20as the crew.
37:2129,000 feet.
37:22Do it!
37:25Do it!
37:26Now!
37:37Number 9.
37:38Dante's Peak.
37:39Did anybody feel that?
37:41Amid all the movies
37:42about volcanic eruptions,
37:43Dante's Peak has a reputation
37:44for being relatively accurate.
37:46Emphasis on relatively.
37:48Experts praise the special effects
37:49and the portrayal
37:50of the geological survey team,
37:52but we're less impressed
37:53with how different
37:54volcanic processes
37:55are all mixed in together.
37:56In striking this balance,
37:57though,
37:58the movie manages
37:58to build tension
37:59in a convincing way
38:00before delivering
38:01a horrifying eruption scene
38:03that puts other
38:04volcano movies to shame.
38:10Sure,
38:11a lake probably
38:12couldn't transform
38:12into an acid bath
38:13quite so quickly,
38:15but if you want to see
38:15what the apocalypse
38:16would look like,
38:17Dante's Peak has it all.
38:22Number 8.
38:23San Andreas.
38:24How bad did they get hit?
38:31That's six.
38:34Was it big,
38:35loud,
38:35and preposterous?
38:36Absolutely.
38:37But the visual effects
38:38were on point.
38:39And the premise
38:41of a devastating earthquake
38:42in California?
38:43All too real.
38:44Brad Payton's 2015
38:46disaster film,
38:47San Andreas,
38:47pit Mother Nature
38:48against Los Angeles
38:49and the San Francisco
38:50Bay Area.
38:51And although The Rock
38:52did his best
38:53to save the day,
38:53it's pretty clear
38:54who won.
38:55While the science
38:56might have been fudged,
38:57the incredible CGI
38:58made the movie
38:59frightening nonetheless.
39:01The moment the earth
39:02ripples like a rug
39:03being shaken
39:03is chilling enough,
39:04but the subsequent
39:05scenes of chaos
39:06and destruction
39:07are positively terrifying.
39:25It's the disaster movie
39:26with it all.
39:27Roland Emmerich's
39:28epic disaster bonanza
39:29played on popular paranoia
39:31leading up to the year 2012
39:32when, according to some,
39:34the world was supposed to end.
39:35It's the apocalypse,
39:38end of days,
39:39the judgment day,
39:41the end of the world,
39:42my friend.
39:43After all,
39:44the year marked
39:44the end of a long cycle
39:46in the Mayan calendar
39:46and therefore,
39:48the sky is falling.
39:49While that didn't happen,
39:50the movie 2012
39:52certainly did its damnedest
39:53to frighten
39:53the bejesus out of us.
39:55The eruption of Yellowstone
39:56in particular
39:57was terrifying,
39:58especially since it actually
39:59could blow sometime
40:00in the future,
40:01even if not for
40:02the mumbo-jumbo
40:03reasons described.
40:04Hang on, baby!
40:06Hang on!
40:09Oh, my God!
40:14Number 6,
40:15Deep Impact.
40:16This comet is larger
40:17than Mount Everest.
40:19It weighs
40:21500 billion tons.
40:23You're either a Deep Impact
40:24or an Armageddon
40:25kind of person.
40:26For this list,
40:27we're going with Deep Impact
40:28as the scarier movie,
40:30even though Armageddon
40:31was a lot more fun.
40:32Get off!
40:33The nuclear warhead.
40:36With a comet
40:37heading for Earth,
40:38Robert Duvall's character,
40:39Captain Spurgeon Fish Tanner,
40:41leads a last-ditch mission
40:43to save the planet.
40:44Back on the ground,
40:45there's an incredible
40:46sense of helplessness
40:47as people prepare
40:47for the worst.
40:48The lottery system
40:49to decide who survives
40:51is much too plausible.
40:52And that tsunami scene
40:53with Taylione
40:54and Maximilian Schell
40:55waiting on the beach
40:56still haunts our nightmares.
40:58Daddy!
40:59Daddy!
40:59Ah!
41:05The Poseidon Adventure
41:06The Poseidon Adventure
41:12was one of the most
41:13ambitious movies
41:14of the 1970s
41:15and along with
41:16the towering inferno
41:17and airport,
41:18helped give rise
41:18to the disaster genre.
41:20It follows the sinking
41:21of a fictional luxury liner
41:23and for a movie
41:24released in 1972,
41:26it still looks
41:26horrifyingly spectacular
41:27thanks to its
41:28Academy Award winning
41:29visual effects.
41:37In fact,
41:38it wasn't until
41:38Titanic 25 years later
41:40that a sinking ship
41:41was so viscerally
41:42captured on film.
41:43If you've only seen
41:44the 2006 remake,
41:45do yourself a favor
41:46and watch the original
41:47and while you're at it,
41:49purge the remake
41:50from your memory.
41:51You want another life?
41:54Then take me!
41:56Number 4
41:57The Day After Tomorrow
41:58Oh, oh my god.
42:00Lisa,
42:02are you getting this
42:02on camera
42:03that this tornado
42:04just came and erased
42:05the Hollywood sign?
42:06The Hollywood sign
42:07is gone.
42:08The Day After Tomorrow
42:09is classic Roland Emmerich.
42:11Loud and utterly baffling
42:13yet absolutely thrilling
42:14thanks to its
42:15spectacular visual effects.
42:16Sometimes you just want
42:17to see the world
42:18get destroyed
42:18and when it comes to that,
42:20The Day After Tomorrow
42:21has no rival.
42:29This movie has it all
42:30from devastating tornadoes
42:32and hailstorms
42:32to a massive tsunami
42:34that sweeps its way
42:35through the streets
42:35of Manhattan.
42:36The image of the
42:37Statue of Liberty
42:38being swallowed
42:38by a storm surge
42:39is iconic stuff.
42:41The movie is basically
42:42a greatest hits collection
42:43of all the best
42:44disaster scenarios
42:45and they're all shown
42:46in breathtaking
42:47and terrifying fashion.
42:55Number 3,
42:56The Birds.
43:04Alfred Hitchcock's
43:05The Birds
43:05is a horror thriller
43:06with all the hallmarks
43:08of a great disaster movie too.
43:09You've got your
43:10ominous warning signs
43:11in the form of
43:12the first attacks
43:13and birds flying into windows
43:14and then come escalating scenes
43:16of ever greater chaos
43:17and destruction
43:18including a corpse
43:19with its eyes gouged out,
43:21a hysterical prophet of doom
43:22and an explosion
43:23and an explosion
43:24at a gas station.
43:25Watch out!
43:26Look out!
43:27Look out!
43:28Watch out!
43:30Then of course,
43:31there's that famous
43:32downer ending
43:33that signals the possible
43:34end of the world
43:35as we know it.
43:36It's certainly
43:36a classic horror movie
43:38but in some ways,
43:39it's also a precursor
43:40to the entire disaster genre.
43:42Don't they ever stop migrating?
43:48Number 2,
43:49The Wave.
43:55This small-budget
43:56Norwegian movie
43:57blew away critics
43:58with special effects
44:00to rival Hollywood blockbusters.
44:02Inspired by real natural disasters
44:04in Norway's
44:05northwestern fjords,
44:06The Wave follows
44:07a geologist and his family
44:08as they try to escape
44:09a 260-foot-tall tsunami.
44:12It's a simple story
44:13and it borrows
44:13many disaster cliches
44:15but its slow pace
44:16allows audiences
44:17to broil in the tension
44:19and grow attached
44:20to the characters
44:21which makes the inevitable
44:22destruction
44:23all the more compelling.
44:24Every disaster buff
44:26needs to check out The Wave.
44:27Just don't watch
44:28the horrible English dub.
44:29It's completely hopeless.
44:31Yeah?
44:31Would you rather be out there?
44:32Huh?
44:32Okay, calm down.
44:33You know what you should watch though?
44:35The 2018 sequel,
44:37The Quake.
44:45Number 1.
44:46Moonfall
44:47We don't know about you
44:48but nothing scares us
44:50more than the moon
44:51detaching from its
44:52interstellar orbit
44:52and rapidly hurtling
44:54towards Earth.
44:55Something obviously happened
44:56to the one inside our moon
44:57and that's why
44:59it's veering off course.
45:01No, just kidding.
45:02That's ridiculous
45:02even by disaster movie standards.
45:05Number 1.
45:06Twister
45:14There might be bigger,
45:15louder,
45:16more apocalyptic
45:17disaster movies
45:18but there is no
45:19disaster movie
45:20quite like Twister.
45:21Twister captured
45:22a nation in 1996
45:23thanks to its relentless
45:25action
45:25and impressive set pieces
45:27some of which
45:28have become iconic
45:29staples of the genre.
45:30One only need hear
45:31the word Twister
45:32to conjure up images
45:33of a drive-in
45:33being destroyed,
45:34a cow being hurled
45:35through the air
45:36or a farm
45:37being decimated
45:38by a massive cloud
45:38of swirling black dust.
45:44Look out!
45:45Bill, help!
45:46Bill!
45:47It was enough
45:48to give kids nightmares
45:49and to make adults
45:50fear the wrath of tornadoes.
45:52Who knew scientific research
45:53was so action-packed?
46:05What to you
46:06makes a great disaster film?
46:08Let us know in the comments.
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