The Best Disaster Movies For Your Inner Survivalist

1996 | 1h 53m | Directed by Jan De Bont
 

Starring Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, and Cary Elwes
 

A group of storm chasers tries to perfect their data-gathering instruments amid a series of intense storms. The flying cow was perhaps the most memorable scene of the film! The whole movie is full of awesome special effects, even if it does manage to find time to explore the awkward romance between the main characters who are on the brink of divorce. Still, it's also a well-told story about the dangers of obsession.

1998 | 2h | Directed by Mimi Leder
 

Starring Robert Duvall, Téa Leoni, and Elijah Wood

On the eve of the 20th century, a 7-mile-wide comet is discovered. It's too late to stop it from hitting Earth, but one team of astronauts manages to launch a last-ditch mission to deflect it. If they fail, the comet will wipe out all life on the planet. Deep Impact was made around the same time as Armageddon, another comet disaster flick, but astronomers consider Deep Impact much more grounded and scientifically accurate.

1996 | 2h 25m | Directed by Roland Emmerich
 

Starring Will Smith, Bill Pullman, and Jeff Goldblum
 

One of the most expensive movies ever made at the time of release, this is a classic disaster movie with a sci-fi twist. Alien invaders from outer space threaten the Earth, and only Will Smith's hotshot pilot can save the day. It has enough action, humor, and disaster to entertain viewers for hours! According to producer Dean Devlin, the U.S. military had agreed to support the film by allowing the crew to film at military bases, also consulting the actors who have military roles, but withdrew their support after learning about the Area 51 references in the script.

2004 | 2h 4m | Directed by Roland Emmerich
 

Starring Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Ian Holm
 

This epic disaster movie is a must-watch! It's a combination of sci-fi and action, which is great for those who love both genres. The story revolves around paleoclimatologist Jack Hall. Jack discovers that the melting ice caps are causing a sudden climate change, which will result in extreme weather conditions all over the world and lead to a new ice age. It received mixed reviews from critics but was very popular with moviegoers and ranked 6th among the highest-grossing movies of 2004 in North America.

2011 | 1h 46m | Directed by Steven Soderbergh
 

Starring Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, and Kate Winslet

Contagion, directed by Steven Soderbergh, is a terrifying medical thriller following the world in the middle of a deadly pandemic that could wipe out most of humanity. But it's also an excellent film, with an all-star cast that includes Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Jude Law. Even if extinction movies are not your cup of tea, it's worth watching.

1995 | 2h 7m | Directed by Wolfgang Petersen
 

Starring Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, and Morgan Freeman
 

A deadly virus from the jungles of Zaire has hit a small town in California and is spreading rapidly. Dustin Hoffman and Rene Russo play scientists who try to stop the pandemic before it reaches worldwide epidemic proportions. The film became topical when a real-life Ebola virus outbreak occurred in Zaire when the film was released. An excellent cast that includes Morgan Freeman, Donald Sutherland, Kevin Spacey, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Patrick Dempsey makes this movie a must-see.

1997 | 1h 48m | Directed by Roger Donaldson
 

Starring Pierce Brosnan, Linda Hamilton, and Charles Hallahan

Volcanoes are the focus of Dante's Peak, starring Pierce Brosnan as a volcanologist who has to convince a small town that their local volcano is about to erupt. A distribution race broke out with 20th Century Fox, which was producing the movie Volcano at the time. Dante's Peak producers decided to speed up the schedule because of it: the movie reached theaters almost three months earlier than Volcano and beat it at the box office.

2002 | 1h 53m | Directed by Danny Boyle
 

Starring Cillian Murphy, Noah Huntley, and Naomie Harris

The plot depicts the breakdown of society following the accidental release of a highly contagious virus. It focuses on the struggle of a group of survivors to cope with the destruction of the life they once knew. The success of 28 Days Later led to a 2007 sequel, 28 Weeks Later. A third film, 28 Months Later, has been rumored to be in development for years but has been repeatedly delayed.

2000 | 2h 10m | Directed by Wolfgang Petersen
 

Starring George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, and John C. Reilly

The year 2000 was a big one for disaster movies. Wolfgang Petersen opted for the unforgiving power of the sea. The movie is inspired by the real-life 1991 Perfect Storm that claimed the crew's lives on the Andrea Gail, and their story is told here through a fine ensemble cast including George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg. The Perfect Storm is well worth checking out.

1972 | 1h 57m | Directed by Ronald Neame and Irwin Allen
 

Starring Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, and Shelley Winters
 

The plot centers on the SS Poseidon, an ocean liner on her final voyage from New York City to Athens before being sent to the scrapyard. On New Year's Eve, she is overturned by a rogue tidal wave. Red Buttons and Carol Lynley's characters fall in love during the movie, but the actors actually despised each other. Ironically, after years of being constantly reminded of this, the two became great friends.

2009 | 2h 38m | Directed by Roland Emmerich
 

Starring John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Amanda Peet
 

In this disaster film, John Cusack plays a struggling novelist who tries to reconnect with his kids as the world prepares to end in 2012. Meanwhile, Chiwetel Ejiofor plays a geologist trying to convince the government that catastrophic earthquakes are going to wipe out everything. The movie was banned in North Korea because 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Leader Il-Sung Kim. Many fans of the movie were arrested for watching pirated copies.

1998 | 2h 31m | Directed by Michael Bay
 

Starring Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, and Liv Tyler

Armageddon has got a little bit of everything: an asteroid the size of Texas, an oil rig crew saving the world, space shuttles, and so much more. The movie stars Bruce Willis as an oil drilling company owner recruited by NASA. Together with his team, he'll have to drill the asteroid and plant a nuclear bomb to split it before it hits Earth. The real-life NASA shows this movie during their management training program. New managers are tasked to spot as many inaccuracies as possible: at least 168 errors have been found.

1990 | 1h 36m | Directed by Ron Underwood
 

Starring Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, and Finn Carter

Tremors is a small-town horror film that defies expectations at every turn. The movie follows two handymen who try to save a town from underground monsters and, in the process, become unlikely heroes. Kevin Bacon is excellent as the leading man, and co-star Fred Ward is equally entertaining. Tremors is far more humorous than it should be considering the genre but also features enough scares to satisfy horror movie fans.

1991 | 2h 17m | Directed by Ron Howard
 

Starring Robert De Niro, Kurt Russell, and Jennifer Jason Leigh

With an impressive cast, Backdraft is the story of two brothers, played by Kurt Russell and William Baldwin, who operate as firefighters in Chicago. Despite not getting along, they decide to work together to investigate a string of arsons. This movie is full of great action scenes and lots of drama, not to mention Robert De Niro's outstanding performance.

1963 | 1h 59m | Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
 

Starring Rod Taylor, Tippi Hedren, and Suzanne Pleshette

Alfred Hitchcock's classic horror revolves around the sudden, inexplicable violent attacks of birds against the people living in a small town in California. Unlike other creatures of destruction, the birds have no ulterior motive. They're just furious! The Birds was deemed culturally significant in 2016 and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.

1997 | 1h 44m | Directed by Mick Jackson
 

Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Anne Heche, and Gaby Hoffmann
 

Who doesn't love Tommy Lee Jones? He plays Mike Roark, the man handling a brewing volcano in Los Angeles. The movie features plenty of lava and scenes with Jones trying to avoid falling into rivers of molten rock, which is always good for a laugh. However, it also has an inspiring message: when disaster strikes, people aren't scared; they're angry. And when they get angry, they come together to fight back.

1974 | 2h 45m | Directed by John Guillermin and Irwin Allen
 

Starring Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, and William Holden

The 1970s were the heyday of disaster films, and The Towering Inferno is one of the best. It's got a solid dramatic plot involving a colossal building that catches fire at its opening party, an all-star cast (including Paul Newman, Faye Dunaway, and Fred Astaire), and even a bit of humor. It was produced by Irwin Allen, known for disaster movies in the '70s, including The Poseidon Adventure and The Swarm.

2013 | 1h 56m | Directed by Marc Forster
 

Starring Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, and James Badge Dale

In addition to being a well-rounded zombie apocalypse film, World War Z is an intense and compelling thriller. The plot is gripping, the pacing superb. There are some genuinely terrifying moments. The cast is great, with Brad Pitt turning in an excellent performance as protagonist Gerry Lane, who travels the world trying to find a cure for the zombie plague that has infected almost every human on Earth. Definitely a must-watch for disaster movie fans.

1978 | 1h 55m | Directed by Philip Kaufman
 

Starring Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, and Leonard Nimoy
 

In one of the most successful remakes of all time, director Philip Kaufman takes the concept of mind control on a large scale and invigorates it with a heady dose of paranoia and some dark humor. Donald Sutherland's character does his best to convince the world that people are being replaced by emotionless clones, but no one believes him until it's too late. One of the best disaster movies of all time.

2005 | 1h 56m | Directed by Steven Spielberg
 

Starring Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, and Channing Tatum
 

Tom Cruise stars in Steven Spielberg's adaptation of the classic H.G. Wells novel about a Martian invasion. The film was a box office smash, and despite some unfavorable reviews from critics scattered here and there, there is no denying how entertaining this movie is. The special effects are spectacular, and the tension levels are constant throughout the film.