Best Natural Disaster Movies, Ranked

Outside of epic sci-fi sagas and superhero flicks, natural disaster movies have some of the best large-scale CGI scenes in cinema, making them that much more intense. Not only is the terror of what’s on screen scary enough for viewers but there is also the added fear it’s something that could actually happen to us. You probably won’t get attacked by zombies any time soon, but you could get caught in a tsunami or an earthquake. The “disaster movie” genre has been around almost as long as movies themselves. Some of the earliest classics include Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds (1963), The Last Days of Pompeii (1959), and San Francisco (1936), and there have been hits in every decade since, especially the golden age of disaster movies, the 1970s.

In more recent years, there has been a surge of excellent foreign disaster films: The Wave (2015), a Norwegian natural disaster movie that focuses on an avalanche-turned-tsunami; South Korea’s Pandora (2016), portraying a nuclear radiation disaster; and the English-language Scandinavian film Melancholia (2011), about an astral collision. There have also been a number of compelling movies produced depicting real-life catastrophes as well. Deepwater Horizon (2016) dived into the BP oil spill; Adrift (2018) told the story of Tami Oldham Ashcraft’s hurricane shipwreck, and The 33 (2015) recounted the Chilean mining disaster. Whether the story is as intimate as a single boat in a storm or as epic as a comet headed toward Earth, natural disaster movies are sure to get your adrenaline pumping — and pull on your heartstrings.

Updated on August 14th, 2023, by Patricia Scheer-Erb: This article has been updated with additional content to keep the discussion fresh and relevant with even more information and new entries.

13 San Andreas (2015)

San Andreas is an earthquake-centered disaster movie. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson plays an LA Fire Department helicopter rescue pilot who saves his estranged wife (Carla Gugino) from a skyscraper when a series of major earthquakes strike LA and San Francisco. The two then go on an adrenaline-pumping search for their daughter (Alexandra Daddario) amid the chaos.

This movie is everything you want in a high-intensity action drama, mixed with a heartwarming story of a family’s unwavering love for each other. It has been praised for its CGI depiction of California crumbling beneath its citizens. San Andreas also stars Paul Giamatti as a Caltech seismologist who alerts the world of the impending devastation.

12 The Poseidon Adventure (1972)

Adapted from Paul Gallico’s thrilling novel of the same name, the 1972 disaster film The Poseidon Adventure tells the chilling story of a luxury cruise liner on its final voyage that becomes capsized after an undersea earthquake causes a tsunami to hit, trapping its passengers within.

Gene Hackman leads the drama as Reverend Frank Scott, a minister who attempts to lead his seemingly doomed travelers to safety despite being stuck in the middle of the ocean. Praised for its impressive special effects, innovative production, and superb ensemble cast, The Poseidon Adventure remains a knockout disaster flick that has amassed a passionate cult following since its release.

11 Greenland (2020)

Gerard Butler stars as a structural engineer who races against the clock to get his family to safety after a cataclysmic comet is set to destroy Earth in the 2020 disaster thriller Greenland. Butler’s John Garrity and his estranged wife Allison (Morena Baccarin) and young diabetic son Nathan are among the select few chosen to receive emergency sheltering, and they must embark on a dangerous journey to get to an Air Force Base before the apocalyptic natural disaster hits the planet and causes mass extinction.

The white-knuckle film is sure to put you on the edge of your seat as the Garritys witness both humanity’s beauty and ugliness, as they come face-to-face with terrified people who will do anything to survive. Director Ric Roman Waugh focuses on the chaos and desperation of those not chosen to board the evacuation flight, as well as the guilt the Garritys feel as they fight to make it in time.

10 Plane (2023)

The Greenland actor, Gerard Butler, must either have an admiration for disaster movies or undoubtedly convinces producers with his acting skills because he also steps into the role of the protagonist in this next movie, Plane. Released only this year, the movie directed by Jean-François Richet is a new addition to the much-loved genre.

The initial culprit in Plane is a dangerous storm, which threatens the safe journey of a commercial aircraft. When lightning strikes the plane and forces the captain, Brodie Torrence (Gerard Butler), to make an emergency landing, it quickly becomes clear that the unpredictable weather was not the worst of the passengers and crew’s problems. As they realize that they landed on a rebel-occupied island, the real fight for survival begins.

9 2012 (2009)

2012 is a sci-fi apocalyptic disaster film based on the hypothesis that the world was going to end on December 21, 2012, per the ancient Mayan calendar. It is a modern-day telling of a biblical world-ending flood, including a series of arks built by various world leaders in an attempt to save their people. John Cusack plays the role of a struggling science-fiction author and father-of-two who must escape earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and megatsunamis to save his family and get them to an elitist ark.

The movie received extensive praise for its grand scale and visual effects. It also stars Amanda Peet as Cusack’s ex-wife, Chiwetel Ejiofor as chief science advisor to the U.S. President, Oliver Platt as White House Chief of Staff, Danny Glover as President, and Woody Harrelson as a zany conspiracy theorist who actually has all the answers. 2012 delivers on exactly what it promises — a giant end-of-the-world blockbuster that will have you on the edge of your seat.

Related: The 15 Most Intense Human-Caused Disaster Movies of All Time, Ranked

8 Everest (2015)

There is no doubt that storms can have the power to become unimaginably scary, even when the four walls of a comforting home offer shelter. The two climbers, Scott Fischer (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Rob Hall (Jason Clarke), however, found themselves in the most vulnerable position, as a storm mounted up during their ascent of Mount Everest.

Based on a true story, Everestwill have you hold your breath for two hours, and fill you with nerve-wracking suspense as well as despair as the story swallows you. A must-see for anyone who wants to climb up a mountain (and maybe reconsider) and those who definitely don’t.

7 The Day After Tomorrow (2004)

The Day After Tomorrow is yet another natural disaster movie by 2012’s director Roland Emmerich, who is also the talent behind Independence Day. This project was based on the 1999 book The Coming Global Superstorm and depicts a series of cataclysmic weather events caused by climate change that plunges the Northern Hemisphere into an ice age. The movie follows a father/son duo played by Dennis Quaid and Jake Gyllenhaal.

Quaid is a paleoclimatologist, Jack Hall, who is desperately trying to get the government to heed his warnings, while also attempting to make his way to NYC to save his son Sam, who has taken refuge within the New York City Public Library, and is running out of time. The film received mixed reviews from critics, both praised for bringing attention to climate change and criticized for the artistic liberty it took with the science. Though not entirely accurate, it succeeds as an entertaining story of survival. The Day After Tomorrow also stars Sela Ward as Jack’s wife, Emmy Rossum as Sam’s love interest, and Ian Holm as a wise oceanographer.

6 The Impossible (2012)

Depicting the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that ravaged the surrounding countries and caused the deaths of more than 220,000 people, the 2012 disaster drama The Impossible recounts the real-life harrowing experiences of María Belón and her family. Naomi Watts acts her heart out as the survivor who was on vacation with her husband and three sons in Thailand when the tsunami hit on December 26, 2004.

Featuring the additional talent of Ewan McGregor and Tom Holland, the gripping picture was lauded for its powerful performances and heart-wrenching re-creation of the natural disaster. Watts rightfully received both an Academy Award nomination and Golden Globe nod for her poignant portrayal.

5 Armageddon (1998)

Armageddon is one of those movies from the 90s, which definitely deserves to be watched again 20 years later as well as its place in this list. Drawing probably the most attention is the star-studded cast of the movie, including none other than Hollywood legend Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Owen Wilson, and more.

While the choice of actors is already impressive, the storyline has the potential of giving the viewers a thrill. As an asteroid threatens to destroy the earth, the only chance to save the planet and everyone’s life seems to be a nuclear weapon. The spectacular energy in Armageddon will leave you clinging to your TV and the captivating visuals might cause your heart to jump.

4 Don’t Look Up (2021)

Adam McKay’s apocalyptic dark comedy Don’t Look Up was an instant hit when it premiered on Netflix last year, even if critical reviews were extremely divided. It’s certainly not the first comet-headed-toward-earth movie ever created, but it’s one that speaks directly to our current society. Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence play two astronomers (Dr. Randall Mindy and Kate Dibiasky), who discover an extinction-level comet headed toward Earth.

We follow them as they repeatedly try and fail to get the world to listen to them. What started as a satirical commentary on climate change and science denialism, Don’t Look Up expanded to include criticism of politics, media, celebrities, and technology, and has been celebrated for its subject matter and accuracy. Don’t Look Up manages to be both terrifying and hilarious, dark yet hopeful, and it might just make you laugh-cry. If nothing else, Don’t Look Up is a warning to us all. If a comet was headed our way tomorrow, is this who we want to be?

Related: Best Disaster Movies of the 2000s

3 Twister (1996)

Twister is a disaster movie that focuses on a couple in the middle of a divorce, who find themselves chasing tornadoes (and each other) across Oklahoma. Helen Hunt plays a meteorologist in charge of a team of storm-chasers who are attempting to utilize a revolutionary weather-sensing device.

Bill Paxton plays her husband estranged, a storm-chaser-turned-weatherman with whom she reconnects as they run for their lives. Twister was lauded as one of the best blockbuster disaster movies of its time and was nominated for the Oscars for Best Sound Design and Best Visual Effects. Philip Seymour Hoffman also appeared in the film as one of the storm-chasers.

2 The Perfect Storm (2000)

The Perfect Storm is a movie based on a non-fiction book of the same name, which tells the harrowing true story of a fishing boat, Andrea Gail, that was caught in a raging hurricane on the open sea in 1991. The lead roles are played by George Clooney as boat captain Billy Tyne and Mark Wahlberg as fishing newbie Bobby Shatford. The film goes back and forth between the crew’s desperate attempts to survive, and their families worried about them back home in Massachusetts.

In reality, no one knows what really occurred on the Andrea Gail after its last radio communication, as it was never found, so the majority of the boat scenes were fictionalized. Some family members of the crew sued the production for using their loved ones’ real names and uncharacteristic portrayals in a fictionalized version of their last moments, but the cases were dismissed. The movie also stars John C. Reilly, William Fichtner, and John Hawkes as additional crew members, and Diane Lane as Bobby’s girlfriend.

1 Contagion (2011)

When a movie about a respiratory virus turning into a global pandemic hit theaters in 2011, no one thought that less than a decade later its “disaster story” would become our reality. Steven Soderbergh’s Contagion is eerily similar to the experience of COVID-19 we’ve all shared in the past few years: fear shopping, quarantine, social distancing, vaccine development, and social unrest. The movie boasts a star-studded cast, including Matt Damon as the lead, Mitch Emhoff, who is naturally immune to the virus.

Gwenyth Paltrow plays his wife Beth, who is one of the first victims of the disease. Lawrence Fishburne plays a CDC virologist and Kate Winslet is an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer, both of which are tasked with tracing, identifying, and containing the virus. Jude Law stars as an anti-government conspiracy theorist who contributes significantly to the public’s growing panic. Contagion is an expertly-crafted piece of cinema, though viewers who are still recovering from the trauma of our real-life pandemic might want to hold off on a re-watch.