Disaster movies are gaining popularity of late, well after the interest fizzled out post The Poseidon Adventure and Towering Inferno during the 1970s. Even though it is not one of the most prolific genres, the past few years have brought to the fore some hard-hitting disaster films to pique interest. Many popular movies of the genre focus on the big world-threatening/ending disasters or apocalyptic events, while some give a spin to the more grounded threats, hitting close to home.
Like its predecessors, the year 2022 is likely to offer a handful of cataclysmic events, starting with the upcoming movie Moonfall, which is premiering on February 4. Moonfall will explore the premise about the Moon being knocked off course by an unseen force and put on a collision course with the Earth, threatening to end life as we know it. Before you catch this upcoming sci-fi thriller, we recommend that you watch these disaster movies that have left a mark on the film industry and audiences alike.
2012
It’s impossible to talk about a list of catastrophe movies and not include 2009’s action-thriller 2012. In the late 2000s, there was a talk about the world’s inevitable end in the year 2012. With everyone predicting the uneventful occurrence, 20th Century Fox decided to make a film centering on the prediction. Based on the 2012 phenomenon, the movie follows humankind as it stands on the brink of chaos and destruction predicted by the Mayans ages ago. The annihilation shown in the movie gave sleepless nights to many. The movie is currently streaming on Peacock.
The Day After Tomorrow
Streaming on Hulu, 2004’s The Day After Tomorrow was a reflection of what will happen when the climate crisis finally peaks. Based on Art Bell’s book, “The Coming Global Superstorm,” the movie follows a series of events that bring forth a new ice age across the planet. The movie stars Dennis Quaid at the center of events as a team of scientists race to alarm the world about the reality of climate change, but as usual, nobody pays attention to the people who warn about the catastrophe. The frozen views of New York City still send chills down the spine, and the destruction shown will nag at the back of mind about these phenomena and what to do once they materialize.
San Andreas
Seriously, what is it that when science warns us about a catastrophe, we turn a blind eye to it and go about our mundane lives? In 2015’s San Andreas, starring Dwayne Johnson, Carla Gugino, and Alexandra Daddario, a new earthquake prediction model reveals that the entire San Andreas Fault is shifting and will cause a series of devastating earthquakes, but the world reacts too late. As an LAFD rescue pilot and his ex-wife run to save their daughter who is caught amidst crumbling skyscrapers and tsunamis, they are faced with the wreaks of all sorts of destruction from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Streaming on Hulu, the movie will keep you excited and on the edge of your seat.
Greenland
Unlike 2017’s Geostorm, Gerard Butler’s Greenland offers non-stop entertainment with good performance and decent CGI. As Hollywood seems to enjoy movies about falling objects coming into earth’s orbit, Greenland takes advantage of the theme and follows John (Butler) as he learns of a comet on a collision course with the planet. Although he is selected as part of the government’s evacuation program, he must race against time to get his family to safety. Available on Prime Video, the story about a family’s will to survive a global catastrophe will keep you hooked from beginning to end.
Don’t Look Up
Netflix’s Don’t Look Up is the latest disaster film, which takes a satirical tone on how humankind approaches an event of global destruction. With a staller star cast, the movie follows two low-level astronomers who discover a planet-destroying comet that is headed towards earth. The duo must go on a giant media tour to warn humankind about the threat so that it could be averted with a joint effort. However, things do not go as planned and well, the comet wipes out life on earth. The comedy-disaster movie will keep you entertained, offer a few laughs, and will make you think over the subject. If you haven’t watched it already, head over to Netflix and catch it before Moonfall arrives in theaters.
