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21 Best natural disaster movies according to IMDb ratings: Contagion to Armageddon
Whether it's a plot about a small boat in a storm or a massive comet headed toward earth, natural disaster movies can get your adrenaline pumping. Scroll on for the best of 'em.
Thriller movies like animal survival thrillers, psychological thrillers, and natural disaster movies offer some of the best large-scale CGI moments in cinema, outside of big sci-fi movies and superhero movies, making them even more intense. Viewers are not only terrified by what they see on film but they are also terrified that it might happen to them. Although zombie attacks are unlikely to occur very soon, you might experience an earthquake or a tsunami. After all, a pandemic did strike us.
Natural disaster movies are sure to get your heart racing and your adrenaline pounding, whether the subject is as intimate as one boat in a storm or as grandiose as a comet heading toward Earth. These are a few of the best the cinema has to offer. So, what are you waiting for? Go on! Find your favorite.
21 Best Natural Disaster Movies You Should Watch Right Now
Disaster movies are among the biggest, most epic canvases that filmmakers can work on because they combine spectacle special effects with human drama. We're now ranking some of the best depictions of natural disasters, including earthquakes (San Andreas), asteroids (Deep Impact), tsunamis (The Impossible), airplanes (Airport), volcanoes (Volcano), boats (Titanic), and pretty much anything else mother nature can throw out (2012). So prepare for the rated disaster movies by donning a helmet, and a life jacket, and hiding out in your fallout shelter.
1. Airport 1975 (1974)
- Movie Genre: Drama, Thriller
- Total Duration: 107 minutes
- Star Cast: Charlton Heston, Karen Black, George Kennedy, Efrem Zimbalist Jr.
- Director: Jack Smight
- Year of release: 1974
- OTT Platform: Amazon Prime Video
- IMDb Rating: 5.7/10
Starring Charlton Heston, Karen Black, George Kennedy, and Efrem Zimbalist Jr. the movie is directed by Jack Smight. A small plane collides with a 747 in flight, leaving it pilotless. So that the plane can land, the control tower must find a way to get a pilot on board.
2. Contagion (2011)
- Movie Genre: Drama, Thriller
- Total Duration: 106 minutes
- Star Cast: Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow
- Director: Steven Soderbergh
- Year of release: 2011
- OTT Platform: Netflix
- IMDb Rating: 6.8/10
Directed by Steven Soderbergh, the movie stars actors including Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, and Gwyneth Paltrow among others. The CDC is trying to find a cure while medical professionals, government leaders, and regular citizens find themselves in the middle of a pandemic.
3. The Core (2003)
- Movie Genre: Drama, Thriller
- Total Duration: 135 minutes
- Star Cast: Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank, Delroy Lindo, Bruce Greenwood
- Director: Jon Amiel
- Year of release: 2003
- OTT Platform: Netflix
- IMDb Rating: 5.5/10
The Core is a thriller movie directed by Jon Amiel. The plot of the movie is about drilling to the core and restarting the Earth's rotation are the only ways to prevent catastrophe in this mind-blowing natural disaster movie. Starring Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank, Delroy Lindo, and Bruce Greenwood, it is available on Netflix to watch.
4. Dante’s Peak (1997)
- Movie Genre: Drama, Thriller
- Total Duration: 108 minutes
- Star Cast: Pierce Brosnan, Linda Hamilton, Jamie Renée Smith, Jeremy Foley
- Director: Roger Donaldson
- Year of release: 1997
- OTT Platform: Amazon Prime Video
- IMDb Rating: 6/10
A volcanologist learns that the long-dormant volcano, Dante's Peak, could erupt at any time upon arriving in a rural community recently ranked as the second-most desirable place to live in America. Starring Pierce Brosnan, Linda Hamilton, Jamie Renée Smith, and Jeremy Foley, this movie is available on Amazon Prime Video to stream.
5. The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
- Movie Genre: Drama, Thriller
- Total Duration: 124 minutes
- Star Cast: Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal, Emmy Rossum, Dash Mihok
- Director: Roland Emmerich
- Year of release: 2004
- OTT Platform: Amazon Prime Video
- IMDb Rating: 6.4/10
Paleoclimatologist Jack Hall must undertake a perilous journey from Washington, D.C., to New York City to find his son, who is caught in the path of an unexpected global storm that sends the earth into a new Ice Age. Starring Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal, Emmy Rossum, and Dash Mihok, the movie is directed on Amazon Prime Video to watch.
6. Deep Impact (1998)
- Movie Genre: Drama, Thriller
- Total Duration: 120 minutes
- Star Cast: Robert Duvall, Téa Leoni, Elijah Wood, Morgan Freeman
- Director: Mimi Leder
- Year of release: 1998
- OTT Platform: Netflix
- IMDb Rating: 6.2/10
Starring Robert Duvall, Téa Leoni, Elijah Wood, and Morgan Freeman, the movie is available on Netflix to stream. The plot of the movie revolves around a world where it is discovered that a comet is headed straight toward Earth. The human species is preparing for the worst as Armageddon draws closer.
7. Geostorm (2017)
- Movie Genre: Drama, Thriller
- Total Duration: 109 minutes
- Star Cast: Gerard Butler, Jim Sturgess, Abbie Cornish, Alexandra Maria Lara
- Director: Dean Devlin
- Year of release: 2017
- OTT Platform: Netflix
- IMDb Rating: 5.3/10
Starring Gerard Butler, Jim Sturgess, Abbie Cornish, and Alexandra Maria Lara, the movie is available on Netflix to stream. It's a race against time for the satellite network's designer to identify the real threat before a global Geostorm wipes out everything and everyone as the network of satellites built to govern the global climate starts to attack Earth.
8. Gravity (2013)
- Movie Genre: Drama, Thriller
- Total Duration: 95 minutes
- Star Cast: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, Ed Harris(voice)
- Director: Alfonso Cuarón
- Year of release: 2013
- OTT Platform: Amazon Prime Video
- IMDb Rating: 7.7/10
Directed by Alfonso Cuarón, the movie features stars including Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, and Ed Harris(voice). The 2013 movie is available on Amazon Prime Video and revolves around a story where an accident leaves two astronauts trapped in space, they band together to survive.
9. Independence Day (1996)
- Movie Genre: Drama, Thriller
- Total Duration: 145 mins
- Star Cast: Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, Mary McDonnell
- Director: Roland Emmerich
- Year of release: 1996
- OTT Platform: Amazon Prime Video
- IMDb Rating: 7/10
The movie revolves around a plot where aliens are approaching intending to invade and destroy Earth. The human will to survive is the finest weapon against advanced technology. The movie features Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, and Mary McDonnell among others, and is directed by Roland Emmerich.
10. Armageddon (1998)
- Movie Genre: Drama, Thriller
- Total Duration: 151 minutes
- Star Cast: Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler
- Director: Michael Bay
- Year of release: 1998
- OTT Platform: Amazon Prime Video
- IMDb Rating: 6.7/10
Starring Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Ben Affleck, and Liv Tyler, the movie is directed by Michael Bay. The plot of the movie focuses on a story where NASA learns that a Texas-sized asteroid will strike Earth in less than a month, they assemble an oddball group of deep-core drillers to save the planet. The 1998 movie is available on Amazon Prime Video to stream.
11. Moonfall (2022)
- Movie Genre: Drama, Thriller
- Total Duration: 130 minutes
- Star Cast: Halle Berry, Patrick Wilson, John Bradley
- Director: Roland Emmerich
- Year of release: 2022
- OTT Platform: Amazon Prime Video
- IMDb Rating: 5.1/10
Starring Halle Berry, Patrick Wilson, and John Bradley, the 2022 movie is directed by Roland Emmerich. The plot of the movie revolves around a story where the moon is thrown out of its orbit by an unknown force, rushing toward Earth in its path. The movie is available on Amazon Prime Video to stream.
12. Don’t Look Up (2021)
- Movie Genre: Drama, Thriller
- Total Duration: 138 minutes
- Star Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep
- Director: Adam McKay
- Year of release: 2022
- OTT Platform: Netflix
- IMDb Rating: 7.2/10
The plot of the movie revolves around two low-level astronomers who must go on a giant media tour to warn humankind of an approaching comet that will destroy planet Earth. The star cast includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, and Meryl Streep. The movie is directed by Adam McKay and is available to stream on Netflix.
13. Pompeii (2014)
- Movie Genre: Drama, Thriller
- Total Duration: 105 minutes
- Star Cast: Kit Harington, Emily Browning, Kiefer Sutherland
- Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
- Year of release: 2014
- OTT Platform: Amazon Prime Video
- IMDb Rating: 5.5/10
The genuine love of a slave-turned-gladiator, who has been betrothed to a dishonest Roman Senator, must be saved in a race against time. He must struggle to save his beloved as Pompeii burns around him and Mount Vesuvius explodes. Starring Kit Harington, Emily Browning, Kiefer Sutherland, this 2014 movie is available on Amazon Prime Video to stream.
14. San Andreas (2015)
- Movie Genre: Drama, Thriller
- Total Duration: 114 minutes
- Star Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Carla Gugino, Alexandra Daddario, Colton Haynes
- Director: Brad Peyton
- Year of release: 2015
- OTT Platform: Netflix
- IMDb Rating: 5.5/10
Starring Dwayne Johnson, Carla Gugino, Alexandra Daddario, and Colton Haynes, the plot of the movie revolves around a rescue-chopper pilot who crosses California in a perilous voyage with his ex-wife after a massive earthquake in an attempt to save his daughter. It is available on Netflix to stream.
15. This Is the End (2013)
- Movie Genre: Drama, Thriller
- Total Duration: 107 minutes
- Star Cast: James Franco, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen
- Director: Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen
- Year of release: 2013
- OTT Platform: Netflix
- IMDb Rating: 6.6/10
Six well-known Los Angeles residents are stranded in James Franco's home after a slew of tragic incidents just decimated the city. Now, the group has to contend with themselves inside as well as the end of the world. Directed by Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen, the movie is available on Netflix to stream.
16. Titanic (1997)
- Movie Genre: Drama, Thriller
- Total Duration: 194 minutes
- Star Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates
- Director: James Cameron
- Year of release: 1997
- OTT Platform: Disney Plus Hotstar
- IMDb Rating: 7.9/10
The classic movie features stars including, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, and Kathy Bates. The plot of the movie revolves around a seventeen-year-old aristocrat who falls in love with a kind but poor artist aboard the luxurious, ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic. It is available on Disney Plus Hotstar to watch.
17. 2012 (2009)
- Movie Genre: Drama, Thriller
- Total Duration: 158 minutes
- Star Cast: John Cusack, Thandiwe Newton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet
- Director: Roland Emmerich
- Year of release: 2009
- OTT Platform: Amazon Prime Video
- IMDb Rating: 5.8/10
Directed by Roland Emmerich, the movie stars John Cusack, Thandiwe Newton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Amanda Peet. The plot of the movie revolves around a dissatisfied writer who fights to keep his family alive when a string of worldwide disasters threatens to wipe out humanity.
18. Volcano (1997)
- Movie Genre: Drama, Thriller
- Total Duration: 104 minutes
- Star Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Anne Heche, Gaby Hoffmann, Don Cheadle
- Director: Mick Jackson
- Year of release: 1997
- OTT Platform: Amazon Prime Video
- IMDb Rating: 5.5/10
A seismologist and a city official attempt to halt the volcano's inevitable flow across the metropolis as it erupts in downtown Los Angeles. Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Anne Heche, Gaby Hoffmann, and Don Cheadle, the movie is available on Amazon Prime Video to watch.
19. Cloverfield (2008)
- Movie Genre: Drama, Thriller
- Total Duration: 85 minutes
- Star Cast: Mike Vogel, Jessica Lucas, Lizzy Caplan, T.J. Miller
- Director: Matt Reeves
- Year of release: 2008
- OTT Platform: Amazon Prime Video
- IMDb Rating: 7/10
Starring Mike Vogel, Jessica Lucas, Lizzy Caplan, and T.J. Miller the story revolves around the story of a gang of friends goes on a rescue mission through the streets of New York amid a raging monster onslaught. It is available on Amazon Prime Video to stream.
- Movie Genre: Drama, Thriller
- Total Duration: 105 minutes
- Star Cast: Kristoffer Joner, Ane Dahl Torp, Jonas Hoff Oftebro, Edith Haagenrud-Sande
- Director: Roar Uthaug
- Year of release: 2015
- OTT Platform: Amazon Prime Video
- IMDb Rating: 6.6/10
Even though it was expected, nobody is truly prepared when the mountain pass above the picturesque, constrained fjord Geiranger in Norway Falls, generating an 85-meter-high catastrophic tidal wave. One of those caught in the middle of it is a geologist. Starring Kristoffer Joner, Ane Dahl Torp, Jonas Hoff Oftebro, and Edith Haagenrud-Sande, the movie is available on Amazon Prime Video to watch.
21. The Impossible (2012)
- Movie Genre: Drama, Thriller
- Total Duration: 114 minutes
- Star Cast: Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Tom Holland, Oaklee Pendergast
- Director: J.A. Bayona
- Year of release: 2012
- OTT Platform: Netflix
- IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
Starring Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Tom Holland, and Oaklee Pendergast, the plot of the movie revolves around the story where a tourist family who was thrown into the chaos and devastation of the tsunami that hit the Indian Ocean in 2004. The movie is available on Netflix to stream.
You might be interested in the thought of kicking back and unwinding while sympathetically witnessing how others handle a significant calamity in light of everything we've gone through over the past year and a half. If that sounds alluring, there is no safer or better way to indulge than by loading up your preferred streamer and watching classic natural disaster movies.
ALSO READ: 50 Best thriller movies of all time to watch right now - The Dark Knight to Inception
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