The Top 10 Best Natural Disaster Movies

5. Only the Brave

California is no stranger when it comes to wildfires, which makes it a little weird that it took so long for a good movie about them to come out. Usually, these things are the result of some idiot who didn’t listen to smokey the bear. However, since mother nature has such a big hand in making wildfire possible, I’m going to give make sure she gets her share of the blame too.  As far as natural disaster movies this one is a little different from the others on this list because the protagonists are racing into the belly of the beast to stop it. Sure, some of the other heroes from this list tried to save as many as they could, but they didn’t go toe to toe with the disaster.

4. Contagion

Not all-natural disaster movies feature earthquakes, tornadoes, or torrential downpours. I know a virus doesn’t automatically enter your mind when you think of natural disasters because it’s not quite as glitzy as all those other ones. But hey, the Black Death killed off a third of the population of Europe, so I would say that was pretty disastrous. Like the old poem says, “This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang but a whimper.” So it makes sense that a massive pandemic that slowly burns through humanity would be one a natural disaster we never see coming. Contagion packs an impressive cast and is directed by one of the all-time greats, Steven Soderbergh. It might not be an edge of your seat movie, but it’s one that will make you rethink getting a flu shot.   

3. Crawl

Crawl is actually a twofer when it comes to mother nature sticking it to humans. Not only does it feature a torrential category 5 hurricane flooding Florida, but it’s also got a couple of killer gators just looking for someone to chomp. Now, before you tell me that a couple of wild alligators moving into Florida home is ridiculous, as a Floridian, I can tell you that it really isn’t. I can also confirm that Floridians also don’t really evacuate for hurricanes either. Because of that, Crawl is, as absurd as it sounds, one of the more realistic natural disaster movies out there. The film follows a woman who goes to check on her father before a category 5 hurricane hits. She finds him unconscious in the crawl space beneath the house he’s remodeling. Before she can get him to safety, she discovers a pair of gators under the house who aren’t interested in letting them escape, especially once it starts flooding…

2. Twister

There was no way possible to have a top 10 list featuring natural disaster movies and not include this gem from the 90’s. Twister is a joyride of a film. It just chugs along, taking the scenic route (in this case, one with lots of tornados) and it just there to enjoy itself. Maybe that’s why I loved it so much as a kid. To be honest, I’m a little scared to rewatch it because it might not live up to my fond memories of it. So, I’m just going to stick with what I remember best about the film, and that’s a scene where a cow goes mooing on by at 100 some-odd miles per hour. Hey, I never said it was a good movie, but Twister is one hell of a great one.

1. Key Largo

I bet you thought Twister was going to be number one on this list. Well, it was a close one, but I love me some Humphrey Bogart. Sure this movie is much more of a gangster film, but it also heavily features an encroaching hurricane. Take it from me, no matter how tough Floridians might act about it, a hurricane in the sunshine state is one big pain in the ass. While most of the other entries on this natural disaster movies list focused solely on the disaster, Key Largo almost treats the hurricane like another character in the movie. A big bad who is on his way and shows up just in time to signal the third act. It might seem like an unusual pick, but that doesn’t make it any less worthy of the number one spot.

Honorable Mention- Everest

I never got the whole “because it’s there” mentality that mountain climbers seem to have. Then again, I also am not the biggest fan of heights in the world. That being said though, combining Mount Everest and a blizzard is a sure-fire way to earn a shout out on this list of natural disaster movies. Jake Gyllenhaal makes another appearance, this time though as a mountain climber struggling to survive on the highest point on the planet. Word to the wise, if you’ve got a problem with heights then this might not be the movie for you. Even the trailer for this one made me squirm a bit. I mean, just trying to survive on Everest is enough, you don’t really need to up the stakes with a disaster. Plus, this movie would have been a good entry for the survival movie list.

There are a ton of other natural disaster movies out there, and it wasn’t easy narrowing down this list. So, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it. Be sure to comment below what your favorite picks are and what movies you wish had made the cut. Also, if you have any insight on which of these movies best portrayed a disaster, be sure to share that as well!