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This article originally ran in 2015 and has been updated to include additional movies.
Were republishing now with the sequel toTwisterin theaters.
So what happens when an actual, bona fide, honest-to-goodness disaster is unfolding in real life instead?
For some of us, the onscreen versions will become unbearable.
Its also one of cinemas most resilient genres.
So heres a look back on our favorite disaster movies over the years.
(For example, noIndependence Day, orGodzilla, orKing Kong.)
We also excluded superhero movies (so, noSupermanorThe Dark Knight Rises) or tales of the supernatural.
StrangeloveorFail Safe, although both are excellent examples of the nuclear-armageddon genre).
We also skipped films that were mostly about the aftermath of a disaster, instead of the disaster itself.
(So, noThe GreyorCast Away.)
That may sound like a lot of caveats, but the list is still pretty thorough and wide-ranging.
But it totally would have made this list if it hadnt.)
This star-studded 2009 epic, however, may have been his purest throwback to the 1970s.
It feels at times like a dumber variation on HitchcocksThe Birds, albeit with a more science-y sheen.
31.Twister(1996)
I was not a fan ofTwisterwhen I first saw it in theaters.
But the storms dear God, the storms.
I remember how terrified I was of tornadoes when I first learned about them.
Terrified … yet fascinated.
And the film captures that childlike awe and obsession that nature can inspire.
The cast was reportedly, and understandably,not pleased with thatat the time.
Was it worth it?
Youll have to decide for yourself.
But were still watchingTwister, arent we?
(Most viewers these days might reverse that statement.)
These two are the yin and yang of giant-asteroid movies.
(Sorry,Adam McKay.)
Like many disaster movies, this is a turgid soap opera thats blown apart by chaos.
But oh, what glorious chaos!
27.Hard Rain(1998)
Before there wasThe Hurricane Heist(rememberThe Hurricane Heist?)
But along the way, the Earth starts getting pulled by Jupiters gravitational force.
So the earthlings now have to try and ignite Jupiters atmosphere to launch Earth back into space.
Needless to say, there are complications.
And it all kind of works.
I think I cried at least four times.
The religion is heavy-handed, but also surprisingly powerful especially once the volcano goes boom.
24 and 23.Dantes PeakandVolcano(1997)
Another SFX duo.
Both these films came out in 1997, and they compare and contrast in fun ways.
Both are supremely ridiculous, and supremely entertaining.
Combined, they could make for a master list of all the best and worst things about disaster movies.
Some of the effects may have become dated, but the suspense definitely has not.
A comet is headed for Earth, and it will likely cause an extinction-level event across the planet.
In other words,a perfect Gerard Butler movie.
Its a family psychodrama and a killer gator flick and a disaster movie all rolled into one.
We become unusually attached to the survival of this young woman and her dad.
Practically dumped into theaters last year, this deserves greater acclaim.
The destruction at the end, with buildings loudly exploding left and right, is still impressive.
16.Pompeii(2014)
Not everybody liked Paul W.S.
Andersons Roman romance-disaster picture when it came out.
In fact, most people probably hated it.
If you ever get a chance to catch this in 3-D, do so.
This also provides an opportunity to get up close and personal with the firefighting profession.
And that giant wave at the end holy crap.
The film gets bonus points for not going down the usual route of following a diffuse cast of characters.
The wave here also looksamazing almost as impressive as the one inThe Perfect Storm.
Its the kind of glossy, multi-character drama that Hollywood rarely touches nowadays.
But its also a very, very strange movie one that occasionally borders on comedy.
Which brings us to …
10.Airplane!
eschews the usual soap-opera histrionics of a typical disasterpiece.
Instead, Soderbergh and writer Scott Z. Burns focus on process, and on society pushed to the extremes.
7.The Poseidon Adventure(1972)
Another Irwin Allen classic.
The much-maligned 2006 remake (directed byDas BootandPerfect Storms Wolfgang Petersen) is actually pretty solid, too.
Does this really count as a disaster movie?
Much of it follows the hubbub around, and the minute emotional dramas of, Dunsts wedding.
In that sense, one might say it is theultimatedisaster movie.
5.Miracle Mile(1988)
Nuclear armageddon totally counts as a disaster, right?
First, a power failure gets in the way.
As the city around them spins into complete mayhem, the two young lovers attempt to reconnect.
One of the great, most underrated films of the 1980s.
3.The Birds(1963)
Yes, it totallyisa disaster movie.
that catches fire on its maiden voya…
I mean, its opening night, is a riveting soap opera of sin, ambition, and heroism.
Meanwhile, Robert Vaughn plays a senator, and O.J.
Simpson saves Jennifer Joness cat.
Amazingly evocative, and the effects are still phenomenal.
