Showdown

The Perfect Storm

Best disaster films

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Looks like we picked the wrong week to quit smoking. Whether it’s an imminent natural disaster, a towering inferno, a cruise liner steaming towards an iceberg, or an airplane full of panic, we want your top 10 disaster films, with one rule: they must be set within the Earth’s atmosphere (we’ve covered armageddon/apocalypse and outer space in earlier Showdowns). What more perfect genre was the medium of film made for than the disaster flick? From eruptions and earthquakes to wildfires and floods, disaster movies thrust us deep into the great nail-biting moments of history and fiction, and the spectacular heroics that ensue. We’ll never let go, Jack, we’ll never let go.

Most mentioned

  • Titanic
  • Twister
  • Jurassic Park
  • The Impossible
  • The Day After Tomorrow
  • The Poseidon Adventure
  • Dante's Peak
  • Airplane!
  • The Birds
  • The Towering Inferno
  • Contagion
  • Deepwater Horizon
  • 2012
  • Melancholia
  • San Andreas
  • Volcano
  • Deep Impact
  • Independence Day
  • Godzilla
  • Annihilation

Lists

Sort by
  • Deepwater Horizon
  • Tunnel
  • The Wave
  • All Is Lost
  • The Impossible
RigelDC

RigelDC 8 films

  • Twister
  • The Impossible
  • San Andreas
  • 2012
  • Into the Storm
• Séniòr Mø •

• Séniòr Mø • 9 films

  • Twister
  • Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
  • The Birds
  • The Impossible
  • Jurassic Park
Chad Marriotti

Chad Marriotti 10 films

  • Grave of the Fireflies
  • Belladonna of Sadness
  • Shin Godzilla
  • Your Name.
  • Annihilation
Beeeeeees

Beeeeeees 10 films

  • The Disaster Artist
  • Jurassic Park
  • Volcano
  • Twister
  • Disaster Movie
Conor Wade

Conor Wade 6 films

  • The Rapture
  • The Last Wave
  • The Quiet Earth
  • The Mist
  • These Final Hours
David Carroll

David Carroll 6 films

  • The Tower
  • The Impossible
  • Deep Impact
  • Deepwater Horizon
  • Titanic
Zheddy

Zheddy 10 films

  • Abandon Ship
  • The Hurricane
  • Miracle Mile
  • Sorcerer
  • Five Came Back
george_kaplan

george_kaplan 10 films

  • Letter Never Sent
  • Airplane!
  • Innerspace
  • Father of the Bride
  • Jurassic Park
Jason Rainey

Jason Rainey 11 films

  • Letter Never Sent
  • The Sacrifice
  • Key Largo
  • Your Name.
  • The Birds
Ivan

Ivan 5 films

  • The Poseidon Adventure
  • The Towering Inferno
  • The Impossible
  • The Day the Earth Caught Fire
  • San Andreas
Random 🎲 Arnold

Random 🎲 Arnold 10 films

  • Titanic
  • Outbreak
  • The Wave
  • The Impossible
  • The Day After Tomorrow
Rui Ozpinhead

Rui Ozpinhead 10 films

  • The Day After Tomorrow
  • Twister
  • Dante's Peak
  • Deepwater Horizon
  • Titanic
DisposableMiffy

DisposableMiffy 10 films

  • Gravity
  • A Night to Remember
  • Apollo 13
  • United 93
  • Titanic
Wilson Carter

Wilson Carter 10 films

  • Only the Brave
  • Children of Men
  • The Impossible
  • Jurassic Park
  • Titanic
🧀 Almer

🧀 Almer 25 films

  • Jurassic Park
  • Melancholia
  • Take Shelter
  • Airplane!
  • Titanic
BreizhAsh

BreizhAsh 12 films

  • Titanic
Boston Skinner

Boston Skinner 1 film

  • Titanic
  • The Poseidon Adventure
  • Dante's Peak
  • San Andreas
  • Twister
Alan P

Alan P 10 films

  • Titanic
  • The Impossible
  • The World's End
  • Colossal
  • Annihilation
Or 🎬🏴‍☠️✨

Or 🎬🏴‍☠️✨ 10 films

  • Melancholia
  • Titanic
  • Jurassic Park
  • The Birds
  • Annihilation
hunterjames

hunterjames 10 films

  • Twister
  • The Day After Tomorrow
  • Jurassic Park
  • Dante's Peak
  • The Mist
Brittany

Brittany 10 films

  • Jurassic Park
  • The Poseidon Adventure
  • Deepwater Horizon
  • Them!
  • Contagion
Buboven

Buboven 9 films

  • The Hurricane
  • A Night to Remember
  • The Poseidon Adventure
  • Juggernaut
  • The Towering Inferno
elvisisking

elvisisking 6 films

  • Deep Impact
  • Twister
  • Dante's Peak
  • San Andreas
  • The Impossible
Kevin Pitman

Kevin Pitman 12 films

  • Twister
  • The Day After Tomorrow
  • Deepwater Horizon
  • San Andreas
  • Unstoppable
Caleb Simmons

Caleb Simmons 7 films

  • Titanic
  • The Towering Inferno
  • Contagion
  • The China Syndrome
  • Jurassic Park
Erik [Auk]

Erik [Auk] 10 films

  • Twister
  • The Perfect Storm
  • Airplane!
  • 10 Cloverfield Lane
  • The Birds
Mike E

Mike E 10 films

  • Godzilla
  • Shin Godzilla
Jacob

Jacob 2 films

  • Armageddon
  • The Wave
  • Godzilla
  • It's a Disaster
  • Airplane!
Ryan

Ryan 14 films

  • An Inconvenient Truth
  • Take Shelter
  • The Poseidon Adventure
  • Night of the Comet
  • The Disaster Artist
Kyle

Kyle 11 films

  • Daylight
  • Twister
  • Dante's Peak
  • Volcano
  • The Perfect Storm
Patrick Russell

Patrick Russell 10 films

  • The Birds
  • Jurassic Park
  • Titanic
  • The Impossible
  • Godzilla
TajLV

TajLV 10 films

  • Deep Impact
  • Armageddon
  • Twister
  • Volcano
  • Dante's Peak
{Todd}

{Todd} 10 films

  • The Wave
  • Titanic
  • Dante's Peak
  • The Day After Tomorrow
  • 2012
Matt Miller

Matt Miller 10 films

  • Alive
  • Jurassic Park
  • Twister
  • Daylight
  • Independence Day
James McClurg

James McClurg 10 films

  • The Thing
  • Children of Men
  • Das Boot
  • Dawn of the Dead
  • Planet of the Apes
eunan nwachukwu

eunan nwachukwu 110 films

  • Perfect Sense
  • Take Shelter
  • Only the Brave
  • Children of Men
  • Melancholia
Ogi

Ogi 10 films

  • The Disaster Artist
  • In This Corner of the World
  • Birdemic: Shock and Terror
  • The Sacrifice
  • Force Majeure
Andreas Mortensen

Andreas Mortensen 10 films

  • The Towering Inferno
  • Noah
  • Titanic
  • Unstoppable
  • 2012
Florin Scanlon

Florin Scanlon 15 films

  • Titanic
  • Airplane!
  • The Towering Inferno
  • The Poseidon Adventure
  • Life of Pi
Kyle Bailey

Kyle Bailey 10 films

  • Your Name.
  • The Impossible
  • Jurassic Park
  • Titanic
  • The Day After Tomorrow
R.J. Carilo

R.J. Carilo 5 films

  • Melancholia
  • The Day After Tomorrow
  • Twister
  • 2012
  • The Perfect Storm
Luis_989

Luis_989 25 films

  • Contagion
  • Melancholia
  • The Girl with All the Gifts
  • 28 Days Later
  • Dawn of the Dead
FiveStar

FiveStar 10 films

  • The Poseidon Adventure
  • The Day After Tomorrow
  • 2012
  • It's a Disaster
  • Dante's Peak
Jerri_Lyn

Jerri_Lyn 16 films

  • The Birds
  • Airplane!
  • Noah
  • The Happening
  • The Quiet Earth
Daniel Charchuk

Daniel Charchuk 25 films

  • Sharknado
  • Castaway on the Moon
  • Titanic
  • Cast Away
  • The Day After Tomorrow
Amarillion

Amarillion 5 films

  • The Towering Inferno
  • Airport 1975
  • Twister
  • Deep Impact
  • The Poseidon Adventure
NYC_PAULA

NYC_PAULA 10 films

  • The Poseidon Adventure
  • The Towering Inferno
  • The Devil at 4 O'Clock
  • The Day After Tomorrow
  • World Trade Center
dadgumblah

dadgumblah 10 films

  • Firestorm
  • Birdemic: Shock and Terror
  • The Happening
  • Independence Day
  • Titanic
Darren

Darren 10 films

  • The Perfect Storm: Rescues
  • The Perfect Storm
  • Twister
  • The Impossible
  • Into the Storm
Nichtsbesondern

Nichtsbesondern 9 films

  • This Is the End
  • Melancholia
  • Contagion
  • Source Code
  • The Day After Tomorrow
Sam

Sam 5 films

  • Jurassic Park
  • Mars Attacks!
  • Speed
  • Airplane!
  • Titanic
Kyle

Kyle 9 films

  • Godzilla
  • San Andreas
  • The Wave
  • Titanic
  • The Impossible
Karl Delossantos

Karl Delossantos 9 films

  • Jurassic Park
  • Twister
  • Independence Day
  • Armageddon
  • Final Destination
hessli

hessli 9 films

  • Armageddon
  • Contagion
  • Twister
  • The Birds
  • Dawn of the Dead
Nick Moffitt

Nick Moffitt 10 films

  • Islands of Fire
  • The Birds
  • The Falls
  • The Wind
  • The Wizard of Oz
Those Eyebrows

Those Eyebrows 10 films

  • The Impossible
  • The Day After Tomorrow
  • 2012
  • Hacksaw Ridge
  • Twister
ayal0001

ayal0001 10 films

  • Volcano
  • Dante's Peak
  • Armageddon
  • Geostorm
  • Deep Impact
zombiekiller

zombiekiller 12 films

  • The Poseidon Adventure
  • Earthquake
  • Twister
  • Dante's Peak
  • Aftershock
Chris

Chris 14 films

  • Airplane!
  • The Poseidon Adventure
  • Two-Minute Warning
  • Patriots Day
  • United 93
John Quinn

John Quinn 11 films

  • Your Name.
  • Shin Godzilla
  • The Mist
  • Twister
  • Annihilation
Zapken

Zapken 9 films

  • Annihilation
  • Your Name.
  • Take Shelter
  • Melancholia
  • The Day After Tomorrow
Ronny The Explorer

Ronny The Explorer 10 films

  • Twister
  • Hard Rain
  • The Core
  • The Poseidon Adventure
  • Dante's Peak
Gabriel Jewett

Gabriel Jewett 10 films

  • The Towering Inferno
  • Earthquake
  • The Swarm
  • Outbreak
  • Independence Day
Eileen Mccormack

Eileen Mccormack 22 films

  • Godzilla
  • The Mist
  • Blindness
  • Night of the Comet
  • Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
preisman

preisman 10 films

  • Jurassic Park
  • The Birds
  • Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
  • Cloverfield
  • Contagion
donovon

donovon 10 films

  • Beasts of the Southern Wild
  • Turtles Can Fly
  • The Girl with All the Gifts
  • Under the Shadow
  • Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion
Calinope

Calinope 10 films

  • Deepwater Horizon
  • Dante's Peak
  • Titanic
  • United 93
  • The Finest Hours
Chris Coke

Chris Coke 10 films

  • Twister
  • Testament
  • The Poseidon Adventure
  • All Is Lost
  • The Birds
John Hensler

John Hensler 10 films

  • The Birds
  • Godzilla
  • King Kong
  • The Blob
  • Anaconda
David Kuskie

David Kuskie 10 films

  • The Poseidon Adventure
  • Dante's Peak
  • The Towering Inferno
  • How It Ends
  • Life on the Line
Chris Coke

Chris Coke 5 films

  • United 93
  • Cloverfield
  • Deepwater Horizon
  • Tunnel
  • The Birds
Matthew Buchanan

Matthew Buchanan 10 films

  • Titanic
  • Twister
  • Jurassic Park
  • The Impossible
  • The Day After Tomorrow
Letterboxd

Letterboxd 20 films

  • The Towering Inferno
  • Twister
  • United 93
  • The Poseidon Adventure
  • Deepwater Horizon
Forrest With2Rs

Forrest With2Rs 8 films

  • These Final Hours
  • Titanic
  • The Towering Inferno
  • United 93
  • Twister
RJMacReady

RJMacReady 10 films

  • Daylight
  • The War of the Worlds
  • King Kong
  • Independence Day
  • Godzilla
Shawn Bird

Shawn Bird 15 films

  • The High and the Mighty
  • Airport
  • Earthquake
  • The Towering Inferno
  • When Time Ran Out...
-Spooky-

-Spooky- 10 films

  • The Poseidon Adventure
  • Miracle Mile
  • The Towering Inferno
  • Grave of the Fireflies
  • Airport
Skeldal

Skeldal 20 films

  • The Towering Inferno
  • Outbreak
  • The Birds
  • The Perfect Storm
  • The Day After Tomorrow
Michael Sutton

Michael Sutton 10 films

  • Annihilation
  • War of the Worlds
  • 2012
  • Knowing
  • Melancholia
Jagger Neary

Jagger Neary 13 films

  • Twister
  • The Day After Tomorrow
  • Volcano
  • 2012
  • Independence Day
Travis Meadows

Travis Meadows 5 films

  • Armageddon
  • Titanic
  • Only the Brave
  • Dante's Peak
  • Twister
Neil Angels

Neil Angels 10 films

  • The Wave
  • Deep Impact
  • Armageddon
  • Twister
  • 2012
Jimi R

Jimi R 10 films

  • Chernobyl
  • Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
  • 28 Days Later
  • Letter Never Sent
  • Airplane!
AronDanburg

AronDanburg 10 films

  • Chernobyl
  • The Impossible
  • Melancholia
  • Jaws
  • Titanic
Eddie_Kasp

Eddie_Kasp 27 films

  • The Impossible
  • War of the Worlds
  • Gravity
  • Dawn of the Dead
  • Skyline
Hunter

Hunter 26 films

  • Twister
  • Jurassic Park
  • The Birds
  • Godzilla
  • Shin Godzilla
xthebarkingcat

xthebarkingcat 13 films

  • Contagion
  • Deep Impact
  • Melancholia
  • 2012
  • War of the Worlds
Ian Casocot

Ian Casocot 61 films

  • Deep Impact
  • The Impossible
  • Perfect Sense
  • Twister
  • The Birds
Stefan

Stefan 11 films

  • The Day After
  • The Towering Inferno
  • Moonfall
  • Testament
  • Earthquake
Roger

Roger 15 films

Still from The Impossible (2012)