For those intrigued by the “what if’s” and the adrenaline found through disaster, here are 10 disaster films that are sure to get your heart racing. These films are filled with passion, heart, and human resilience…
‘San Andreas’
Even without the incredible cast list, this film makes for an excellence watch. Surrounding the contemplation if the San Andreas fault line was activated, how much would it destroy. With cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco situated on the fault line, there is a lot at stake. The film follows a soon-divorced couple and their daughter, and their feats to find each other during the disaster.
‘The Day After Tomorrow’
Climate change leads to a severe tropical depression that takes over the northern hemisphere. This disaster develops three main superstorms that siphon frozen air and flash-freeze anything caught in its way. New York is hit with incredible rain that quickly floods Manhattan, forcing a group of friends to seek shelter in the public library. As the storm draws closer, a modern-day ice-age sweeps through the city, freezing the floodwaters and everything else. This story follows the survival of the group of friends and the isolation of the storm denying any help.
‘Deepwater Horizon’
Based on a true story, this film uncovers one of the most devastating oil rig disasters, which occurred in 2010. In attempt to make up time that was lost in various delays, many safety systems were overlooked, leading to a snow-balling process of disasters. Stranded in the ocean, the team on board the rig desperately trying to find a way off as it begins to destroy itself.
‘Armageddon’
After a small meteor shower hits Earth, NASA identifies a large meteor that is set to hit Earth in 18 days and has the potential to wipe out all life. They recruit a third-generation oil driller and his team, training them to be astronauts in 12 days, so that they can drill into the surface of the asteroid and insert and detonate a nuclear bomb that will destroy the asteroid before it hits Earth. This film shows a tense relationship between a man and his soon-to-be father-in-law that turns wholesome and is filled with action and determination.
‘Into the Storm’
This film follows the miraculous development of the worst storm the world has seen. Starting with a few lower-level tornados and resulting in a tornado that could swallow a whole town, this film is intense and destructive. Pieces of this film are presented through a hand-held vlog style, making it seem as if the audience is watching recovered film from a real event, or you’re experiencing it alongside the characters. Follow hillbilly tornado-hunters and storm-chasing meteorologists as they investigate this freak storm.
‘2012’
The year the world ended (or at least so went the theory). This film is a classic simply due to its implications. The film follows the world-wide precautions that were put in place to prepare for the inevitable end of the world and includes every natural disaster and crisis you could think of. With nine ‘arks’ being created to preserve some of the Earth’s life, the film follows the desperate attempts to reach them.
‘Geostorm’
This science-fiction disaster film contemplates how far technology could be developed, and if it fell into the wrong hands, how much destruction could someone cause? With satellites that are able to regulate and control the weather on Earth, someone manages to gain control of them. This causes a series of freak ‘natural’ disasters all over the world, destroying whole cities and ecosystems.
‘Moonfall’
This film does contemplate alien ‘invasion’. As astronauts are repairing a satellite in space, they are attacked by a swarm of alien technology which then tunnels into the surface of the moon. Years later, they discover that the moon’s orbit is veering closer to earth, leading to seismic and gravitational disturbances and a team works to save the Earth from this disaster.
‘Everest’
A team decide to conquer the greatest climb on Earth, Everest. However, while they successfully make it to the peak, it is the path down that proves to be the most difficult. The team is faced with various difficulties including blizzards, empty oxygen tanks, and a lost trail. This film is an accurate fight for survival in one of the most dangerous places on Earth.
‘Gravity’
This film enhances fears of space; especially the amount of space that is there and how easy it would be to keep falling further into nothingness. Dr Ryan Stone is on her first space mission, performing repairs to a shuttle which becomes threatened by a cloud of space debris. This leads to a sequence of movements between shuttles in space as they fight to stay ahead of the debris in an environment where so much can go wrong.
Hayley Rochester
Hayley is an intern with The Western Weekender, currently studying at Macquarie University.