10 Most Believable Natural Disaster Movies

Natural disaster movies are more than pure entertainment – these films also serve to scare and inform us about Mother Nature and the unknown. But not all natural disaster movies are made the same. The best ones come with all the bells and whistles we can find in our favorite action films, along with believable story lines and factual information.

Here are the 10 most believable natural disaster movies:

1. Deep Impact: Deep Impact is about a massive comet that's headed straight for Earth, and only a small percentage of people will be allowed into shelters to survive this catastrophic event. Impressive visual effects and heartfelt story lines makes Deep Impact a believable and emotional natural disaster movie. 

2. Dante's Peak: Dante's Peak, a fictional Pacific Northwest city, is home to a long-dormant volcano that is experiencing unusual activity. A USGS scientist and the town mayor try to warn the city about Dante's Peak, but their concerns are met with little action until the volcano erupts, killing all those who stand in its path. 

3. Twister: Twister takes viewers on a rip-roaring ride as two storm-chasing lovers encounter an outbreak of intense tornadoes in the Great Plains. In addition to exciting visuals and sounds, Twisterfocuses on the innovation of tornado measuring devices and the storm chasers' struggle to make history. 

4. 2012: 2012 features just about every natural disaster imaginable, all part of the fulfillment of the Mayan prophecy that the end of the world will occur in the year 2012. A super volcano, solar flares and massive tsunamis take over the unsuspecting world and everyone struggles to survive. 

5. The Perfect Storm: The Perfect Storm is an adaptation of the 1997 book that tells the true story of Andrea Gail, a swordfishing boat that sank during the "perfect storm" on Oct. 30, 1991. The real-life tale of dangers at sea make The Perfect Storm an authentic natural disaster we hope to never see again. 

6. The Day After Tomorrow: The Day After Tomorrow is a chilling natural disaster film that takes the current issue of global warming to the extreme when a disturbance in warm water ocean currents cause a series of weather-related disasters to happen and eventually lead to a new ice age. 

7. Armageddon: An asteroid the size of Texas is headed towards Earth, and it's up to a group of American drillers to stop it by sending a nuclear warhead its way. The mission is successful and civilization lives on. 

8. Knowing: Knowing is a suspenseful movie about an astrophysics professor whose son opens up a 50-year-old time capsule at school that tells a haunting prediction of the future. He discovers that the seemingly random numbers in the prediction actually reference important tragic events in world history, in addition to the events that will soon end civilization of which he has to prevent. 

9. Volcano: A volcano beneath the La Brea Tar Pits erupts in Los Angeles, causing dangerous lava to flow into the streets. This doomsday film brings light to the behavior of volcanoes and the need for disaster awareness. 

10. The Poseidon Adventure: The Poseidon Adventure tells the terrifying story of a cruise liner that capsizes at sea because of a massive tidal wave. Passengers cling to dear life as their worst nightmare unfolds over night.

Contacts and sources:
Anna Miller
Online Degree