From San Andreas, Everest to The Day After Tomorrow, 9 movies, based on natural disasters, that you MUST watch

There are numerous films that are based on natural disasters. The scripts of these films have been gripping which is why it has become one of the most preferred genres of films to watch. Take a look at some of the best films based on natural disasters.

Image: Official film poster

The United States of America was recently hit by a devastating storm that took the lives of over 80 people. The US President, Joe Biden called the half of tornadoes “one of the largest” storms in the history of the country claiming the lives of many. Natural disasters have often been framed as the script for many Hollywood films which showed the aftermath of these disasters. Here is a list of movies that were based on natural disasters and have gone down as some of the best films ever made. Check them out.

TWISTER (1996): This 1996 film directed by Jan de Bont is an epic American disaster film. Michael Crichton and Anne-Marie Martin wrote the script for the film. It was produced by Crichton, Kathleen Kennedy, and Ian Bryce, with executive producers Steven Spielberg, Walter Parkes, Laurie MacDonald, and Gerald R. Molen. The film, starring Helen Hunt, Jami Gertz, and others, follows a group of storm chasers who attempt to deploy a tornado research device during a severe outbreak in Oklahoma. Twister was first shown in theatres on May 10, 1996.

THE PERFECT STORM (2000): Directed by Wolfgang Peterson, The Perfect Storm is a biographical catastrophe film that was released in the year. The movie is based on the non-fiction book ‘The Perfect Storm’ written by Sebastian Junger in the year 1997. Andrea Gail, a commercial fishing vessel lost at sea with all hands after being trapped in the Perfect Storm of 1991, is the subject of the film. George Clooney, Diane Lane, Mark Wahlberg, William Fichtner, Karen Allen, Bob Gunton, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Mark Wahlberg and John C. Reilly are among the cast members of the film. Warner Bros. released it on June 30, 2000.

THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW (2004): The Day After Tomorrow, a 2004 American science fiction disaster film, was directed, co-produced, and co-written by Roland Emmerich. Jake Gyllenhaal, Dennis Quaid, Emmy Rossum, Sela Ward and Ian Holm featured in the film, which is based on the 1999 book The Coming Global Superstorm by Art Bell and Whitley Strieber. The Day After Tomorrow has shown the devastating climatic consequences that disrupted the North Atlantic Ocean circulation. A series of dramatic weather events cause global cooling and a new ice age to begin. On May 17, 2004, The Day After Tomorrow premiered in Mexico City, and on May 28, 2004, it was released in the United States.

AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH (2006): An Inconvenient Truth is a documentary/concert film directed by Davis Guggenheim in 2006 about former US Vice President Al Gore's quest to raise awareness about global warming. The film features a slide show that Gore claims he has shown to audiences around the world over 1,000 times. Producer Laurie David got the idea to film Gore's efforts after seeing him speak at a town hall meeting on global warming, which happened to coincide with the release of The Day After Tomorrow. The documentary, which premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and opened on May 24, 2006, in New York City and Los Angeles, was a critical and economic triumph, earning two Academy Awards for Best Documentary Feature and Best Original Song.

2012 (2009): Written and directed by Roland Emmerich, 2012 is a science fiction disaster film, based on the 2012 phenomenon, showing catastrophic natural disasters that nearly wipes-off life from the planet. The story revolves around a failed writer (John Cusack) who learns that the catastrophic disasters have finally appeared, and tries to save his family. He manages to make it to a select group of people who have executed a plan to survive the global cataclysm. This film received mixed reviews but remains to be one of the must-watch films based on natural disasters, even today.

INTO THE STORM (2014): Richard Armitage and Sarah Wayne Callies star in Into the Storm, a 2014 American found footage disaster film directed by Steven Quale and written by John Swetnam. It's a disaster movie about a series of tornadoes that hit the imaginary town of Silverton, Oklahoma. Warner Bros.

EVEREST (2015): Baltasar Kormákur directed and produced the 2015 historical adventure film Everest, which was written by William Nicholson and Simon Beaufoy Jason Clarke, Jake Gyllenhaal, John Hawkes, Josh Brolin, Robin Wright, Michael Kelly, Keira Knightley, Martin Henderson, Sam Worthington, and Emily Watson are among the ensemble cast members. It is based on historic events from the 1996 Mount Everest disaster, and it follows two expedition groups as they strive to survive, one led by Rob Hall (Clarke) and the other by Scott Fischer (Gyllenhaal). On September 2, 2015, the film premiered at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival, and on September 18, 2015, it was released in theatres.

SAN ANDREAS (2015): The 2015 catastrophic film was directed by Brad Peyton and it was written by Carlton Cuse. The screenwriting credit for the film goes to Andre Fabrizio and Jeremy Passmore. The cast includes Dwayne Johnson, Alexandra Daddario, Carla Gugino, Ioan Gruffudd, Paul Giamatti and Archie Panjabi. The storey revolves around a cataclysmic earthquake generated by the San Andreas Fault that wreaks havoc on Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. On May 29, 2015, the film was released worldwide in 2D and 3D.

GEOSTORM (2017): Dean Devlin directed, co-wrote, and co-produced Geostorm, a 2017 American science fiction catastrophe film (in his feature directorial debut). Gerard Butler, Jim Sturgess, Abbie Cornish, Ed Harris, and Andy Garcia feature in the picture. It follows a satellite creator as he attempts to save the planet from a massive storm triggered by faulty climate-control satellites. On October 20, 2014, principal photography began in New Orleans, Louisiana. Re-shoots began in December 2016 under the direction of executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer, writer Laeta Kalogridis, and new director Danny Cannon, following dismal test screenings.