Disasters: 37

The American disaster movie, The Day After Tomorrow (2004), was co-created and directed by Roland Emmerich. Inspired by the 1999 book The Coming Global Superstorm by Art Bell and Whitley Strieber, the film follows Jack Hall, an American paleoclimatologist. Together with his colleagues Frank and Jason, they are conducting ice-core sampling in the Larsen Ice Shelf for NOAA. During their research, the ice shelf breaks off into the ocean. At a UN conference in New Delhi, Jack presents his findings on how climate change ...

Directed by Jon Amiel, The Core (2003) is an American science fiction disaster film. A series of diverse incidents involving the Earth’s magnetic field prompts geophysicist Dr. Josh Keyes and his colleagues, Dr. Serge Leveque and Dr. Conrad Zimsky, to conclude that the rotation of the Earth’s molten core has ceased. If not reactivated, this would result in the collapse of the field within months, leaving the surface vulnerable to harmful solar radiation exposure. To address this crisis, the U.S. government initiates a covert project to construct a vessel capable of drilling into the core and deploying ...

The Perfect Storm (2000), an American disaster drama film directed by Wolfgang Petersen, is based on the 1997 creative non-fiction book of the same name by Sebastian Junger. In October 1991, the commercial swordfishing boat Andrea Gail returns to port in Gloucester, Massachusetts with a poor catch. Boat owner Bob Brown mocks Captain Billy Tyne for his ‘cold streak’. Determined to prove himself, Billy convinces the crew to join him for one final late-season fishing trip. They venture out beyond their usual grounds on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, leaving ...

Armageddon (1998), an American science fiction disaster film, was both produced and directed by Michael Bay with Jerry Bruckheimer also on board. In the film, a colossal meteor shower obliterates the orbiting Space Shuttle Atlantis and proceeds to pummel various cities including New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Moncton, Halifax, and Newfoundland. Later in the film, we learn that these meteors were knocked out of the asteroid belt due to a collision with a rogue comet. In addition, this same collision caused a massive asteroid – comparable in size to Texas ...

Directed by Mimi Leder, Deep Impact (1998) is an American science fiction disaster film. During a star party in Virginia, teenage amateur astronomer Leo Biederman notices an unidentified object in the night sky and sends a picture to astronomer Dr. Marcus Wolf. Upon realizing it is a comet headed for Earth, Wolf rushes to warn others but tragically dies in a car accident. One year later, MSNBC journalist Jenny Lerner begins investigating Secretary of the Treasury Alan Rittenhouse for his connection with ‘Ellie’, whom she assumes to be his mistress. However, she becomes confused when she sees Rittenhouse and ...

James Cameron directed, wrote, produced, and co-edited Titanic (1997), a powerful American film blending historical facts with fictionalized elements. The story revolves around the tragic sinking of RMS Titanic in 1912. A year earlier, Brock Lovett and his team embarked on a dive to the wreck of RMS Titanic aboard the research vessel Akademik Mstislav Keldysh. Their primary objective was to retrieve a safe believed to hold the iconic Heart of the Ocean diamond. To their surprise, they instead discovered a drawing of a young nude woman wearing the necklace on April 14, 1912 – the same day Titanic struck an iceberg ...

Volcano (1997) is an American disaster film directed by Mick Jackson and written by Jerome Armstrong and Billy Ray. In downtown Los Angeles, an earthquake strikes, causing minor damage. Mike Roark, the new director of the city’s Office of Emergency Management, chooses to return to work and assist in the crisis despite being on vacation with his daughter Kelly. His colleague Emmit Reese informs him that seven utility workers were tragically killed in a storm drain at MacArthur Park. As a precaution, Mike decides to ...

Dante’s Peak (1997) is a disaster film helmed by director Roger Donaldson and penned by writer Leslie Bohem. In 1993, USGS volcanologist Harry Dalton and his fiancée-turned-partner Marianne are caught in an eruption in Colombia. Despite their attempt to escape, a lava bomb crashes into their truck, killing Marianne. Four years later, Harry is assigned by his supervisor Dr. Paul Dreyfus to investigate seismic activity around the town of Dante’s Peak, Washington – which sits next to a stratovolcano – despite the emotional toll his previous work has ...

In Rob Cohen’s American disaster film, Daylight (1996), residents of upstate New York face a hazardous situation as they attempt to illegally dispose of toxic waste in New Jersey. Among the many individuals caught in this high-stakes scenario are struggling playwright Maddy Thompson, a bus full of juvenile offenders, a vacationing family, an elderly couple and their dog, and sports retailer Roy Nord. Meanwhile, a gang of grungy criminals fleeing from the NYPD after mugging a gem buyer take off in his car and enter the tunnel beneath the Hudson River. In their chaotic escape, they crash into one of the trucks ...

Twister (1996), a disaster thriller directed by Jan de Bont, tells the story of young Jo and her family as they seek shelter from a powerful F5 tornado on their Oklahoma farm. The tornado destroys their home and tragically takes Jo’s father. Years later, Jo has become a meteorologist with an intense passion for tornadoes, leading a team of unconventional storm chasers. Her ex-husband, Bill Harding, now works as a TV weatherman and arrives in Oklahoma with his therapist fiancée to finalize their divorce. Jo shows Bill her invention, ‘Dorothy’, which has the potential to revolutionize tornado research ...

White Squall (1996) is an American disaster survival film directed by Ridley Scott, based on the sinking of the brigantine Albatross on May 2, 1961, supposedly due to a white squall. The movie follows Dr. Christopher B. Sheldon, known as ‘Skipper’ by the boys on his ill-fated school sailing trip. Skipper is a tough leader who imposes strict discipline on his students. Among them are Chuck Gieg, from a wealthy family, troubled Frank Beaumont, shy Gil Martin, and rebellious Dean Preston. During their first few days at sea, they encounter an incident where Chuck begins choking and becomes entangled in the mast ...

The fourth and final installment of the Airport franchise, The Concorde… Airport ’79 (1979), is an American air disaster film. In this film, a corrupt arms dealer named Kevin Harrison attempts to destroy a newly launched American-owned Concorde. His motive? To cover up his weapons sales to communist countries during the height of the Cold War. The story follows reporter Maggie Whelan, who uncovers Harrison’s illegal activities while on board the flight. Despite facing obstacles such as environmental protestors flying a hot air balloon into its path and having to perform a go-around, the Concorde successfully takes off from Charles de Gaulle ...

Airport ’77 (1977), the third film in the Airport series, tells the story of wealthy philanthropist Philip Stevens and his plan to reconnect with his estranged daughter and grandson by inviting them onto his private Boeing 747-100, Stevens’s Flight 23. The jetliner also carries priceless artwork from Stevens’s personal collection, which has caught the attention of a group of thieves led by co-pilot Bob Chambers. In an attempt to hijack the aircraft, they lure Captain Don Gallagher away from the cockpit and release a sleeping gas into the cabin, knocking out everyone on board. Under Chambers’s control, the plane is flown to a deserted ...

Airport 1975 (1974) is a disaster film that follows the success of its predecessor, the film Airport. The story centers around Columbia Airlines Flight 409, a Boeing 747-100 on a late-night trip from Washington Dulles International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport. On the same route is Scott Freeman, a businessman heading to Boise, Idaho in his private Beechcraft Baron for a sales meeting. However, an occluded front causes their flight paths to be redirected to Salt Lake City International Airport. With both aircraft now headed for Salt Lake, air traffic control instructs Columbia 409 to land before Freeman’s Beechcraft. As they begin their ...

The Towering Inferno (1974) is an American disaster movie helmed by director John Guillermin and produced by Irwin Allen. Architect Doug Roberts makes his return to San Francisco for the grand opening of The Glass Tower, a mixed-use skyscraper he designed for developer James Duncan. Standing at a staggering 1,688 feet (515 m) tall and spanning 138 floors, the tower holds the title of world’s tallest building. Unfortunately, during testing, a fire breaks out on the 81st floor due to an electrical short-circuit in the main utility room. While investigating the cause ...

The American disaster film, The Poseidon Adventure (1972), directed by Ronald Neame, follows the journey of the SS Poseidon, an ocean liner headed from New York to Athens in the Aegean Sea. Despite Captain Harrison’s concerns about safety, the new owner’s representative insists on traveling at full speed to cut costs, resulting in Poseidon being unable to take on ballast. Also onboard are Reverend Frank Scott, who believes in self-help and is being sent to Africa as punishment for his unorthodox views; Detective Lieutenant Mike Rogo and his wife Linda, who struggles with seasickness; siblings Susan Shelby ...

Airport (1970), an American air disaster-drama film written and directed by George Seato, takes place at Chicago’s fictional Lincoln International Airport. On one fateful day, the flight crew of a Trans Global Airlines (TGA) Boeing 707 make a grave error on Runway 29 and end up stuck in the snow, causing the closure of that runway. As a result, airport manager Mel Bakersfeld must put in extra hours, causing strain in his marriage to Cindy. In the midst of this chaos, he finds himself growing closer to Tanya Livingston, a co-worker who works in customer relations. Meanwhile, pilot Vernon Demerest has been tasked ...