Top 10 Hollywood disaster movies

We're halfway through 2020 and still very much under the looming threat of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. To add to it, natural calamities, man-made disasters, reports of political and civil unrest around the world, and grown international tension would make anyone feel like they are living a disaster movie. With bad weather coming our way apart from the many other factors, we have drawn up a list of top disaster movies that offer all the thrills, chills, drama and even a ray of hope.

We've seen many disaster movies over the years, and let us tell you one thing, they don't make them like this anymore. 'Twister', the 1996 film starring Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton proved to be a runaway hit at the box office and at the award shows, picking up a few Oscar nods in the process. The film, as the title suggests, follow a separated couple of a meteorologist and a weather reporter forced back together as they chase a twister and wreaks destruction on everything that comes in her path. The film boasts of truly groundbreaking visual effects and hence should make it to your watch list.

Prepare to get seasick when watching 'The Perfect Storm', a disaster film loosely based on the true story of a fishing boat that gets lost at sea in the midst of a massive storm. With George Clooney in the lead, this film by directed by Wolfgang Peterson gives mother nature an unforgiving face, we rarely get to see that often. Next time you find yourself in the midst of a rainstorm, you'll be thanking your stars you weren't at sea.

Besides the natural calamities that hit us this year, another major bombshell was dropped by the Pentagon when they officially released three videos of Navy pilots' mid-air encounters with what appears to be UFOs. Although these videos were dated, it proved that we may not really be alone in this universe after all. Keeping that in mind, what better film to watch than 'Independence Day'? The Will Smith starrer sees a faceoff between alien invaders and humans as survival hangs in the balance. This science-fiction disaster films, has all the cool visual effects, action scenes and humour even, minus the gore seen in other films in this category.

Despite the looming threats, the world continues spinning round and round. But what happens if it stopped? 'The Core' is set in this hypothetical situation as it brings together an unlikely band of specialists to take a journey into the Eath's core, fire off a nuke-like explosive to get it moving again to that the planet's magnetic field won't collapse. If this journey literally to the centre of the earth doesn't intrigue you, we don't know what will.

You loved Pierce Brosnan as the spy James Bond, and you'll love him even more as a volcanologist trying to save an entire town from impending doom with a volcano threatening to explode any moment. 'Dante's Peak' not only gives us a look at the natural disaster set to unfold but also sheds light on the deceptive practises of politics to boost economic growth.

At a time when the world is going through multiple natural and man-made disasters, what's more frightening and chilling to watch than the apocalyptic action-adventure 'The Day After Tomorrow'? Although scientists would argue the series of events that unfold in the film are for from the truth, it wouldn't hurt to let your imagination run wild with this blockbuster starring Dennis Quaid and Jake Gyllenhaal. While the film’s special effects were impressive for the mid-2000s, the over-the-top scenarios gave way to a slew of imitators that envisioned similarly descents into glacial epochs.

During the first few weeks of the coronavirus pandemic, 'Contagion', the 2011 film starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Matt Damon in lead roles took over top trends worldwide due to its eerie similarity with the spread of the deadly virus. The sci-fi thriller tracks what happens when a China-born virus goes global and leads to mass chaos as epidemiologists race to find a vaccine. Despite the grim paranoia, the film has its bits of dark humour and even a hint of hope.

Amid chatter about the Mayan calendar predicting the end of the world in the year 2012, came this John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor starrer that captured everyone's imagination. The apocalyptic sci-fi thriller followed a series of apocalyptic calamities that threaten to decimate humankind. What it lacks in its plot, it makes up with plenty of visual thrills in this 'what if' scenario.

The disaster film 'Gravity' should make it on your watch list, simply because this is a rare film where it isn't the fate of the entire human race at stake, but just the survival of one woman in the vast emptiness of space. Filled with spectacular visuals, edge-of-the-seat sequences and a powerful performance by Sandra Bullock, this film is as close as it comes to actually being in space.

While all other movies on this list are based on a 'what if' scenario, 'San Andreas' starring Dwayne Johnson, is rooted deep in the faultline running underneath the state of California, that could reshape the entire coastline of the USA. Packed with truly sensational visual and sound effects, the film is let down by its poor plot and shallow character sketches.