10 Disaster Movies You Should Watch If You Like Don’t Look Up
With a huge cast ensemble, Adam McKay’s black comedy film Don’t look up had the formula to become a great, widely appreciated film. A Netflix release meant the studio would not compromise the vision of McKay’s creative approach. Just days after its release, the film sparked fierce disagreements among critics, audiences, and even scholars. The film was a smash hit on Netflix, but reviews kept pouring in and enthusiasm waned. Even as the film garnered a few Academy Awards nominations, people kept commenting on how inconsistent the film was.
It tells the story of some astronomers who find evidence that a comet is about to destroy Earth. When they try to convey the facts to everyone out there, all they get is a blatant disregard for their findings. Even when people take her seriously, the reaction is ridiculous. The aim of the film is to portray humanity as unable to recognize the possibility that human life is ending and to do something about it. All the characters, even the main ones, are cartoon versions of a chaotic society trying to see something positive.
Unfortunately, the film quickly fell into oblivion and is now a worthy film in the Netflix catalog that requires more than two hours to invest. It won’t make you laugh. With his star-studded cast, he’ll capture your attention, but ultimately he’ll bring you down when the inevitable eventually happens. Before you decide to watch it or watch it again, consider whether you really like the story and, more importantly, whether it interests you. And if you don’t care too much about watching, you can actually choose a movie from the list below and see how people act like idiots when the world ends.
10 dr Strangelove or: How I learned to stop worrying and love the bombshell
Stanley Kubricks dr Strangelove is a comedy classic that’s more relevant today than we think. It tells the story of political leaders trying to prevent nuclear war as the Cold War between the two parties begins to drift toward nuclear power.
It’s hilariously funny and tongue-in-cheek, and features Peter Sellers in what is quite possibly the best performance of his career. Or appearances: He plays three characters in the film that made Kubrick a filmmaker capable of tackling more genres than expected.
9 This is the end
Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg direct an apocalyptic comedy beyond your wildest imagination. That’s because the film is set in real life and the actors surrounding Rogen are victims of the end of the world. This is the end is hilarious and clever, and fiercely satirizes the attitude of celebrities and celebrities when they face chaos like any other human being. If there’s one movie on this list that deserves a sequel, it’s this one.
8th I’m looking for a friend for the end of the world
I’m looking for a friend for the end of the world is based on an extremely simple premise: it tells the story of two strangers who, contrary to all expectations, join forces when humans fail to destroy an asteroid that will destroy life on earth. Dodge and Penny, played by Steve Carell and Keira Knightley respectively, decide to spend their last moments together because they have no one else, and create a love story out of a terrible catastrophe.
7 melancholy
Lars von Trier’s best film in his depression trilogy, melancholy, is emotionally draining. It stars Kirsten Dunst’s “Justine” who is about to get married when the rivalry with her sister worsens due to a horrific event: a rogue planet is threatening to collide with Earth, and there is nothing humankind can do about it.
The way Lars von Trier weaves the inexplicable event into a characterful drama is simply impressive. Don’t watch this if you’re sad.
6 Greenland
We needed to include one where people are a bit smarter and seem to have a better connection to their inner emotions. In GreenlandIn a crisis, a family of three is separated. The earth is bombarded with comets falling from the sky. It’s not an attack by an extraterrestrial civilization. It’s a natural occurrence that some political leaders foresaw.
They have devised a plan to save significant sections of the population, including the Garrity family. The problem is that they have to reach the target before being left behind, otherwise a falling object would kill them. This is a natural disaster movie that is oddly much better and has better actors than its competitors.
5 To know
Summit Entertainment / Contender Entertainment
With Nicolas Cage, To know is a science fiction horror film directed by Alex Proyas that tells the story of an astrophysics teacher whose son receives a paper with number patterns that appear to predict natural disasters. You’ll never know where the film will go next if it decides to involve extraterrestrials and it turns into an apocalyptic thriller with a very suspenseful and unpredictable third act.
4 children of men
Alfonso Cuarons children of men tells the story of human society affected by its eventual extinction. We couldn’t stop the ecocide and now we live in total division in a police state and can’t have children. When a rebel group encounters a pregnant girl, they decide to do whatever it takes to protect her and drive her out of the country.
children of men is an impressive thriller with sequences we still don’t know how were shot, a testament to Cuarón’s unique skill as a filmmaker.
3 The day the earth stood still
In both versions of The day the earth stood still, human leaders are not very smart. However, in Robert Wise’s version, fears seem much more relevant. At the beginning of the Cold War, an alien spaceship appears on Earth and the travelers are desperate to deliver a message that could change our future.
If Earth doesn’t cope, other civilizations will feel threatened. The message is actually a warning and people don’t take it seriously, choosing violence instead. The result is a permanent state of fear in mankind.
2 snowpiercer
In snowpiercer, the disaster has already happened. And unlike other films, we are to blame for what happened. A very stupid decision by humans to stop climate change has resulted in ecocide, essentially turning the planet into a block of ice.
The only survivors are those who boarded the Snowpiercer train, a perpetual moving machine that travels the world and keeps human civilization alive. But as in any society, there are distinct social classes, to say the least, leaving those on the last wagons in a deplorable state of misery until they decide to rebel.
1 the rift
Xavier Gans’ genre masterpiece the rift speaks strongly about human nature when we face a crisis. Isolation and claustrophobia fuel a group of people who, in desperation, head to an underground bunker while an apocalypse unfolds outside.
The opening sequence is a disaster movie in itself, but it’s no match for the horror the survivors must endure as some of them decide to release their inner animal.
Don’t look up is available to stream on Netflix.
