Disaster Films

DISASTER FILMS

Description and Examples

Disaster Films
See also this site's Greatest Disaster Film Scenes (illustrated)

Disaster Films: Disasters have been the subject of film-goers' fascination since the time of silent film epics, and this interest continues to exist up to the present time. Catastrophes can take so many different forms - but they are mostly man-made or natural. They can be either impending or ongoing, or set in a distant future, or they can exist locally or globally.

The most-commonly portrayed disasters in films are:

natural or environmental disasters or destruction (earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tropical storms, etc.)
accidents (skyscraper fires, plane crashes, ocean liners capsized or struck by icebergs, viruses unleashed)
the result of human folly (mistakes, intentional and/or unintentional)
planetary-related (asteroids, comets or meteors off-course)
criminally-instigated (bombs planted in planes, terrorist conspiracies)
supernatural, including alien invasions and rampaging creatures/monsters/zombies or viruses (often mutant)
nuclear-related crises, sometimes prophetically Biblical (nuclear war, Armageddon)
millennial-related or apocalyptic (the end of the world, or end of the century tales)
the result of failed technology or technology-gone awry (computers running amok, plague/scientific error)

Along with showing the spectacular disaster, these films concentrate on the chaotic events surrounding the disaster, including efforts for survival by the individuals experiencing the threat, the effects upon individuals and families, and 'what-if' scenarios. The best disaster films comment upon the negative effects of advancing technology, demonstrate the 'hubris' of scientists and other individuals, deliver uplifting moral lessons of sacrifice, and provide a 'how-to' in terms of survival skills.

Disasters come in many different genres - they can be dramas, horror, science-fiction, war, or adventure films.

Most disaster films have large-scale special effects (especially in the recent past's mega-budget spectaculars), huge casts of stars faced with the crisis, a persevering hero or heroine (i.e., Charlton Heston, Steve McQueen, etc.) called upon to lead the struggle against the threat, and many plot-lines affecting multiple characters. In many cases, the 'evil' or 'selfish' individuals are the first to succumb to the conflagration. As in any sub-genre, the move to capitalize on the 'disaster film' trend has led to many sub-par disaster films, with weak and unsubtle, formulaic plots, improbable circumstances and bad science, poor character development, and laughable acting from third-rate stars portraying cliched characters.

The Greatest Disaster and End of the World Films

The Silent Era Through the 1940s

There were many earlier action/adventure disaster films in the silent era through the advent of the talkies. Some of the most notable were The Hurricane (1937) - with one of the most spectacular tropical storm scenes ever shot in film history. And two 50's films, The High and the Mighty (1954) and Zero Hour (1957) - were the inspiration for all the airplane disaster films of the 70s. [Hitchcock's Foreign Correspondent (1940) also contained a harrowing airplane crash sequence.] The real horrors of World War II (the Holocaust), and the perceived threat of nuclear annihilation and radioactive mutancy during the resultant Cold War led to a further onslaught of disaster-related films soon after in the 1950s.

Examples of disaster films before 1950 included:

Rogue Comet Close to Earth Caused Chain Reaction of Disasters: The End of the World (1916, Den.)
Pompeii's Volcano Eruption: The Last Days of Pompeii (1913), The Last Days of Pompeii (1935)
Flood Disaster in a CityScape: Metropolis (1927)
War Film with Deluge: Noah's Ark (1928)
Arid Winds, Drought: The Wind (1928)
Comet on Collision Course with Earth: La Fin Du Monde (1931, Fr.) (aka End of the World)
Epic Earthquake and Floods Threatening Environment: Deluge (1933)
Giant Ape Rampaging in New York City: King Kong (1933)
Carnival Show or Display of 'Dante's Inferno' Visualized, Plus Floating Gambling Ship Fire: Dante's Inferno (1935)
Volcano: The Last Days of Pompeii (1935)
Gigantic Insects (in Dream Sequence): cartoon Mickey's Garden (1935)
San Francisco 1906 Earthquake: San Francisco (1936)
Cautionary, Epic View of the Future (Including WWII), Including Plague: Things to Come (1936, UK) - remade as The Shape of Things to Come (1979)
South Seas Tropical Storm: The Hurricane (1937), remade as Hurricane (1979) (aka Forbidden Paradise) with Mia Farrow
Locust Attack: The Good Earth (1937)
Sinking 'William Brown' Ship on Fire: Souls at Sea (1937)
Massive Urban Fire Caused by O'Leary's Cow Daisy Kicking Over Lamp: In Old Chicago (1938)
Earthquake and Horrific Flood: The Rains Came (1939)
Luxury Liner Disaster at Sea: Titanic (1915), Titanic (1943, Ger.), also Titanic (1953), A Night to Remember (1958), The Last Voyage (1960)
New Zealand Earthquake: Green Dolphin Street (1947)

The Era of Disaster Films During the Cold War 1950s: A Golden Age of Apocalyptic Cinema

With the threat of nuclear annihilation (the first uses of the atomic bomb), political brinkmanship, the arms race and the space race, cinema heated up with many forms of cataclysm.

Nuclear Holocaust Disaster Survival: Five (1951)
Vegetable-Based Alien Organism Found in Arctic: The Thing (From Another World) (1951) - remade in 1982
Aliens With Message of Peace: The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) - remade in 2008
Otherworldly Alien Visitor: The Man From Planet X (1951)
Threat of Plane Crash: No Highway in the Sky (1951, UK)
Planetary Impact Between Earth and Rogue Planet: When Worlds Collide (1951)
Communist A-Bomb Attack Upon US: Invasion USA (1952)
Civil Unrest After Fake Messages From Russian-Influenced Man About Utopia on Mars: Red Planet Mars (1952)
Smokejumper Rescues During Montana Forest Fires: Red Skies of Montana (1952)
Red Planet Invasion: Invaders From Mars (1953)
Alien Crash-Landing in Arizona Desert: It Came From Outer Space (1953)
Martian Invaders from H.G. Wells: The War of the Worlds (1953), remade as War of the Worlds (2005)
Amphibious, Fire-breathing Monster Brought to Life by Nuclear Testing: Godzilla: King of the Monsters (1954), and Gojira (1954, Jp.)
Loss of Airplane Engine During Trans-Pacific Flight: The High and the Mighty (1954), a precursor to later airplane disaster films
Radioactive Giant Ants: Them! (1954)
Extra-terrestrials Kidnap American Scientists: This Island Earth (1955)
Survival After a Nuclear Attack: Day the World Ended (1956), remade as In the Year 2889 (1966)
Malevolent Pod-Creatures Take Over Human Bodies: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) - remade in 1978, 1993 and 2007
Giant Pterodactyl On the Loose: Rodan (1956, Jp.)
Alien Invasion and Attack by Flying Saucer-Spacecraft: Earth vs. The Flying Saucers (1956)
Giant Carnivorous Praying Mantis: The Deadly Mantis (1957)
Alien Meteorites Grew (When Exposed to Water) and Caused Human Petrification: The Monolith Monsters (1957)
Major Quakes Impending - Caused by Strange Killer Rock (Element 112): The Night the World Exploded (1957)
Murderous Stowaway Life Form on Manned Mission to Mars: It! The Terror From Beyond Space (1958)
Imperiled Ocean Liner: A Night to Remember (1958), a documentary-like chronicling of the Titanic disaster when the ocean vessel hit an iceberg
End-of-World Tale - Meteors On Collision Course With Earth: The Day the Sky Exploded (1958, Fr/It.)
Post-Apocalyptic Tribal Society: Teenage Cave Man (1958)
Giant Texan Lizards: The Giant Gila Monster (1959)
Survivors of Nuclear Devastation (WWIII) Awaiting End in Australia, As Radiation Drifted South: On the Beach (1959)
Sole Survivors in a World Decimated by Radioactive Cloud: The World, The Flesh, and the Devil (1959)

Apocalyptic End-of-the-World Cinematic Scenarios in the 1960s

Real-life historical events in the 1960s contributed to the fervor for destruction on screen. The early 1960s Cuban Missile Crisis, the late 60s Vietnam War, and the assassinations of JFK and MLK were only a few examples of how troubling the decade was.

Sinking Ocean Liner: The Last Voyage (1960)
Shipwreck: Swiss Family Robinson (1960)
Inexplicable Bird Swarms and Attacks: The Birds (1961)
Nuclear Explosions Causing Planetary Imbalance, Floods, Fires: The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961, UK)
Gigantic, Worshipped Moth (Nuclear Radiation-Produced) on Japanese Island: Mosura (1961, Jp.) (aka Mothra) - remade in 1996
A Regenerated, Indestructible, Prehistoric Reptile On the Loose in Denmark: Reptilicus (1961)
Nuclear Submarine Mission to Save the Earth: Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961)
Nuclear Apocalypse in Los Angeles: Panic In Year Zero! (1962) (aka End of the World)
Rampaging Birds: The Birds (1963)
Monster Super-Fest: Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964, Jp.)
Threat of Accidental Cold War Nuclear War: Fail-Safe (1964), and spoofed in Dr. Strangelove, Or: How I Stopped Worrying and Loved the Bomb (1964)
Few Survivors of Deadly Epidemic: The Last Man on Earth (1964, It./US) (L'Ultimo Uomo Della Terra)
Planetary Crack or Split in Earth's Crust Due to Drilling and Detonation of Nuclear Missile in Africa: Crack in the World (1965)
Documentary About Nuclear Attack on Britain: The War Game (1965, TV)
Threats of Giant Asteroid and Slimy Green, One-Eyed, Power-Hungry, Tentacled Mutants: The Green Slime (1968)
Simian Apes Enslave Humans After Apocalypse: Planet of the Apes (1968) (and entire franchise-series from 1968-1973), plus remake Planet of the Apes (2001)
Human-eating 'Living Dead' Zombies on the Loose: Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Sci-Fi Comedy About Existence in Post-Nuclear Holocaust England: The Bed Sitting Room (1969, UK)
Volcano: Krakatoa, East of Java (1969) (aka Volcano)
US Astronauts Stranded in Space: Marooned (1969)

The Major Era of Disaster Films: The 1970s

In the 1970s, disaster films underwent a strong revival and the decade is often considered the 'golden era' of the disaster film. Actual disasters, such as the Watergate crisis (from 1972 to 1974), the collision of two 747s in the Canary Islands (in late March, 1977), and the Three Mile Island incident (in late March, 1979) made the time ripe for Hollywood to contribute. Big-budget disaster films provided all-star casts and interlocking, Grand Hotel- or "Ship of Fools" type stories, with suspenseful action, races against time, and impending crises in locales such as aboard imperiled airliners, trains, dirigibles, crowded stadiums, sinking or wrecked ocean-liners, or in towering burning skyscrapers or earthquake zones. There were also a number of films about how pollution, overpopulation, and biological warfare was destroying society. To be popular, successful or enduring, a disaster film must have a distinct crisis or dangerous predicament that can be easily visualized, and it must also reflect problems in individuals or in society.

Producer and director Irwin Allen was nicknamed "The Master of Disaster" in the 1970s due to the tremendous success of his films. The three films most responsible for jump-starting the renaissance of spectacular disaster films were the social drama Airport (1970) - the most popular film of 1970, and Allen's two special effects-laden epics The Poseidon Adventure (1972) and The Towering Inferno (1974). These kinds of films would often receive numerous special/visual effects Oscar nominations, but were often neglected for their acting performances:

Airliners Imperiled:
- Airport (1970), an ensemble film with a devastating blizzard at a "Chicago"-area airport, and a desperate, unemployed individual (plotting to collect on the travel insurance) with a bomb in his briefcase that was detonated on a Rome-bound 707 airliner, resulting in a crippled aircraft that needed to return and land; with an Oscar-winning role for Helen Hayes!
- Airport 1975 (1974), cockpit of 747 airliner hit by small plane
- Airport '77 (1977), passengers trapped in a jet 50 feet underwater in the Bermuda Triangle
- The Concorde: Airport '79 (1979), bomb on-board plane bound for Moscow Olympics
- Spoofs: Airplane! (1980); also Skyjacked (1972)
Computers Running Amok and Threatening Global Destruction: Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970)
Virus Epidemic: The Andromeda Strain (1971)
World Ravaged by Biological Warfare and Nocturnal Mutants: The Omega Man (1971) - earlier film was The Last Man on Earth (1964, It./US) (L'Ultimo Uomo Della Terra), then remade as I Am Legend (2007)
Luxury Liners (Poseidon):
- The Poseidon Adventure (1972), a New Years Eve tidal wave flips a passenger ship (USS Poseidon) upside down during a New Years Eve party;
- Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979), two competing Poseidon salvage crews trapped again, with more survivors discovered from original catastrophe
- Poseidon (2006) - a remake that told of the towering rogue wave that capsized the ocean liner, and the resultant efforts to survive
Menacing Swampland Creatures: Frogs (1972)
Monster Movie Parody (Attacking Giant Breast): Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask (1972)
Mutant Flesh-eating Rabbits: Night of the Lepus (1972)
Encounter With Tralfamaforians Aliens: Slaughterhouse-Five (1972)
Biochemical Killer Virus: The Crazies (1973) (aka Code Name Trixie)
Endangered Underwater Research Station by Giant Fish: The Neptune Factor (1973)
Futuristic Overpopulated Society in 2022 Facing Famine and Unknown Food Source: Soylent Green (1973)
Los Angeles Earthquake: Earthquake (1974) - presented in Sensurround
Bombs Planted Inside Steel Drums on Luxury Cruise Liner: Juggernaut (1974, UK)
Burning-Blazing Fire in 138-story San Francisco Skyscraper - The Glass Tower: The Towering Inferno (1974)
Comic Look at Nuclear Apocalypse: A Boy and His Dog (1975)
Dirigible or Zeppelin: The Hindenburg (1975) - the Hollywood version of events leading to the 1937 disaster
Great White Killer Shark: Jaws (1975) (and its sequels in 1978 and 1983) - the terror unleashed at a New England coastal-beach community by the presence of an enormous shark, stalked by a trio of shark hunters and ending with a mythic battle
Phallic-shaped Parasitic Infection in Canada, Causing Sex-Crazed Behavior: David Cronenberg's Shivers (1975) (aka The Parasite Murders)
Disaster Comedy Parody About a Cross-Country, Nuclear-Powered Bus Named Cyclops Traveling From NYC to Denver: The Big Bus (1976)
Virus-Infected Terrorist on Train: The Cassandra Crossing (1976)
Torrential Rains and Threat of Bursting Dam: Flood! (1976, TV) - Irwin Allen's first TV movie with Warner Bros.
Giant Mutant Creatures on a Remote Island (rats, chickens, wasps, and worms): The Food of the Gods (1976)
Vicious African Killer Bees in New Orleans during Mardi Gras: The Savage Bees (1976, TV)
Animals Running Amok - Bloodthirsty Worms: Squirm (1976)
Sniper in Football Stadium: Two-Minute Warning (1976)
Out-of-Control Raging Forest Fire: Fire! (1977, TV) - from producer Irwin Allen
Super Bowl Stadium and Goodyear Blimp Loaded With Bomb: Black Sunday (1977)
Giant Mutant Attacking Ants: Empire of the Ants (1977)
Zombie Vampires: Rabid (1977)
Amusement Park Terror: Rollercoaster (1977)
Ski Resort Avalanche: Avalanche (1978)
True Account of Eastern Airlines 1972 Florida Everglades Crash: Crash (1978, TV)
Unexplained Re-animated Zombie Attacks: Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Nuclear Submarine Wreck: Gray Lady Down (1978)
Clones Replicate Humans: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) - a remake of the 1956 classic, and remade in 1993 and 2007
Deadly Psychokinetic Powers to Induce Disasters: The Medusa Touch (1978)
Deadly Gemini Strain (M3) Virus: The Plague (1978)
Killer Bees from S. America Invading Texas: The Swarm (1978)
More Rampaging Killer Bees: Terror Out of the Sky (1978, TV) - sequel to the TV movie, The Savage Bees (1976, TV)
Nuclear Plant Meltdown: The China Syndrome (1979)
Sabotaged Oil Refinery Explosion in US City: City on Fire (1979, Canada/US)
Lawless Brutality and Biker Gangs in Dystopian Australian Society Facing Depletion of Global Oil Supply: Mad Max (1979, Australia) - (also entire series: 1981, and 1985)
Wayward Meteor Due to Hit Earth: Meteor (1979)
Dramatization of Titanic Disaster in 1912: S.O.S. Titanic (1979, TV)
Threatened Moon Colonization Following Earth's Destruction: The Shape of Things to Come (1979)

Disaster Films in the 1980s:

There were only a few notable disaster films in the 1980s.

Nuclear Accident: Chain Reaction (1980)
Volcano: When Time Ran Out... (1980)
Out of Control Urban Crime: Escape From New York (1981)
Dramatization of 1980 Volcanic Mountain Eruption: St. Helens (1981)
Post-Apocalyptic (Food and Fuel Deprived) Australia - The Road Warrior vs. Motorcycle Gangs: The Road Warrior (1982) (aka Mad Max 2 (1981, Australia))
1940s-1950s Atomic Bomb Propaganda: (Documentary) The Atomic Cafe (1982)
Threatening Shape-Shifting, Infectious Creature in the Antarctic: The Thing (1982) - a modern remake of the 1951 classic
Deadly Virus and Threat of Nuclear Holocaust: Virus (1982, US/Jp.)
Visions of a Frightening, Apocalyptic Cataclysm: The Dead Zone (1983)
Realistic Recreation of Nuclear Disaster in US: Testament (1983, TV)
Effects of Nuclear Holocaust on Survivors in the US Heartland (Kansas): The Day After (1983, TV)
Underground Mutant Cannibalistic Dwellers: C.H.U.D. (1984)
Machines Ruled Post-Apocalyptic Los Angeles in Year 2029: The Terminator (1984)
Life in An Apocalyptic World Decades Later: Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985, Australia)
Nuclear Explosion: The Quiet Earth (1985)
Reanimated Corpses Brought To Life as Unstoppable Ghouls: The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
Collision-Course Runaway Trains: Runaway Train (1985)
Radiation Poisoning Affecting an Elderly British Couple After A Soviet Nuclear Bomb Explosion: When the Wind Blows (1986, UK) (animated)
Danger From Gangs in Neo-Tokyo (31 Years After WW3 in 2019): Akira (1988, Jp.) (animated)
24 Hours Before Nuclear War Disaster: Miracle Mile (1988)
Mysterious Military Nuclear Submarine Crash, and Aquatic Aliens: The Abyss (1989)

Disaster Films: The 1990s

There was a modern-day resurgence of disaster films, beginning in the mid-1990s and heightening at the turn of the century (with its Y2K hysteria). The sub-genre was really revived at this time with the emergence of advanced special effects techniques, and growing existential anxiety about the state of things. The focus of such films was often on the spectacular calamity and a small group of people in imminent danger, and how they must cope or devise a method of escape, or more recently, survive in the apocalyptic aftermath.

Here's a representative sample of 'disaster films' from the 1990s:

Threat of Global Nuclear Annihilation: The Hunt for Red October (1990)
Underground Worm-like Creatures: Tremors (1990)
Deadly Spiders: Arachnophobia (1990)
Terrorists, Assassination Plot: Die Hard 2: Die Harder (1990), Die Hard: With a Vengeance (1995), The Jackal (1997)
Arson on the Loose Causing Out of Control Fires in Chicago: Backdraft (1991)
A Black Comedy Set in a Post-Apocalyptic Society: Delicatessen (1991, Fr.)
Terminator Cyborgs From the Future on a Present-Day Mission: Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Terrorists: Patriot Games (1992)
Alien Clones Replicating Humans: Body Snatchers (1993)
Prehistoric (Cloned) Dinosaurs: Jurassic Park (1993), The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), Jurassic Park III (2001), Jurassic World (2015)
Oil Company Corruption Endangering the Alaskan Ecosystem: On Deadly Ground (1994)
Giant Mutant Ticks: Ticks (1994) (aka Infested)
Nuclear Weapons: True Lies (1994)
Giant Mosquitos: Mosquito (1995)
Space Capsule Pending Disaster: Apollo 13 (1995)
Post-Apocalyptic Doomsday World Besieged by Pirates After Melting of Polar Icecaps: Waterworld (1995)
Killer Virus Epidemic Threat: Outbreak (1995), Twelve Monkeys (1995), Virus (1999), Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)
Attacking Alien Invaders: Independence Day (1996) (the highest grossing film of 1996), spoofed in Mars Attacks! (1996)
Trucks Carrying Chemical Toxic Waste Explode in New York City's Holland Tunnel: Daylight (1996)
Stormchasers Following Dangerous Killer Tornadoes: Twister (1996)
Hijacked Cruise Liner: Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997)
Giant Carnivorous Anaconda: Anaconda (1997)
Post-Apocalyptic America: The Postman (1997)
Iceberg in North Atlantic and Imperiled Luxury Liner: Titanic (1997)
Destructive Erupting Volcanoes: Dante's Peak (1997), Volcano (1997)
Asteroid/Comet Impact Threatening to Collide with Earth: Deep Impact (1998), Armageddon (1998)
Northern Wyoming Arsonist Forest Fires With Escaped Prisoners Posing as Firefighters: Firestorm (1998)
Fire-breathing 'Nuclear' Monster in NY: Godzilla (1998)
Severe Torrential Rains and Flooding in Indiana Town: Hard Rain (1998)
The Last Six Hours at the End of World - Drama: Last Night (1998)
About Two Fallen Angels and a Potential Armageddon: Dogma (1999)
The Devil Looking to Plant His Evil Seed: End of Days (1999)
Computer Simulated Reality (the Matrix) Within a Scorched Earth: The Matrix (1999) (and the entire franchise-series)
Plane Crashes or Crises: Alive (1993), Fearless (1993), Air Force One (1997), Con Air (1997), Cast Away (2000), Jurassic Park III (2001)
Genetically Engineered Sharks: Deep Blue Sea (1999)
Monstrous Crocodile: Lake Placid (1999)

Recent Disaster Films: The 2000s

Disaster films from the recent past have included similar and more imaginative kinds of catastrophies (or threats of disaster), such as killer viruses, deadly terrorists, lots of zombies, tornadoes, asteroid impacts, ecological (global warming) disasters, and human technological hubris. And many of the more current 'disaster films' have been overshadowed by action-thriller elements in the plots.

Nuclear Annihilation: Deterrence (2000)
Toxic and Carcinogenic Ground Pollution Due to Chromium 6: Erin Brockovich (2000)
Airplane Crash Followed by Freak Accidents: Final Destination (2000)
Tropical Hurricane Sea Storm: The Perfect Storm (2000)
Rescue Mission on K2 Peak: Vertical Limit (2000)
Oil Refinery Fire In a Suburban Town: Ablaze (2001)
A Futuristic Water-Covered World, and A Sci-Fi Reinterpretation of the "Pinocchio" Tale: A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001)
Terrorism with Deadly Strains of Bacterial Infection: Anthrax (2001) - preceding the actual "anthrax" scare of late 2001
Las Vegas Hotel Fire With Guests Needing Rescue: Trapped (2001, TV)
Deadly Apocalyptic Plague Unleashed by Virus-Infected Monkeys in London: 28 Days Later (2002)
Flesh-eating Virus: Cabin Fever (2002)
Threat of Lethal EBOLA Virus Outbreak, and Terrorism: Contagion (2002)
Giant Spiders: Eight Legged Freaks (2002)
Nuclear Submarine Reactor Failure: K-19: The Widowmaker (2002)
Aliens and Mysterious Crop Circles: Signs (2002)
Nuclear Weapon Detonated at Baltimore's 'Super Bowl': The Sum of All Fears (2002)
Inexplicable Worldwide Phenomena Caused by Collapsing Electromagnetic Forces in Earth's Non-Rotating Core: The Core (2003)
Genetically-Transformed Raging Green Monster: Hulk (2003)
Divers Accidentally Left in Shark-Infested Waters: Open Water (2003)
A Female Robotic Warrior From a Post-apocalyptic Future: Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)
A Family Struggling To Survive Against Societal Breakdown: Time of the Wolf (2003, Fr./Austria/Germ.)
The End of the World due to Climactic Change (Greenhouse Gases Melt the Ice Cap) and Global Warming: The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
Series of Fires in Baltimore City Dealt With By Ladder Company 49: Ladder 49 (2004)
Another Zombie Apocalypse: Shaun of the Dead (2004, UK)
Attacking Extraterrestrial Aliens: War of the Worlds (2005)
Impending Extinction of the World (A Hostile Police State) Due to a Female Infertility Pandemic: Children of Men (2006)
Imperiled Wildlife in Antarctica due to Overfishing: Happy Feet (2006)
Global Warming and Melting Ice Threatening Creatures of the Ice Age: Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006)
The End of the World due to Global Warming: (Documentary) An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
Rogue Wave Capsizes Luxury Cruise Ship in North Atlantic: Poseidon (2006) - a remake of the 1972 classic
Venomous Snakes Set Loose on an Airliner Over the Pacific: Snakes on a Plane (2006)
September 11, 2001 Airliner Tragedy: United 93 (2006)
Shifting of Tectonic Plates Dooms Japan: Japan Sinks (2006, Jp.) (aka Nihon Chinbotsu) - a remake of the 1973 film
Terrorist Bombing at WTC (9/11/2001) and Survival Under Rubble: World Trade Center (2006)
Devastating Flood Hits London: Flood (2007)
Spread of a Mutant, Lethal Man-Made Virus, and Vampiric Predators (Dark Seekers): I Am Legend (2007)
Alien Epidemic of Human Cloning: The Invasion (2007) - a remake of the 1956 classic and 1978, 1993 remakes
Mysterious Mist Opens Portal, Allowing Bug-Like Alien Creatures Into Earth's Dimension: The Mist (2007)
Earth in Peril From Dying Sun 50 Years in Future: Sunshine (2007)
War Between Alien Robots: Transformers (2007)
Resurfacing of Devastating Rage Virus: 28 Weeks Later (2007)
Gigantic Monster Attack on NYC: Cloverfield (2008)
Lethal Plague ("Reaper"): Doomsday (2008)
Alien Confrontation with Message of Peace: The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008) - remake of classic 1951 film
Global Environmental Crisis - Airborne Neurotoxins Causing Suicidal Behavior: The Happening (2008)
Human-Abandoned, Consumer Trash/Garbage-Littered Earth-World (Animated): Wall-E (2008)
Global Cataclysm with Earthquakes, Molten Lava, and Tsunamis (Fulfilling Ancient Prophecy) and Epic Survival Story in the Near Future: 2012 (2009)
An Alternate Xenophobic World in the Year 1982 near Johannesburg, South Africa Where Giant Prawn-like Aliens Were Kept in a Segregated Government Camp: District 9 (2009)
A Time Capsule of Disasters, Including the End of World (from Solar Flares): Knowing (2009)
Post-Apocalyptic Tale (Animated) of Nine Mechanical Dolls vs. Destructive Sentient Machines: 9 (2009)
Father-Son Post-Apocalyptic Survival Against Cannibals: The Road (2009)
Humans Against Machines From the Future: Terminator Salvation (2009)
Black Horror Comedy of Post-Apocalyptic Survival by A Remaining Few Against Zombies: Zombieland (2009)
Deadly Japanese Pandemic of Infectious Diseases: Pandemic Archipelago (2009, Jp.) (aka Kansen Retto)

More Recent Resurgence of Disaster Films: The 2010s

Post-Apocalyptic Tale of Ravaged Earth and One Man's Survival: The Book of Eli (2010)
Six Years After Alien Intruder Lifeforms Propagated In Mexico (An Infected Zone): Monsters (2010)
A Runaway Half-Mile Long Freight Train (With Toxic Chemicals Onboard): Unstoppable (2010)
Space Alien Invaders Attack Los Angeles: Battle Los Angeles (2011)
Deadly Contagious Virus: Contagion (2011)
Earth Threatened By a Mysterious Planet Set to Collide: Melancholia (2011, Denmark)
Evolved Apes Revolt Against Humanity: Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
A Violent, Crime Ridden Futuristic City (Mega-City One) on The "Cursed Earth": Dredd (2012)
Survival in Wilderness Against Hungry Wolves After Alaskan Plane Crash: The Grey (2012)
Life in a Dystopian Future (Totalitarianism in Panem), With Competitions to Control Rebellion: The Hunger Games (2012)
One Family Caught in the Asian Tsunami of 2004: The Impossible (2012)
120-Story Skyscraper Fire in Seoul, Korea on Christmas Eve Due to Helicopter Crash into Tower: The Tower (2012, S. Korea)
Futuristic Earth as a Savage, Inhospitable Planet Inhabited by Fierce Animals: After Earth (2013)
Sci-Fi Thriller-Disaster Film About Catastrophe in Space Stranding Two Astronauts Adrift: Gravity (2013)
Post-Apocalyptic Earth (With Only A Few Human Survivors) Was Decimated by Warring Aliens: Oblivion (2013)
In the Year 2159, an Overpopulated, Ruined Earth Caused the Wealthy to Live on a Private Space Station Off-Planet: Elysium (2013)
An Uprising in a Dystopian Future Controlled by a Totalitarian Regime: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
In the Near Future, Massive Giant Alien Monsters (Kaiju) Emerged from the Sea To Invade Earth, to Be Counter-Attacked by Enormous Humanoid Robots (Jaegers) Controlled by Mind-Linked Pilots: Pacific Rim (2013)
Failed Global Warming Experiment Causes Near Human Extinction, Leaving the Last People on Earth on a Train: Snowpiercer (2013, S.Korea/US/Fr./Czech.)
Drinking Buddies on a Binge Suspect a Town Taken Over by Aliens: The World's End (2013, UK)
Facing the End of the World - The Rapture (Biblical Apocalypse): This Is The End (2013)
A Rom-Com Zombie Love Story in a Post-Apocalyptic US: Warm Bodies (2013)
Pandemic Caused By Virus That Killed Victims and Reanimated Them as Savage Zombies, Threatening to Destroy Humanity: World War Z (2013)
Creature-Monster on the Loose: Godzilla (2014)
Storm-Chasers Document and Track A Super-Storm That Unleashes Multiple Powerful Tornadoes: Into the Storm (2014)
Biblical End of the World with Apocalyptic Flood: Noah (2014)
The Eruption of Mount Vesuvius Spewing Lava Stones, Fireballs and Molten Magma: Pompei (2014)
Massive Earthquake Threatening Los Angeles Due to Illegal Fracking Operations: 10.0 Earthquake (2014)
WWII True Story of Plane Crash and Survival on Raft Before Capture as POW by the Japanese: Unbroken (2014)
A Dark Future in a Post-Apocalyptic Desert Setting: Mad Max: Fury Road (2015, Australia)
Genetically-Engineered Dinosaur Threats in Re-Opened Amusement Park: Jurassic World (2015)
Massive California Earthquakes and Their Aftermath: San Andreas (2015)
A Landslide in Mtn. Pass Above Fjord Triggers an 85 Foot Tsunami: The Wave (2015, Norway)
True-to-Life 2010 Offshore Drilling Rig Explosion in Gulf Resulting in Environmental Disaster: Deepwater Horizon (2016)
Alien Invasion Sequel: Independence Day: Resurgence (2016)
Awakened and Stranded on a Colonizing Spaceship - 90 Years Too Early: Passengers (2016)
Passenger Airplane Disaster on the Hudson River: Sully (2016)
Malfunctioning "Dutch Boy" Satellites to Control Climate Change Attack Earth as a Geostorm Threatened: Geostorm (2017)
Based Upon True Story of Yarnell Hill (Arizona) Fire in 2013 - Historic Wildfires Threaten Town and Firefighters: Only the Brave (2017)