The mighty Mother Nature. We know not to underestimate the power of its force. From hurricanes and tornadoes to extreme heat and the bitter cold, Mother Nature continues to show us that we have no control when it comes to the weather, proving time and time again how easy it is to bring the world to its knees on the brink of utter destruction.
While the real thing is incredibly daunting, special effects, CGI, and even giant pools have made the world of big screen entertainment able to bring us closer to the ugly side of nature through the safety of cinema screens for decades. From 2004s, The Day After Tomorrow, which saw Earth plunged into a new ice age, to 2013s true story, The Perfect Storm, which left the lives of the Andrea Gail swordfishing boat crew on the line, movies are no stranger to plunging us head first into just how unforgiving the weather can be.
'Sharknado' (2013)
The first in the Sharnado franchise follows the chaos that arises after an intense columnar vortex, A.K.A, a waterspout, forms and begins lifting sharks out of the water and flinging them around Los Angeles. So bad, but so good it stars Tara Reid, Cassie Scerbo, Jaason Simmons, John Heard, and Ian Ziering.
Sharks in tornadoes? That sounds like the plot for one strange movie. It may be a strange concept, but it's popular nonetheless, earning a 74% on Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer. The series turned into six made-for-television films, a spin-off series, video games, and even comics, so it did pretty well for itself.
'Geostorm' (2017)
The disaster movie Geostorm stars Gerard Butler, Jim Sturgess, Abbie Cornish, Ed Harris, and Andy García and takes viewers through the cataclysmic destruction caused by a malfunctioning climate-controlling satellite. The sci-fi disaster film depicts basketball-sized hail, flash floods and freezes, super storms, tornadoes, and more.
While the film received poor reviews from critics, only retaining a 17% on the Tomatometer, it proves that when things malfunction and the power of the weather unleashes its destruction, there really isn't much we can do to stop it.
'Into The Storm' (2014)
Into The Storm is a found footage meteorological disaster movie that embarks viewers on a harrowing journey with a group of storm chases who travel to Oklahoma to film a cell of tornado outbreaks in the fictional southern town Silverton. It stars Richard Armitage, Sarah Wayne Callies, Matt Walsh, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Max Deacon, and Nathan Kress.
While the film received mixed reviews from critics, was often compared to the 1996 disaster movie Twister, and only retains a 21% on the Tomatometer, its special effects are what make it stand out. Its visuals of the unforgiving havoc tornadoes can wreak, often shown through the eyes of a camera lens, giving viewers an idea of what it might be like to come face to face with a force of nature.
'Everest' (2015)
This true-story survival movie follows the catastrophic events that resulted in eight deaths and countless injuries and marked the third-deadliest expedition on the tallest mountain in the world. It stars an ensemble cast including Jason Clarke, Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Brolin, Keira Knightley, and John Hawkes.
With its cinematography and visual effects considered brilliant, Everest was positively received by critics and worldwide audiences, receiving a 73% rating on the Tomatometer and a 68% audience score. Its breathtaking visuals of the treacherous weather conditions the real-life counterparts faced are stunning, and it only proves how unforgiving the bitter cold can be on the human body.
'Twister' (1996)
This 1996 Jan De Bont-directed disaster movie follows a group of inexperienced amateur storm chasers as they attempt to install a device intended to study tornadoes. The film sees the group tracking a severe outbreak in rural Oklahoma and features an ensemble cast including Bill Paxton, Cary Elwes, Helen Hunt, and Jami Gertz.
Twister is considered a box office success after earning almost $500,000 on a budget of just $88 to $92 million. It received positive reviews, highly praised for its outstanding special effects and life-like storm visuals. Its ability to transform viewers into the storm is brilliant and is a fantastic representation of extreme weather scenarios.
'The Day After Tomorrow' (2004)
The Day After Tomorrow follows the tempestuous destruction caused by a worldwide superstorm that plummets the planet into a new ice age. The movie is based on the 1999 book The Coming Global Superstorm and delivers a warning that global warming might one day suddenly bring the world to its knees. It stars a young Jake Gyllenhaal, Dennis Quaid, Emmy Rossum, Sela Ward, and Ian Holm.
The movie is considered a box office success after earning over four times its budget. The film gained mixed reviews from critics, only getting a 45% on the Tomatometer. However, found high praise on multiple fronts for its visual effects and even won the BAFTA for its exceptional visuals.
'The Perfect Storm' (2013)
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1500&dpr=1.5)
The Perfect Storm takes viewers on the edge-of-your-seat final journey of the Andrea Gail commercial swordfishing boat that became lost at sea upon getting caught in the 1991 Perfect Storm. Starring Mark Wahlberg, George Clooney, Karen Allen, Bob Gunton, and William Fichtner, this true story biopic is an adaptation of the 1997 non-fiction book of the same name written by American journalist, author, and filmmaker, Sebastian Junger.
After gaining almost three times its $120 million budget, the film was a box office success, but it earned mixed reviews from critics, only receiving a 47% rating on the Tomatometer. With its drama and characterization considered nothing special, the visuals and special effects were what helped it gain a higher rating. Given that it's a true story, its capability to put you in the shoes of those who died through the visuals is breathtakingly gut-wrenching.
'Snowpiercer' (2013)
Snowpiercer is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi action movie depicting a frozen Earth that results from global warming after a failed attempt at preventative climate engineering. Based on the French climate fiction novel Le Transperceneige, Snowpiercer stars Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, and Song Kang-ho as some of the last remaining survivors.
Wildly positively received by critics, the movie has a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 261 reviews. Winning twenty-five awards ranging from its acting, direction, and visually stunning cinematography, it is a brilliant representation of what our world could become if people don't start taking global warming as a serious threat.