10 Movies To Watch if You Like ‘Twisters’

Disaster movies — whether they deal with extreme weather, volcanoes or even the end of the world — have been consistently successful cinematic ventures. There’s just something about massive-scale property damage that tickles particular parts of the human brain while also pairing well with a mound of popcorn. It’s a strange comfort, watching the simulated destruction unfold from the comfort of one’s living room and not having to worry about the cleanup once the credits roll.

Lee Isaac Chung‘s Twisters is the latest disaster/action movie that’s dominating the box office. Starring Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, and Anthony Ramos, Twisters follows a former storm chaser, along with a hot-shot social media star, in their effort to document a devastating series of tornadoes in Oklahoma. Twisters is sure to deliver on spectacle, but for any who left the theater craving more chaos, plenty of disaster movies should satisfy that itch. These movies are in the same vein as Twisters, ensuring fans who loved Powell’s latest offering will also enjoy them.

10 ‘Twister’ (1996)

Directed by Jan de Bont

Retired storm chaser Bill Harding (Bill Paxton) seeks out his estranged tornado scientist wife, Jo (Helen Hunt), to finalize their divorce. However, with an F5 tornado imminent, Bill and Jo must come together again as a team to implement their advanced storm-tracking device and save as many lives as possible.

Twister is a crowd-pleasing summer blockbuster where nature itself is the villain, adding an element of unexpected fury to the plot. Paxton and Hunt are a compelling duo, and their rekindling of what once was provides a stable emotional core for what is ultimately a thoroughly entertaining action movie. Fans of Twisters would be remiss if they didn’t give Twister a go — it has held up remarkably well. There’s not much connective tissue between them, but Twister is an absolute must-see for those who loved Powell’s new adventure.

9 ‘Armageddon’ (1998)

Directed by Michael Bay

An asteroid the size of Texas is on a direct collision course with Earth. When the planet’s destruction is all but imminent, NASA calls upon deep-sea oil driller Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis) and his team as Earth’s final line of defense. With the whole world watching, they are to plant a nuclear warhead deep into the asteroid and obliterate it before all is lost.

Director Michael Bay is a blockbuster craftsman, and the bombastic Armageddon was one of his earliest successes. Supported by an all-star cast including Ben Affleck, Billy Bob Thornton, Liv Tyler, Owen Wilson, and Steve Buscemi, the theatrics of Armageddon cannot be understated. It’s a big, loud, and unapologetically silly action movie executed with supreme conviction and accompanied by a now-iconic ballad from Aerosmith.

8 ‘The Day After Tomorrow’ (2004)

Directed by Roland Emmerich

Paleoclimatologist Jack Hall (Dennis Quaid) makes a discovery in Antarctica promising disastrous consequences. Naturally, world governments are not quick to heed his warnings, and with a new ice age on the horizon, Jack must race to New York to save his son (Jake Gyllenhaal) and his friends.

The Day After Tomorrow is a snowbird’s worst nightmare. While its commentary on global warming is obvious and upfront, the movie still does more than enough to entertain. There is no shortage of spectacle as tidal waves submerge New York City landmarks and tornadoes rip apart the Hollywood sign. The Day After Tomorrow sparked a discussion about climate change, which is more than many other disaster movies can claim.

7 ‘The Perfect Storm’ (2000)

Directed by Wolfgang Petersen

Inspired by true events, The Perfect Storm follows the crew of the Andrea Gail, a fishing boat operating in the North Atlantic. As a storm looms on the horizon, threatening the journey home and their lives, the skilled seafarers soon discover that nature’s warnings are not to be taken lightly.

In The Perfect Storm, the clash between man and nature is as intense as it gets. George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg lead a sturdy cast that sells the harrowing nature of the events unfolding. Considerably smaller scale than many movies of its ilk but benefitting from its real-life inspiration, The Perfect Storm maintains focus and delivers a gripping, pulse-pounding struggle for survival that’s just grounded enough to be terrifyingly engaging.

6 ‘Dante’s Peak’ (1997)

Directed by Roger Donaldson

Volcanologist Harry Dalton (Pierce Brosnan) arrives at the small town of Dante’s Peak to report on unusual natural disturbances. Dalton believes the long-dormant volcano towering over Dante’s Peak is on the brink of eruption and urges the town’s Mayor Wando (Linda Hamilton) to place an alert. As the disturbances grow more severe, Dalton and Wando must race towards the volcano to get to her family before it’s too late.

To its benefit, Dante’s Peakis a movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously. When the inevitable eruption occurs, the results are suitably chaotic and brilliantly destructive. The effects are impressive, even by today’s standards, punctuated by a rousing musical score courtesy of James Newton Howard and John Frizzell. Only a lead as seasoned as Brosnan could remain so stoic in the face of a literal volcano.

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5 ‘Into the Storm’ (2014)

Directed by Steven Quale

The devastation of the small town of Silverton, Oklahoma by the convergence of numerous storm cells is captured via multiple perspectives and found footage. Storm chasers race for the perfect shot, a school principal is separated from his sons, and students trapped at a paper mill are thrust into a fight for survival.

While far from the most thought-provoking entertainment, Into the Storm earns points for its unique approach. The movie incorporates newsreels, video footage and CCTV recordings in a way that keeps the action from getting stale, adding a more visceral look into natural disasters from the perspective of those actually living through them. In terms of the sheer volume of on-screen tornadoes, it would prove quite challenging to surpass Into the Storm.

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4 ‘Crawl’ (2019)

Directed by Alexandre Aja

Following disastrous flooding as a result of a category 5 hurricane, competitive swimmer and Florida native Haley (Kaya Scodelario) disregards evacuation orders to venture into danger and find her father (Barry Pepper). After reaching him, the duo find themselves trapped in their home as floodwaters rise and ravenous alligators begin their hunt.

A simple yet undeniably effective disaster thriller, Crawl always finds interesting ways to keep its characters in peril. Competently staged and efficiently paced by the knowledgeable horror director Alexandre Aja, the underrated Crawl is as fun as it is visceral. The equally underappreciated Kaya Scodelario is a more than capable lead, but it’s the alligators who steal the show.

3 ‘Geostorm’ (2017)

Directed by Dean Devlin

Geostorm is set in a future where a series of satellites have been developed to control the weather and mitigate natural disasters. However, the chief architect of the system, Jake Lawson (Gerard Butler), is called in to help when the technology begins to malfunction. His satellites begin to indiscriminately create weather disasters across the globe, the severity of which is expected to increase until it threatens all life on Earth.

Self-aware but enjoyable, Geostorm is an exceptionally dumb movie, and that’s okay. It’s disposable entertainment that has no interest in being anything more than a series of special-effects-driven setpieces. That said, the setpieces are amusing, featuring hail the size of cars, fiery sinkholes and even an ice tsunami. For those craving for weather-based destruction, Geostorm is likely to satisfy — just don’t expect much more.

2 ‘2012’ (2009)

Directed by Rolan Emmerich

After uncovering evidence that the Earth’s core is unstable, global armageddon in the year 2012 is all but inevitable. When the world passes its tipping point, Fdivorcée and struggling writer Jackson Curtis (John Cusack) seeks to exploit every connection he has to get him and his family across the world and secure them a future.

In terms of magnitude, 2012is aboutas destructive as a disaster movie can get. Director Roland Emmerich has an affinity for spectacle, and this is a testament to that. 2012 is a globe-trotting adventure full of loud yet undeniably impressive sequences, except in this case, the globe is literally crumbling, and there’s an impending sense of doom at every turn. It’s escapist entertainment at its most bombastic, setting a new benchmark for the disaster genre.

1 ‘Greenland’ (2020)

Directed by Ric Roman Waugh

John Garrity (Gerard Butler), along with his wife and son, must race for sanctuary as a planet-killing comet barrels towards Earth. As fragments of the comet wreak havoc and level entire cities on the surface, John and his family are offered refuge in a doomsday bunker located in Greenland. The dangers of human desperation and disorder prove equally grave.

Greenland is a surprisingly thoughtful and restrained doomsday thriller that occasionally indulges in spectacle but remains relatively grounded. Butler is valiant as usual, especially convincing as a father with everything to lose. Greenland strikes unexpectedly somber chords as it captures the best and worst of human behavior in times of crisis. For a movie of its type, Greenland is an above-average Butler effort, possessing more brains than usual. Fans of Twisters will likely appreciate it.

NEXT:The 20 Best Disaster Movies of All Time, Ranked According to Letterboxd