If you’re a fan of the 2009 disaster epic 2012, then you know how thrilling and suspenseful end-of-the-world movies can be. Watching civilization crumble and humanity fight for survival against cataclysmic events is both terrifying and exhilarating. It taps into our deepest fears while also showcasing the resilience of the human spirit.
2012 set a high bar for disaster flicks with its jaw-dropping special effects, heart-pounding action sequences, and all-star cast. But there are plenty of other movies out there that capture a similar feeling of impending doom and desperate survival. Whether it’s a comet hurtling towards Earth, a sudden ice age, or a massive earthquake, these films will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.
So if you’re looking for more movies like 2012 to add to your watch list, look no further. Here are the 20 best apocalyptic thrillers that are sure to leave you breathless:
1. The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
The Day After Tomorrow is the quintessential climate change disaster movie. When a sudden shift in ocean currents triggers a new ice age, a climatologist (Dennis Quaid) must trek across the frozen wasteland of North America to rescue his son (Jake Gyllenhaal) in New York. With eye-popping scenes of New York City flash freezing and a massive tidal wave crashing through Manhattan, this is a chilling vision of an apocalyptic future. While the science is shaky, there’s no denying the visceral impact of seeing the world plunged into a deep freeze.
2. San Andreas (2015)
California’s San Andreas fault finally gives way in this edge-of-your-seat disaster flick. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson stars as a rescue helicopter pilot searching for his estranged daughter after a massive earthquake devastates the West Coast. San Andreas pulls out all the stops, from toppling skyscrapers to a mega-tsunami that swallows San Francisco whole. Through it all, Johnson’s everyman charisma anchors the human drama. This is a thrill ride from start to finish that proudly carries on the tradition of classic disaster movies.
3. Deep Impact (1998)
A teenage astronomer (Elijah Wood) discovers a comet on a collision course with Earth, giving humanity just one year to prepare in Deep Impact. While the government secretly builds underground shelters, a team of astronauts embarks on a mission to destroy the comet. Compared to other cosmic impact films, Deep Impact takes a more somber, character-driven approach. It’s less about the spectacle of destruction and more about how people face the end with dignity and courage. With a cast that includes Robert Duvall, Téa Leoni, and Morgan Freeman as the President, this is a thoughtful meditation on mortality in the face of Armageddon.
4. Greenland (2020)
A planet-killing comet is just days away from hitting Earth in Greenland. Gerard Butler stars as a structural engineer trying to get his family to a group of underground bunkers in the titular country before the impact. As society collapses around them, the family must fight off desperate mobs and navigate treacherous terrain. Greenland feels especially relevant in our current era of global crises, depicting the thin line between civilization and anarchy. It’s a grim but gripping survival story with an emotional core.
5. The Impossible (2012)
Based on the true story of a family caught in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, The Impossible is a harrowing tale of survival against incredible odds. Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor star as parents who are separated from each other and their three sons when the massive waves hit their Thai resort. The tsunami sequence is viscerally terrifying, conveying the awesome destructive power of nature. But it’s the intimate moments of anguish, courage, and compassion that will stick with you long after the credits roll. Have tissues ready, because this one is a tearjerker.
6. Contagion (2011)
Contagion was eerily prescient when it came out in 2011, depicting a scenario shockingly similar to the COVID-19 pandemic. When a deadly new virus spreads across the globe, doctors, scientists and ordinary citizens struggle to contain the outbreak amid growing panic and social unrest. With an A-list ensemble cast (Marion Cotillard, Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet) and restrained, realistic filmmaking from Steven Soderbergh, Contagion is a chilling look at how fragile our modern world is in the face of a microscopic threat. Its insights into human behavior during a pandemic turned out to be spot-on.
7. Poseidon (2006)
A New Year’s Eve cruise turns into a nightmare when a rogue wave capsizes a luxury ocean liner in Poseidon. The surviving passengers, led by a professional gambler (Josh Lucas) and a former firefighter (Kurt Russell), must climb up through the upside-down ship as it rapidly fills with water. A remake of the 1972 classic The Poseidon Adventure, this version ratchets up the peril with dizzying stunts and claustrophobic sets. You’ll feel like you’re right there with the characters, desperately trying to escape a watery grave.
8. Knowing (2009)
Knowing starts off as an intriguing mystery before taking a hard turn into apocalyptic sci-fi. Nicolas Cage stars as an astrophysics professor who discovers that a time capsule full of cryptic numbers accurately predicted every major disaster of the past 50 years, with more still to come. As he races to prevent the ultimate catastrophe, he uncovers a mind-bending truth. The ending is truly audacious, making Knowing stand out from more conventional disaster fare. Love it or hate it, you won’t be able to stop thinking about it.
9. Armageddon (1998)
When an asteroid the size of Texas threatens to collide with Earth, NASA recruits a ragtag team of deep-core drillers to plant a nuclear bomb on the rock and blow it up in Armageddon. Bruce Willis leads an ensemble cast that includes Ben Affleck, Billy Bob Thornton, Liv Tyler, Owen Wilson, and Steve Buscemi. Michael Bay’s hyperkinetic direction keeps the pace frantic, while the cosmic vistas provide a sense of awe. Sure, the science is ludicrous and the melodrama is cranked up to 11, but Armageddon is so entertaining you won’t care. It’s the kind of go-for-broke spectacle Hollywood does best.
10. War of the Worlds (2005)
Steven Spielberg updates H.G. Wells’ classic alien invasion novel for the post-9/11 era in War of the Worlds. Tom Cruise stars as a divorced dockworker trying to protect his kids when towering alien tripods emerge from underground to lay waste to Earth’s cities. Spielberg captures the sudden shock and awe of an overwhelming attack, as well as the panicked aftermath as survivors flee the unstoppable threat. Seeing familiar American landmarks reduced to rubble carries an extra chill now. This is a gripping, often terrifying vision of apocalyptic destruction.
11. The Wave (2015)
This Norwegian disaster film The Wave imagines what would happen if a real-life unstable mountain pass collapsed into a fjord, triggering a massive tsunami. As scientists frantically try to evacuate a nearby tourist town, a geologist (Kristoffer Joner) gets caught in the middle with his family. The tidal wave sequence is jaw-dropping, achieved mostly with practical effects instead of CGI. Even more impressive is how The Wave grounds its spectacle in authentic character drama, making us care deeply about this family’s fate. It’s a fresh take on a familiar genre, proving that Hollywood doesn’t have a monopoly on great disaster movies.
12. The Core (2003)
The Core is a gloriously silly slice of sci-fi cheese. When the Earth’s core stops rotating, threatening to destroy the planet’s magnetic field, a team of “terranauts” must drill down to the center in a special vessel and detonate nuclear bombs to get it spinning again. The script is packed with delightfully pseudo-scientific gobbledygook, delivered with a straight face by a game cast that includes Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank, Delroy Lindo, and Stanley Tucci. The Earth’s surface barely factors into the story, with most of the ridiculously entertaining action happening miles underground. The Core is so unapologetically absurd that you can’t help but love it.
13. Volcano (1997)
Volcano taps into the primal fear of the Earth itself erupting under our feet. When the La Brea Tar Pits start bubbling in Los Angeles, a volcanologist (Anne Heche) and the head of the city’s emergency management department (Tommy Lee Jones) realize that a volcano is forming right in the heart of the city. As lava starts flowing down Wilshire Boulevard, they must find a way to divert it and save millions of lives. Volcano may strain credibility, but it delivers the goods when it comes to fiery spectacle. The practical effects hold up surprisingly well, lending a tactile quality to the destruction.
14. Geostorm (2017)
In the near future of Geostorm, a network of satellites controls the global climate, preventing natural disasters – until they start malfunctioning, causing catastrophic weather events around the world. Gerard Butler stars as the satellite designer who must go up to the International Space Station to investigate, while his brother (Jim Sturgess) uncovers a conspiracy down on Earth. Geostorm fully embraces its own ridiculousness, packing in as many crazy weather calamities as possible. Tidal waves in Dubai? A flash-frozen Rio? Why not! This is big, loud, cheerfully dumb fun.
15. The Happening (2008)
The Happening is a bit of an oddball entry on this list. M. Night Shyamalan’s thriller follows a couple (Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel) trying to outrun a mysterious event that is causing people to suddenly commit suicide en masse. Is it terrorists? A government experiment gone wrong? Or something even more sinister? The “disaster” in The Happening is more existential than physical, as society crumbles in the face of an invisible threat. It’s a polarizing film, with some finding it unintentionally hilarious and others appreciating its eerie, unsettling vibe. Either way, it’s a unique take on the end of the world.
16. Outbreak (1995)
Outbreak taps into the fear of a deadly pandemic, which feels more relevant than ever these days. When a highly contagious virus originating from an African monkey starts spreading in a small California town, a team of doctors (Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, Kevin Spacey) races to find a cure while the military (Donald Sutherland, Morgan Freeman) moves in to contain the infection at any cost. Outbreak is a taut, gripping thriller that takes the disaster movie formula and applies it to a terrifyingly plausible scenario. It’s a sobering reminder of how vulnerable we are to the whims of nature.
17. The Mist (2007)
Based on a Stephen King novella, The Mist traps a group of people in a supermarket when a strange fog rolls into their small town, bringing with it deadly Lovecraftian monsters. As the survivors (including Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, and future Walking Dead star Laurie Holden) turn on each other, it becomes clear that the real threat may be human nature itself. The Mist is a master class in escalating tension and dread, as the situation outside and inside the store grows more desperate. The gut-punch ending is one of the bleakest ever committed to film.
18. These Final Hours (2013)
In this Australian indie, a meteor is about to collide with Earth, wiping out all life in just 12 hours. A troubled young man (Nathan Phillips) plans to spend his last hours at the party to end all parties, but reluctantly agrees to help a little girl (Angourie Rice) reunite with her father. As society collapses around them, they form an unlikely bond. These Final Hours is a poignant, character-driven drama that just happens to take place at the end of the world. It’s a powerful meditation on what really matters in life and how we choose to face the inevitable.
19. Take Shelter (2011)
Is the end nigh, or is it all in his head? That’s the question at the heart of Take Shelter, a psychological thriller starring Michael Shannon as a family man plagued by apocalyptic visions of a coming storm. As he becomes increasingly obsessed with building a storm shelter in his backyard, his behavior grows more erratic, straining his relationships with his wife (Jessica Chastain) and deaf daughter. Take Shelter is a slow-burn character study that uses the language of disaster movies to explore issues of mental illness, anxiety, and the weight of responsibility. The final scene is a stunning gut-punch.
20. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012)
What if the end of the world was just a few weeks away, and there was no hope of stopping it? That’s the premise of this melancholic romantic comedy starring Steve Carell and Keira Knightley. When an asteroid is set to collide with Earth in 21 days, a recently dumped insurance salesman (Carell) decides to take a road trip to reunite with his high school sweetheart, accompanied by his flighty neighbor (Knightley). Along the way, they learn to live in the moment and find meaning in a world with no future. Seeking a Friend is a sweet, sad, funny film that uses the apocalypse to explore the human condition. It’s a perfect palate cleanser after all the death and destruction of the other movies on this list.
Whether you’re in the mood for a classic like The Poseidon Adventure or a modern spectacle like San Andreas, these 20 movies prove that the disaster genre is alive and well. So grab some popcorn, strap in, and get ready for a wild ride as you watch the world get destroyed over and over again. Just remember: it’s only a movie… we hope.
