The 14 Best Disaster Movies On Netflix In 2024

Why do we love watching the world burn? Considering how many disaster movies there are, the why isn’t as important as the how, as in how quickly we can find another story and shoot a movie. Disaster movies come in all types. They can be harrowing character studies, action-packed star-driven thrillers, ultra-realistic thinkers, and even comedies. Here are the Best Disaster Movies On Netflix Right Now In 2024.

#Alive

This is not to be confused with the 1993 Alive, which was the story of a men’s soccer team whose plane crash-landed in the Andes, and they were forced to resort to cannibalism to survive. It is a great movie with Ethan Hawke giving a compelling performance; however, #Alive is a completely different sort of disaster. This Korean horror/action finds a young man stuck in a city in the middle of a zombie virus outbreak. If you like survival monster films like Train To Busan and I, Legend, this is the film for you.

The Wave

When a Norwegian geologist has just ten minutes to save as many people as possible from a massive tsunami, chaos ensues. The thriller uses nature’s dual power to keep you glued to the screen. The land and sea are both beautiful and deadly, and this film captures both. The performances are great, and the cinematography is muscular and straightforward.

Deep Impact

One of two movies that depicted the end of the world through rock from space, Deep Impact is often overlooked. The glitzier Armageddon gets all the love with its stacked cast and Arrowsmith title song, but Deep Impact’s emotional core is so much more impactful. This is a quieter movie about assessing what you do and who you choose to do it with matters as much, if not more, than trying to survive when survival probably isn’t possible.

Skyscraper

Dwayne Johnson helms this big-budget action film. In it, Johnson must outwit a group of terrorists who take over the city’s highest building. The film is loud and bombastic, exactly what you would expect from a movie starring The Rock. That doesn’t mean it isn’t a ton of fun, though.

Geostorm

If you are looking for a disaster movie, you might as well go for one that’s got natural disasters in spades. There are earthquakes, tornados, storms, and waves. Making matters worse, none of them are in expected places. The storyline isn’t the best, but the special effects are good, and there is something excellent about watching one disaster after another.

2012

The biggest draw beyond the story is the amazing leads. Chiwetel Ejiofor is a scientist beating the drum of danger that causes world leaders everywhere to begin making lists of those who should be saved and those who could be sacrificed. Failed writer John Cusack is forced to run with his family in the hopes of saving those he loves the most.

The Impossible

A fictionalized dramatization of the real 2004 massive tsunami that destroyed parts of Southeast Asia and killed hundreds of people. It is based on a true story, and the accuracy of the story, great performances, and chilling disaster sequences make this a must-see for those who want the Best Disaster Movies On Netflix right now.

Don’t Look Up

This is another end-of-the-world movie that examines the different approaches people take when the end is coming. Some refuse to acknowledge the threat, others seek spiritual release, and some turn to community and family. It’s a satirical social commentary about the current state of politics, climate science, and the human condition. It’s funny, maddening, and heartfelt, with a stellar cast.

Pandora

A Korean power plant in desperate need of repair gets hit by an earthquake, and a man tries valiantly to save his country from a nuclear disaster. It is a fictionalized version of the real Chernobyl disaster and is worth a place on the Best Disaster Movies On Netflix.

Extinction

Those nasty aliens. We should be careful who we look for out in the inkiness of space. When an alien race comes to Earth, they aren’t looking to give us technology or medical advancements. They want us dead. This is a grittier version of Independence Day that is gripping from the first moment.

How It Ends

The end of the word sometimes ends with something we can’t understand. An unknown event has caused the world to begin collapsing in fire, earthquakes, and storms. As the world catches fire, society breaks down. Two men with someone they love in common and very little else are forced to survive together as they travel across the country to get to their families.

Spectral

In this actioner, it isn’t alien forces taking over the world but supernatural ones. Something unknowable is attempting to take over the city. A specialized force of soldiers, along with an expert, must devise a strategy to defeat the ghosts before it’s too late.

Melancholia

Lars von Trier is a controversial filmmaker. However, this beautiful rumination on depression and the end of the world is one of his best films ever. Like most of his work, there are deeper meanings to everything. It isn’t just a study of two sister’s disintegrating relationship overlaid with a looming disaster. It’s a stunning film, and Kristen Dunst delivers a mesmerizing performance.

Leave The World Behind

This quieter film is based on Rumaan Alam’s 2020 novel. In the middle of a family vacation, a family is confronted by news of a worldwide blackout. The two families struggle to deal with the current state of the world and their shrinking social base. It is more a character study than a dissection of what will really end the world. The cast is amazing, and the messages read uncomfortably true. It is one of the newest Disaster Movies On Netflix.