Top 5 Worldwide Disaster Movies

People have long been fascinated with the idea of destruction and the concept of potential worldwide destructions attracts audiences like bugs to a zapper. If you're looking for movies that portray worldwide cataclysmic events, here are my picks of my top five favorites.

"The Core" (2003)
Starring Hilary Swank and Aaron Eckhart, "The Core" is a movie filled will unlikely scenarios (the earth's core has stopped spinning, let's build a ship within three months that will take us to the core so we can detonate nuclear warheads and restart the spinning). What this movie does have though, is compelling drama, likeable characters and a doomsday scenario that sucks you in.

Strange things are happening on planet Earth and it's all because of the core stalling out and causing disturbances in the Earth's magnetic field. This is a lose-lose situation that will spell the inevitable destruction of the Earth but thankfully, there are scientists who are smart enough and brave enough to fix the problem. While this worldwide disaster movie is one that doesn't really make you say "Sure--it could happen" it is worth watching and you won't be sorry.

"The Day After Tomorrow" (2004)
This movie starring Dennis Quaid and Jake Gyllenhaal received a lot of flack for being unrealistic but really, how many cataclysmic worldwide disaster movies are actually realistic?

Climate change is happening but instead of the Earth warming up, it is cooling off--quickly and drastically. The cool-off is happening so fast that scientists are taken off guard. A new Ice Age is coming and it's coming quickly and with a vengeance. The strange temperature drops cause weird weather all over the world--massive hail storms, tornadoes, snow and other anomalies that scientists can't explain. The bottom line is that worldwide disaster is about to happen and nobody is ready.

I liked this movie because the story and the characters were engaging and the science was fascinating. There were some good special effects in the movie and as far as worldwide disaster movie, "The Day After Tomorrow" hit the target.

"2012" (2009)
Okay, so the storyline was ridiculous (seriously, it was--check out my full review of "2012" HERE), BUT the idea of worldwide destruction was translated so well that this movie makes my list simply for the special effects and CGI animation. "2012" had such amazing portrayals of earthquakes and massive, apocalyptic destruction that even though the storyline sucked, I was riveted by the drama and intensity of the action.

"2012" stars John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Danny Glover and Woody Harrelson.

"Armageddon" (1998)
Who does the world call upon when an asteroid is heading our way? Why a group of rough and ready oil rig drillers of course! "Armageddon" may be unbelievable but it has engaging characters and a decent story. The movie focuses on the human element when faced with disaster and less on re-creating the horrific natural events of mass destruction.

"Armageddon" has an all-star cast which includes Bruce Willis, Liv Tyler, Ben Affleck, Steve Buscemi, Owen Wilson, Michael Clarke Duncan and Billy Bob Thornton.

"Deep Impact" (1998)
By far, this is the best worldwide disaster movie in my opinion. It is realistic enough that you seriously start to think about the "what ifs." A comet is discovered and unfortunately, it's on a collision course with Earth. What makes this a more likely scenario is the time frame in which it is portrayed. With many other cataclysmic event movies, it seems as though scientists are caught unaware by whatever destruction is about to happen ("2012" also portrays a longer time frame with governments attempting to quietly prepare for doomsday).

With "Deep Impact," scientists discover the threat years before it is imminent and both the scientific community and the government begins working quietly and secretly to prepare for the event and possibly stop it from happening.

"Deep Impact" has characters and a story that tugs at your heartstrings and brings you right into the story. Even though I have watched this movie multiple times, each time makes me cry and fills me with pride at the resiliency of the human spirit. "Deep Impact" stars Tea Leoni, Robert Duvall, Morgan Freeman and Elijah Wood.