Don't Look Up and 4 Other Unusual Disaster Movies That Redefine the Genre
A Lars von Trier classic, a drama based on true events and people attempting to survive a deadly storm.
Disaster films rightfully occupy a place on the list of the most spectacular genres. These movies center on natural or man-made disasters, which require large-scale special effects, high-quality graphics, and a large cast of extras.
We have chosen atypical examples of this genre that depict humanity's demise from a different perspective.
1. Don't Look Up, 2021
Two scientists are knocking on the doors of the White House and news channels, hoping to tell the world about a comet that will destroy Earth in six months.
As a result, no squad of brave heroes will be sent on a suicide mission to save humanity, as in Armageddon, and the astronomers are advised not to cause unnecessary panic.
Some may find this satire unrealistic, but if something like this were to happen, millions would dismiss it as a conspiracy theory.
2. Only the Brave, 2017
Joseph Kosinski's drama follows the lives of members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, a real-life firefighting team that has been battling wildfires across the US since 2008.
In 2013, 19 firefighters were killed while performing a rescue operation and surrounded by a ring of fire.
Only the Brave is an honest ode to heroism, focusing the viewer's attention on firefighters' everyday lives and their unique value system, built on the awareness that they could die at any moment.
3. Melancholia, 2011
Melancholia is easily the most atypical disaster film. The characters don't try to save themselves; instead, they celebrate a wedding and await a collision with a mysterious planet bearing the film's poetic title.
Lars von Trier reveals the ending in a pessimistic prologue and then makes the characters and the viewers languidly await the inevitable.
4. The Finest Hours, 2016
The Finest Hours is less a typical disaster film and more a drama about a heroic feat. However, as in other films of this genre, the antagonist here is the forces of nature; in this case – a deadly storm.
The plot is based on a true story that took place in a coastal town in the mid-20th century. A coast guard team member who is planning to get married may not live to see the happy event – he is sent on a suicide mission to save the crew of a nearby sinking tanker.
Without a compass and in the midst of a fierce storm, he must guide 32 people on a tiny wooden boat to safety.
5. Contagion, 2011
Disaster movies are not only blockbuster films about a huge space object flying toward Earth; they can also be thrillers about resisting an invisible enemy – a virus.
When the coronavirus appeared, many people were reminded of Steven Soderbergh's relatively unpopular film Contagion, which accurately predicted a possible pandemic scenario.
The film isn't spectacular; its creators primarily aimed to show the logistics of infection: the origin of the virus, its spread, global hysteria, and attempts to create a vaccine.