10 Most Underrated Disaster Movies Of All Time

By Aidan Whatman / August 16, 2021

Disaster movies are great fun. They work whether they are overly silly or serious, and always offer up a good splash of violence, explosive action, life or death situations and edge of your seat intensity. Ever the really bad ones offer some great moments of entertainment, no matter how weird and over-the-top.

In fact, they’re probably the most fun you can have whilst watching films, because they cover such a wide range of sub-genres. The typical disaster flicks verge on crazy and are almost always improbable; the more mature films can turn that craziness into a truly compelling story about people effected by disaster, natural or otherwise.

The following list will have a look at the most underrated disaster movies in cinema, from the alien invasion scenarios to the classic theme of Armageddon (though, no, that film does not make the list). It stretches from fun and wacky comedies, overly-serious mysteries and the straight up heartbreakingly dramatic.

Whether it’s a nuts Roland Emmerich picture or a film which takes the plunge into a tragic and soul shattering true story, every film on this list deserves more praise than it has received in the past. Some spoilers follow.

10. Mars Attacks!

Let’s kick off on the lighter end of the spectrum, shall we? Tim Burton might not be the first name that comes to mind when you read “disaster movies”, but that’s just a testament to how varied his weird and ingenious career has been, and how criminally underrated Mars Attacks! is.

Simply, Earth is attacked by Burton-esque aliens and war quickly erupts. The plot is silly, the characters (like, all of them) are ridiculous, and some of the sub-plots verge on the insane, even for Tim Burton. But thanks to some solid comedy and arguably the biggest all-star cast ever put to screen, Mars Attacks! makes for a thrilling, totally entertaining, leave-your-brain-at-the-door-and-just-laugh adventure.

The cast is filled out by Jack Nicholson (in a dual role), Michael J. Fox, Sarah Jessica Parker, Natalie Portman, Danny DeVito, Glenn Close, Annette Benning, Pierce Brosnan, Martin Short, Jack Black, Tom Jones (as himself) and more, and follows a wide-range of characters as the aliens attack.

If that cast - and the promise of bizarre action, off-the-wall humour, and a wonderfully weird conclusion - isn’t enough to get you on board, then I don’t know what will.