20 Disaster Movies You Must See Before You Die

Adapted from Arthur Hailey's novel of the same name, Airport kickstarted a run of successful disaster films throughout the 1970s, though few managed to match its cultural impact.

Airport is really a film about the abject logistical nightmare that is running an airport, on a day where every possible thing that could go wrong does - namely the double threat of a raging snowstorm and a suicide bomber planning to blow up a Boeing 707.

Boasting a terrific ensemble cast - including Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, Jean Seberg, and an Oscar-winning Helen Hayes - Airport created the disaster movie blueprint that's still in play today, melding personal drama with high-stakes suspense.

It might seem a little tepid by modern standards, and Airplane! ultimately parodied it and especially its inferior sequels into dust, but there's a refreshing modesty to this proto-disaster flick that still works today.