Disaster Movies

[fritz21]

Some are bad enough to be reviewed on this site. Others are nominated for Best Picture. thoughts on the subgenre, and which ones belong here, as well as best disaster scenes ever.

[The Burgomaster]

I'm a fan of disaster movies, both good and bad. Since most of them were made during the 1970s, even the "good" ones have a certain "70s badness" about them.

I'd say that the original AIRPORT (which really isn't a full-fledged disaster movie . . . it qualifies as a very good drama), is among the best. I also think that THE POSEDON ADVENTURE and THE TOWERING INFERNO are two good ones.

Among the worst are:

* THE SWARM (the all-time champion of badness)

* AVALANCHE (starring Rock Hudson, Mia Farrow, and Robert Forster)

* WHEN TIME RAN OUT (with Paul Newman, Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons, and many others . . . this movie is BAD, but it is a lot of fun to watch)

* THE CORE (all I can say is "stinkeroo")

* AIRPORT '77 (tends to be very boring at times)

Plus, just about any "made for television" disaster movie is pretty bad.



Post Edited (10-16-03 13:32)

[B-grade]

Despite owning the film I still watch The Posedon Adventure everytime it's on TV.
I don't know what it is but this movie does something for me.

Other disaster movies not mentioned and for good reason are the recent atempts at reviving the genre.  Volcano, Dante's Inferno, Deep Impact etc...  Plus the TV versions (What the hell was atomic train?)

[gammaray117]

Best disaster scenes:
1. EARTHQUAKE (If you can't tell, read that title again)
2.THE TOWERING INFERNO(The movie has great disaster scenes, but the water and fire getting into the Promenade Room at the same time is fantastic)
3.THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE(The intial capsize and subsequent flooding of the Dining Salon never gets old. Poor Acres.)
4. AIRPORT(The bomb, silly)
5. FIRE(You actually can't tell?)

Worst disaster scenes:
1. WHEN TIME RAN OUT(Ahh, Jello!)
2. THE SWARM(Bees?)
3. AVALANCHE(Have *you* ever seen anyone crushed to death by Styrofoam?)
4. TERROR ON THE 40TH FLOOR(The movie sucks, but how in the name of Robby the Robot does a fire hose catch on fire?)
5. FLIGHT INTO HOLOCAUST (Paper airplane crash and crayoned-on explosions)

"You can't fight in here, this is the War Room!"