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The Greatest Guilty Pleasure Disaster Movies 

Ranker Film
Updated September 30, 2019 1.2k votes 148 voters 3.1k views 33 items

List Rules Vote up the best guilty pleasure disaster movies.

While they may not be beloved by critics, there's nothing better for a hefty dose of escapism than guilty pleasure disaster movies. While they may be chalk full of cheesy special effects, glaringly obvious plot holes, and bad acting, these films are the go-to for many when life gets overwhelming and you want something easy to help disengage.

The dumb disaster movies below don't demand a whole lot from their audience, so you can easily tune out the world and simply kick back watching stock characters try to save the world, evade explosions, and navigate situations so absurd you simply cannot suspend your disbelief. They may be corny, but sometimes that's exactly what you need. You don't always want Apollo 13. On occasion, you just want to kick back with some Michael Bay. Browse this list to find the best guilty pleasure disaster movies for your viewing delight!

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1
Twister is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list The Greatest Guilty Pleasure Disaster Movies
Helen Hunt, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Paxton

Released: 1996

Directed by: Jan de Bont

Twister is a 1996 American disaster drama film starring Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt as storm chasers researching tornadoes. It was directed by Jan de Bont from a screenplay by Michael Crichton ...more

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#230 of 410 The Best Rainy Day Movies #811 of 1,699 The Most Rewatchable Movieslisted on The 50 Highest Grossing '90s Movies, Ranked

2
The Day After Tomorrow ... is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list The Greatest Guilty Pleasure Disaster Movies
Emmy Rossum, Jake Gyllenhaal, Dennis Quaid

Released: 2004

Directed by: Roland Emmerich

The Day After Tomorrow is a 2004 American climate fiction-disaster film co-written, directed, and produced by Roland Emmerich and starring Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal, Ian Holm, Emmy Rossum, ...more

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#222 of 1,699 The Most Rewatchable Movies #209 of 599 The Greatest Epic Movies Ever Made #1 of 568 The Greatest Disaster Movies of All Time

3
Independence Day is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list The Greatest Guilty Pleasure Disaster Movies
Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Vivica A. Fox

Released: 1996

Directed by: Roland Emmerich

Independence Day is a 1996 American science fiction disaster film co-written and directed by Roland Emmerich. The film stars Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, Mary McDonnell, Judd Hirsch, ...more

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13 Things That Prove Pacific Rim And Independence Day Are The Exact Same Movie #37 of 350 'Old' Movies Every Young Person Needs To Watch In Their Lifetimelisted on The 50 Highest Grossing '90s Movies, Ranked

4
Armageddon is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list The Greatest Guilty Pleasure Disaster Movies
Ben Affleck, Bruce Willis, Liv Tyler

Released: 1998

Directed by: Michael Bay

Armageddon is a 1998 American science fiction disaster thriller film, directed by Michael Bay, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and released by Touchstone Pictures. The film follows a group of ...more

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#79 of 410 The Best Rainy Day Movies #96 of 1,699 The Most Rewatchable Movieslisted on The 50 Highest Grossing '90s Movies, Ranked

5
Jurassic World is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list The Greatest Guilty Pleasure Disaster Movies
Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Pratt, Vincent D'Onofrio

Released: 2015

Directed by: Colin Trevorrow

Jurassic World is a 2015 American science fiction adventure film directed by Colin Trevorrow, it is the fourth installment in the Jurassic Park film series. 22 years after the events of Jurassic ...more

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6
2012 is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list The Greatest Guilty Pleasure Disaster Movies
Amanda Peet, Woody Harrelson, Thandie Newton

Released: 2009

Directed by: Roland Emmerich

2012 is a 2009 American science fiction disaster adventure film directed and co-written by Roland Emmerich. It stars John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Thandie Newton, ...more

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#196 of 410 The Best Rainy Day Movies #569 of 1,699 The Most Rewatchable Movies #20 of 32 Blockbusters With No Cultural Impact Whatsoever, Ranked

7
Deep Impact is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list The Greatest Guilty Pleasure Disaster Movies
Morgan Freeman, Robert Duvall, Elijah Wood

Released: 1998

Directed by: Mimi Leder

Deep Impact is a 1998 American science fiction disaster film directed by Mimi Leder, written by Bruce Joel Rubin and Michael Tolkin, and starring Robert Duvall, Téa Leoni, Elijah Wood, ...more

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#751 of 1,699 The Most Rewatchable Movies #199 of 293 The Top Tearjerker Movies That Make Men Cry #2 of 568 The Greatest Disaster Movies of All Time

8
Volcano is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list The Greatest Guilty Pleasure Disaster Movies
Tommy Lee Jones, Don Cheadle, Anne Heche

Released: 1997

Directed by: Mick Jackson

Volcano is a 1997 disaster film directed by Mick Jackson and produced by Andrew Z. Davis, Neal H. Moritz and Lauren Shuler Donner. The storyline was conceived from a screenplay written by Jerome ...more

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#13 of 568 The Greatest Disaster Movies of All Time #445 of 742 The Greatest Action Movies of All Time #7 of 40 The Best Natural Disaster Movies

9
Deep Blue Sea is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list The Greatest Guilty Pleasure Disaster Movies
Samuel L. Jackson, LL Cool J, Thomas Jane

Released: 1999

Directed by: Renny Harlin

Deep Blue Sea is a 1999 science fiction horror film, starring Saffron Burrows, Thomas Jane, LL Cool J, Michael Rapaport, Stellan Skarsgård and Samuel L. Jackson. The film was directed by ...more

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#285 of 853 The Best Horror Movies Of All Time #1,150 of 1,699 The Most Rewatchable Movies #165 of 624 The Greatest Guilty Pleasure Movies

10
Dante's Peak is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list The Greatest Guilty Pleasure Disaster Movies
Pierce Brosnan, Linda Hamilton, Jamie Renée Smith

Released: 1997

Directed by: Roger Donaldson

Dante's Peak is a 1997 American epic disaster adventure film directed by Roger Donaldson, and starring Pierce Brosnan, Linda Hamilton, Charles Hallahan, Elizabeth Hoffman, Jamie Renée ...more

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#5 of 568 The Greatest Disaster Movies of All Time #292 of 742 The Greatest Action Movies of All Time #6 of 40 The Best Natural Disaster Movies

11
Outbreak is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list The Greatest Guilty Pleasure Disaster Movies
Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey, Dustin Hoffman

Released: 1995

Directed by: Wolfgang Petersen

Outbreak is a 1995 American medical disaster film directed by Wolfgang Petersen and based on Richard Preston's non-fiction book The Hot Zone. The film stars Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, and ...more

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12
The Core is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list The Greatest Guilty Pleasure Disaster Movies
Hilary Swank, Stanley Tucci, Aaron Eckhart

Released: 2003

Directed by: Jon Amiel

The Core is a 2003 American science fiction disaster film. It concerns a team that has to drill to the center of the Earth in order to restart the rotation of the Earth's core. The film was ...more

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#17 of 568 The Greatest Disaster Movies of All Time #3 of 14 The Most Ridiculous Movie Hacking Scenes, Ranked By Sillinesslisted on The Very Best Movies About Hackers

13
The Perfect Storm is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list The Greatest Guilty Pleasure Disaster Movies
George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Diane Lane

Released: 2000

Directed by: Wolfgang Petersen

The Perfect Storm is a 2000 American biographical disaster drama film directed by Wolfgang Petersen. It is an adaptation of the 1997 non-fiction book of the same title by Sebastian Junger, which ...more

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Tragic Facts About The Perfect Storm, The Shipwreck Story No One Lived To Tell #254 of 410 The Best Rainy Day Movies #100 of 293 The Top Tearjerker Movies That Make Men Cry

14
San Andreas is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list The Greatest Guilty Pleasure Disaster Movies
Michelle Miller added Dwayne Johnson, Kylie Minogue, Alexandra Daddario

Released: 2015

Directed by: Brad Peyton

San Andreas is a 2015 American disaster film directed by Brad Peyton. A Los Angeles Fire Department helicopter-rescue pilot, Ray Gaines (Dwayne Johnson) must rescue his estranged wife and their ...more

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#338 of 410 The Best Rainy Day Movies #14 of 32 Blockbusters With No Cultural Impact Whatsoever, Ranked #176 of 212 The Best Adventure Movies

15
Into the Storm is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list The Greatest Guilty Pleasure Disaster Movies
Richard Armitage, Sarah Wayne Callies, Matt Walsh

Released: 2014

Directed by: Steven Quale

Into the Storm is a 2014 American found footage disaster film directed by Steven Quale, written by John Swetnam, and starring Richard Armitage, Sarah Wayne Callies, Matt Walsh, Alycia ...more
16
Anaconda is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list The Greatest Guilty Pleasure Disaster Movies
Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, Owen Wilson

Released: 1997

Directed by: Luis Llosa

Anaconda is a 1997 adventure-horror film, directed by Luis Llosa, starring Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, Jon Voight, Eric Stoltz, Owen Wilson, Kari Wuhrer and Jonathan Hyde. It centers on a film ...more

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17
The Mist is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list The Greatest Guilty Pleasure Disaster Movies
Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Laurie Holden

Released: 2007

Directed by: Frank Darabont

The Mist is a 2007 American science fiction horror film directed by Frank Darabont, and based on the 1980 novella of the same name by Stephen King. After a storm of never-before-seen proportions ...more

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18
Hard Rain is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list The Greatest Guilty Pleasure Disaster Movies
Morgan Freeman, Betty White, Minnie Driver

Released: 1998

Directed by: Mikael Salomon

Hard Rain is a 1998 American/British action thriller film, produced by Mark Gordon, written by Graham Yost and directed by former cinematographer turned director Mikael Salomon. It stars ...more

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#163 of 568 The Greatest Disaster Movies of All Time #31 of 57 The Best Morgan Freeman Movies #11 of 23 The Best Black Heist Movies

19
Poseidon is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list The Greatest Guilty Pleasure Disaster Movies
Emmy Rossum, Fergie, Kurt Russell

Released: 2006

Directed by: Wolfgang Petersen

Poseidon is a 2006 disaster film directed and co-produced by Wolfgang Petersen. It is the third film adaptation of Paul Gallico's novel The Poseidon Adventure, and a loose remake of the 1972 ...more

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#353 of 624 The Greatest Guilty Pleasure Movies #25 of 568 The Greatest Disaster Movies of All Time #16 of 40 The Best Natural Disaster Movies

20
The Impossible is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list The Greatest Guilty Pleasure Disaster Movies
Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Geraldine Chaplin

Released: 2012

Directed by: Juan Antonio Bayona

The Impossible is a 2012 drama film directed by Juan Antonio Bayona and written by Sergio G. Sánchez. It is based on the experience of María Belón and her family. The cast ...more
21
The Towering Inferno is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list The Greatest Guilty Pleasure Disaster Movies
O. J. Simpson, Paul Newman, Faye Dunaway

Released: 1974

Directed by: Irwin Allen, John Guillermin

The Towering Inferno is a 1974 American action drama disaster film produced by Irwin Allen featuring an all-star cast led by Steve McQueen and Paul Newman. The picture was directed by John ...more

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22
Godzilla is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list The Greatest Guilty Pleasure Disaster Movies
Elizabeth Olsen, Bryan Cranston, Juliette Binoche

Released: 2014

Directed by: Gareth Edwards

Godzilla is a 2014 American science fiction monster film directed by Gareth Edwards. It is a reboot of the Godzilla film franchise and retells the origins of Godzilla in contemporary times as a ...more

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#106 of 568 The Greatest Disaster Movies of All Time #33 of 104 The Greatest Movie Remakes of All Time #2 of 14 Movie Trailers Are Lying To You

23
Geostorm is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list The Greatest Guilty Pleasure Disaster Movies
Gerard Butler, Jim Sturgess, Abbie Cornish

Released: 2017

Directed by: Dean Devlin

Geostorm is a 2017 American disaster science-fiction action film directed by Dean Devlin. A satellite designer (Gerard Butler) must save the world from a storm of epic proportions caused by ...more
24
Supervolcano is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list The Greatest Guilty Pleasure Disaster Movies
Michelle Miller added Gary Lewis, Robert Wisden, Tom McBeath

Released: 2005

Directed by: Tony Mitchell

Supervolcano is a science docufiction disaster television film that originally aired on 13 March 2005 on BBC One, and released by the BBC on 10 April 2005 on the Discovery Channel. It is ...more

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#198 of 568 The Greatest Disaster Movies of All Time #4 of 17 The Best Volcano Movies #24 of 53 The Best Movies About Wyoming

25
Sharknado is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list The Greatest Guilty Pleasure Disaster Movies
Tara Reid, Cassie Scerbo, Julie McCullough

Released: 2013

Directed by: Anthony C. Ferrante

Sharknado is a 2013 science fiction TV movie directed by Anthony C. Ferrante.