Movies

10 Best Disaster Movies from the 2000s That'll Leave You & Earth Devastated

10 Best Disaster Movies from the 2000s That'll Leave You & Earth Devastated
Image credit: Paramount Pictures, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Prime Video, Summit Entertainment, Columbia Pictures, Legion-Media

The 2000s gave us some of the best disaster movies in cinema history, so go grab your popcorn — the world is ending again.

10. Carriers (2009)

What’s scarier than a terrifying enemy? A terrifying enemy you can’t see, of course. As a devastating lethal infection took over the world, four friends set off on a journey to find a safe haven. Staying on the road is their only chance to survive, but while they’re successful at avoiding others, it’s their internal conflicts that endanger them.

You can watch Carriers on Prime Video.

9. Scorcher (2002)

We as humanity have long suspected that at one point or another, we’ll have to pay for our poor treatment of our planet. As scientists detect a dangerous increase in seismic and volcanic activity that endangers everyone on Earth — and to prevent the tragedy, a nuclear bomb must be detonated in a specific place… In Los Angeles.

You can watch Scorcher on Prime Video.

8. The Sum of All Fears (2002)

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Ever since the father of the atomic bomb produced his child, everyone’s been fearing a full-blown nuclear war between superstates. A Neo-Nazi group hopes to induce one by using their one and only warhead in the US: they aim to provoke a massive war between the United States and Russia that could destroy the entire planet.

You can watch The Sum of All Fears on Apple TV and Prime Video.

7. Sunshine (2007)

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The Sun won’t stay with us forever: like any other star, it will die one day. It’s 2057, and against all predictions, the Sun is already dying. To reignite it again, an international group of astronauts is sent off with a nuclear fission bomb; but as they come closer to the star, they hear the signal of the previous expedition, long lost…

You can watch Sunshine on Apple TV and Prime Video.

6. Knowing (2009)

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Can you imagine how many lives could have been saved if we knew when to expect natural disasters? When a professor opens a time capsule from 1959, he realizes that it contains the “schedule” of all major catastrophes, past and present. According to it, the most devastating one is soon to arrive, and he’ll do anything to prevent it.

You can watch Knowing on Netflix and Prime Video.

5. The Core (2003)

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Our planet’s spinning doesn’t just control everyone’s 9-to-5’s: it prevents a disaster. But now that the Earth’s core stops spinning, the catastrophe seems inevitable. In a desperate attempt to prevent the collapse, humanity sends a group down to the center of the planet with — you guessed it — a nuclear charge to make it spin again.

You can watch The Core on Netflix and Prime Video.

4. The Happening (2008)

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Speaking of invisible enemies, a mysterious plague takes over the planet once again. The infected can’t help but take their own lives in gruesome ways, and the disease is spreading horrifically quickly. A small family tries to escape the grim fate by making their way away from other people, but a road from the city is not simple.

You can watch The Happening on Apple TV, Disney Plus, and Prime Video.

3. War of the Worlds (2005)

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What could end this planet and our kind faster than a military invasion from a more advanced species? When an alien army attacks the Earth, the world plunges into chaos. Amid this war of two worlds, there are professional soldiers fighting to death and civilians who can’t help. A simple family tries to survive the final war’s horrors.

You can watch War of the Worlds on Prime Video.

2. 2012 (2009)

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When you’re a true connoisseur of the genre, you might feel like standalone disasters just don’t cut it for you anymore. Enter 2012! As all the planets in the Solar System align, a catastrophic chain of huge-scale disasters shakes the Earth: floods, earthquakes, tornados, and whatnot. A small family is caught up in the middle of it.

You can watch 2012 on Max, Netflix, and Prime Video.

1. The Day After Tomorrow (2004)

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Most species that have ever existed on Earth went extinct thanks to the Ice Ages. Now, it’s humanity’s turn: the climate on the planet changes dramatically overnight, turning the lands into uninhabitable freezing hell. Amid it all, a scientist goes for a daring journey across the country to reach his son, hoping to help the kid survive it all.

You can watch The Day After Tomorrow on Apple TV, Disney Plus, and Prime Video.