Best movies like The Big One: The Great Los Angeles Earthquake
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
After a series of small tremors in Los Angeles, Dr. Clare Winslow, a local seismologist, pinpoints the exact location and time of when the long awaited earthquake--"The Big One"--will strike southern California. With this information, she must battle city officials to release this information to the general public. Also, she hopes that her family is out of harms way when the quake strikes. Subplots show how other families and people cope with the the tremors that strike before the impending "Big One.".
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 697
Genere: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 180 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, realistic, suspenseful, disaster movie
Best tv shows and movies like The Big One: The Great Los Angeles Earthquake (1990):
Similar in 84%
Nature Unleashed: Earthquake (2005)
Plot Summary:
An earthquake destroys a Russian Nuclear Power plant.
IMDB Rating: 3.7
IMDB Votes: 545
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Thriller
Country: Canada, Lithuania, UK
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, disaster movie
Similar in 76%
Volcano: Fire on the Mountain (1997)
Plot Summary:
A USGS scientist attempts to convince his boss and the residents of Angel Falls, California that a nearby volcano is about to erupt.
IMDB Rating: 4.6
IMDB Votes: 744
Genere: Action, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, disaster movie
Similar in 80%
Supervolcano (2005)
Plot Summary:
Yellowstone is a park, but it's also the deadliest volcano on Earth. Beneath it, a sleeping 'dragon' is stirring. When an earthquake opens a crack for magma to seep through, other warning signs of an eruption start popping up, but they are ignored or dismissed as 'minor'. But when they learn an eruption will happen, panic breaks out through people of the USA and the world.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: UK, Italy, Germany, Japan, USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, suspenseful, educational, disturbing, apocalyptic, mockbuster, disaster movie
Similar in 77%
As the Light Goes Out (2014)
Plot Summary:
The bond of brotherhood is always stronger when you can be pitched into a life and death situation at any time and the only thing that gets you through the inferno is the trust that your brother will have your back. The firefighters of Hong Kong’s Pillar Point division who are expecting a quiet night to see off their retiring chief find their faith in each other stretched to the limits when a small fire at a liquor warehouse threatens to plunge the whole of Hong kong into darkness if it spreads to a nearby power plant supplying natural gas. Politics, rivalry, and suspicion all come into play when dubious decisions are made, warnings are ignored and colleagues start to fall. Can the Pillar Point brotherhood survive the night, if not the fire, with their trust in each other intact?.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Drama
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, realistic, captivating, suspense, tense, suspenseful, disaster movie
Similar in 90%
Escape from Alaska (1999)
Plot Summary:
A helicopter pilot work with a husband and his wife in the frozen North tagging foxes for the Environmental Protection Agency. When an avalanche hits the group, the husband is killed and only by the pilot's perseverance is the wife saved. Two years later, the wife takes on a corporation which wants to extend an oil pipeline across the tundra above Juneau. She is convinced that this will cause an avalanche on the town. Of course, she is rejected by the corporation executives. She recruits the pilot to try to aid her, but with no success.
IMDB Rating: 4.2
IMDB Votes: 697
Genere: Action, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: independent film, exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, disaster movie
Similar in 88%
Aftershock: Earthquake in New York (1999)
Plot Summary:
New York, the city that never sleeps, is trapped in a nightmare of horror and destruction when a massive earthquake rocks the unsuspecting city. Countless lives are lost, families are torn apart, and chaos runs rampant as the mayor and former Fire Chief race to enact a city-wide emergency plan. An incredible story of undying courage in the face of unimaginable human tragedy.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, Germany
Duration: 170 min
Plot tags: apocalyptic, serious, realistic, suspenseful, disaster movie
Similar in 78%
The Tower (2012)
Plot Summary:
On Christmas Eve at Tower Sky, an ultra-luxurious building complex, a White Christmas party is held to dazzle its equally high-end tenants and VIP guests. Dae-ho, the manager of the building and single father, is forced to cancel plans with his daughter Hana to work the event. His Christmas is saved when Yoon-hee, the food mall manager with a secret crush on Dae-ho, offers to babysit Hana during the party. Meanwhile, Young-ki the legendary fire chief of Yoido Station has finally promised his first holiday date night to his long suffering wife. The party is in full swing with the spectacular sight of two helicopters flying overhead just to spray snow on the partygoers and make everything perfect. When unthinkable disaster strikes, Dae-ho and Young-ki must summon all their strength and courage to save the lives of thousands but at what cost to themselves and their loved ones?.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: South Korea
Duration: 121 min
Plot tags: exciting, suspenseful, serious, tense, suspense, intense, disturbing, breathtaking, christmas horror, mindfuck
Similar in 90%
Tidal Wave (2009)
Plot Summary:
Man-sik and Yeon-hee, are unsure as to whether they can overcome past wounds and continue being a couple. Dr. Kim, who cautions against a possible mega-tsunami at Haeundae, collapses in agony springing from an unexpected turn-up of his daughter and divorced wife. Hyoung-sik, after rescuing a woman from Seoul, rides out a ferocious storm to gladden her heart. A tsunami which destroys Haeundae symbolizes the establishment of a typical axis called provocation of conflicts, and later the inner spaces of the couples without anything left behind after all conflicts have ended.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: South Korea
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: exciting, realistic, suspenseful, serious, tear jerker, apocalyptic, psychotronic, tearjerker, disaster movie
Similar in 83%
Avalanche (1978)
Plot Summary:
The vacationers at a winter wonderland struggle to survive after an avalanche of snow crashes into their ski resort. Their holiday then turns into a game of survival.
IMDB Rating: 3.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, bleak, realistic, psychotronic, suspense, independent film, road movie, sexy, humorous
Similar in 78%
Ablaze (2001)
Plot Summary:
Hoping to make a killing on the insurance money, oil refinery owner Wendell Mays decides to burn the place to the ground. His greed endangers the lives of the entire town as the fireball creates a spreading inferno threatens to engulf the entire city, and stretches the abilities of the fire department and the local hospital to their breaking points.
IMDB Rating: 3.4
IMDB Votes: 724
Genere: Drama, Action, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, disaster movie
Similar in 89%
Heat Wave (2009)
Plot Summary:
When a sudden, unexplained rise in local temperatures threatens to turn Los Angeles County into a parched, lifeless desert, one scientist must put her theories to the test in a desperate effort to prevent the catastrophe.
IMDB Rating: 3.3
IMDB Votes: 292
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 74 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, psychological, suspense, exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, independent film
Similar in 84%
Landslide (2005)
Plot Summary:
Manhattan fireman Mark Decker visits, for the first time, his Steven in his ex Emma's new apartment in one of her dad Donald Richardson's development estates, at the foot of Diamand-back Mountain. But Don's ambitious executive Stewart Hancock, who dreams of his own firm, has been cutting too many corners, at the expense of safety, causing a landslide. Mark gets trapped with Steven and the new concierge Harold, who knows everything about an additional danger: rattlesnakes awoken early from hibernation. Now Mark discovers artistic, nerdy Steven only did 'manly' stuff in the city because dad-son time is so rare. While they soldier on, landscape architect Emma discovers the truth and counters Stewart's plan B to literally cover it up.
IMDB Rating: 3.8
IMDB Votes: 338
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, suspenseful, tense, disaster movie
Similar in 75%
Superfire (2002)
Plot Summary:
A firefighter pilot blames himself for the death of his previous colleagues and gets a new assignment with a raging forest fire in Portland, Oregon, that has the whole city in jeopardy.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 396
Genere: Action, Thriller
Country: Germany, Canada, New Zealand, USA
Duration: 210 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, realistic, exciting, tense, captivating, disaster movie
Similar in 84%
Tornado (2006)
Plot Summary:
The hottest summer in years: Meteorologist Jan returns from Oklahoma, where he has studied twisters up close, after faring a traumatic catastrophe during his dangerous research. Back in Berlin, he comes to face with his past and his ex-girlfriend Eva, who he had left behind. He clashes with his father, head of the local weather institute, and only his blind sister Sophie still seems to trust him. But no longer is Jan in town that an unusual cold front approaches the city. Immediately Jan recognizes the familiar warning signs of impending doom. He tries to alert the officials, but is ignored by both his father and the government. He is later proven right, and a tornado devastates Berlin. Jan tries to save the people he loves so dearly, even if it means sacrificing his own life.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 443
Genere: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: Germany
Duration: 180 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, exciting, bleak, realistic, computer animated, disaster movie
Similar in 89%
Atomic Twister (2002)
Plot Summary:
When tornadoes hit a nuclear power plant, critically damaging the plant's cooling system, the results could be catastrophic. Atomic Twister, a countdown to disaster, traces an extraordinary day in the lives of small town citizens who unexpectedly find themselves facing the possibility of mass destruction.
IMDB Rating: 4.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, suspenseful, tense, disaster movie
Similar in 89%
Airplane vs Volcano (2014)
Plot Summary:
When a commercial airliner is trapped within a ring of erupting volcanoes, the passengers and crew must find a way to survive - without landing.
IMDB Rating: 2.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, tense, serious, realistic, mockbuster, exciting, disaster movie
Similar in 79%
Tidal Wave: No Escape (1997)
Plot Summary:
A retired and disgruntled scientist is brought out of retirement to explain why tidal waves are wiping out coastal communities. But is he part of the problem?.
IMDB Rating: 3.9
IMDB Votes: 550
Genere: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: apocalyptic, exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, stylized, psychotronic, disaster movie
Similar in 84%
San Andreas Quake (2015)
Plot Summary:
When a discredited L.A. Seismologist warns of an impending 12.7 earthquake, no one takes her seriously. Now on her own, she races desperately to get her family to safety before the earthquake breaks Los Angeles apart from the mainland.
IMDB Rating: 2.1
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: mockbuster, intense, exciting, serious, suspense, suspenseful, disaster movie
Similar in 82%
Flood (2007)
Plot Summary:
Timely yet terrifying, The Flood predicts the unthinkable. When a raging storm coincides with high seas it unleashes a colossal tidal surge, which travels mercilessly down England's East Coast and into the Thames Estuary. Overwhelming the Barrier, torrents of water pour into the city. The lives of millions of Londoners are at stake.
IMDB Rating: 4.8
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK, South Africa, Canada
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, talky, captivating, apocalyptic, exciting, suspense, action thriller, rough, independent film
Similar in 77%
10.5 (2004)
Plot Summary:
An earthquake reaching a 10.5 magnitude on the Richter scale, strikes the west coast of the U.S. and Canada. A large portion of land falls into the ocean, and the situation is worsened by aftershocks and tsunami.
IMDB Rating: 4.6
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 165 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, suspenseful, apocalyptic, disaster movie
Similar in 77%
Absolute Zero (2006)
Plot Summary:
INTER SCI climatologist Dr. David Kotzman has evidence that a shift in the Earth's polarity triggered the last Ice Age...in a single day. Now, it's happening again, and there's no time to escape. As the temperature plummets, Miami is blasted with snow and ice. Evacuation routes are jammed. The only chance David, his old flame Bryn, and a few other hopeful survivors have is to hole themselves up in a special chamber at INTER SCI. A desperate race for survival is ignited as nature's fury rages and the temperature plunges toward -459.67° F...ABSOLUTE ZERO!.
IMDB Rating: 3.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, captivating, disturbing, tense, disaster movie
Similar in 89%
Fire Twister (2015)
Plot Summary:
When a mysterious orb of light strikes a deep water oil rig, the massive explosion erupts into a ball of flames creating a swirling mass of clouds and fire. As the twister begins to move.
IMDB Rating: 2.6
IMDB Votes: 704
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: tense, unusual plot structure, suspense, suspenseful, disturbing, disaster movie
Similar in 77%
10.0 Earthquake (2014)
Plot Summary:
Los Angeles is about to be hit by a devastating earthquake, and time is running out to save the city from imminent danger.
IMDB Rating: 3.5
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: exciting, suspense, captivating, tense, suspenseful, disaster movie
Similar in 79%
MegaFault (2009)
Plot Summary:
A crack in the world has started... we have 24 hours to stop it.
IMDB Rating: 3.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: exciting, bleak, serious, tense, suspense, rough, futuristic, suspenseful, independent film, disaster movie
Similar in 75%
San Andreas Mega Quake (2019)
Plot Summary:
Scientists make a horrible discovery: The "Big One" is coming in two days, with it, California will sink to the ocean. Their only hope is to rupture a volcano that will displace the earthquake's energy and build a new crust on the surface. But as fore-shocks turn California into chaos, it's a race against time the scientists might not win.
IMDB Rating: 2.4
IMDB Votes: 688
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: psychotronic, tense, suspense, suspenseful, disturbing, disaster movie
Similar in 86%
Earthquake (1974)
Plot Summary:
Earthquake is a 1974 American disaster film that achieved huge box-office success, continuing the disaster film genre of the 1970s where recognizable all-star casts attempt to survive life or death situations. The plot concerns the struggle for survival after a catastrophic earthquake destroys most of the city of Los Angeles, California.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, suspense, exciting, rough, bad ending, psychotronic, sad, cult classic, serious, realistic
Similar in 87%
Volcano (1997)
Plot Summary:
An earthquake shatters a peaceful Los Angeles morning and opens a fissure deep into the earth, causing lava to start bubbling up. As a volcano begins forming in the La Brea Tar Pits, the director of the city's emergency management service, Mike Roark, working with geologist Amy Barnes, must then use every resource in the city to try and stop the volcano from consuming Los Angeles.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 81000
Genere: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: exciting, suspense, intense, suspenseful, apocalyptic, breathtaking, cult classic, action adventure, serious, realistic
Similar in 78%
Category 6: Day of Destruction (2004)
Plot Summary:
Three tornadoes converge to wreak havoc on Chicago, disrupting the power grid and creating the worst super-storm in history: a category 6 twister.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 175 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, suspenseful, apocalyptic, disaster movie
Similar in 82%
Firequake (2014)
Plot Summary:
Promethean Kinetics has created Helios, a revolutionary clean coal energy source so powerful it rivals the force of the sun and will solve the energy crisis. But when certain governments start cutting safety measures required by Helios, the highly-explosive product begins to seep deep below the Earth's crust, producing giant blasts of fire and violent earthquakes above the surface. As cities shake and oceans boil, Eve Adams, creator of the Helios technology, rushes to investigate the subterranean phenomenon. As the situation becomes ever more dire, she is the only one who can save mankind, not to mention reputation.
IMDB Rating: 3.1
IMDB Votes: 520
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: tense, exciting, suspense, suspenseful, disturbing, disaster movie
Similar in 77%
End of the World (2013)
Plot Summary:
In End of the World, the fate of humanity lies in the hands of two guys who run a video rental store and are “sci-fi obsessed” movie fans. And who better to save the world, than guys who have seen all the movies and all the “out there” ways to save it!?.
IMDB Rating: 4.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: exciting, suspenseful, semi serious, psychotronic, apocalyptic, offbeat, humorous, disaster movie