consider this your guide for surviving
the end of the world welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’re counting
down our picks for the top ten disaster
movie cliches news like this got out
there have been overnight breakdown on
basic social services worldwide rioting
mass religious hysteria total chaos you
could imagine for this list we’re taking
a look at tropes that keep popping up
and blowing up in disaster movies number
10 the New York destruction scene
two more have been spotted over the
Atlantic once moving toward New York the
other side of this direction most
disaster movies are set in a major US
city but New York is traditionally the
go to setting the Big Apple is often
viewed as a beacon of hope where dreams
can come true
watching it get destroyed by a natural
disaster or a giant monster makes us all
feel like the American dream has died
we’re talking about a storm of biblical
proportions Matt if they are not stopped
we could be talking about unprecedented
devastation in the heart of New York’s
the fact that New York is populated by
millions of people also means there’s
never any shortage of panicking crowds
running for their lives
still exactly how many more times do we
have to see the Statue of Liberty gets
demolished give her a break
number nine the cutaways to carnage the
world as we know it will soon come to an
end
while New York is the primary locale for
disaster movies sometimes the film will
focus on global pandemonium in this case
we’ll briefly cut away from our main
characters to see what’s going on in the
rest of the world all over the place
Mokey’s a breach of the atmosphere from
Finland down the North American seaboard
this montage of sorts will often focus
on people running away from the same
disaster it just goes to show that the
nations of the world may have their
differences but when aliens invade or
the Earth’s core stops spinning we can
all find common ground unless of course
you are a conniving coward in which case
it’s every man for himself
it’s okay on
I can’t build on yes you can I can do
this alone number eight the divorced
couple so what now
now we rebuild hey kids are you upset
that your parents are getting a divorce
don’t worry all you got to do is wait
for an apocalypse to happen what don’t
hang up
David how did you get this number that’s
sure to bring mom and dad back together
at least according to movie logic know
what I think we’ve seen enough
many disaster movies focus on a father
who redeems himself in the eyes of his
ex-wife and children by saving them from
the end of the world daddy can we go
back home well we talked about that
we’re gonna find a new home out here
somewhere if there’s an evil stepdad or
new boyfriend in the mix
have no fear an earthquake or sharknado
we’ll get him out of the way even if the
stepdad is a fairly decent guy he’s
still dead no matter what number seven
the pets survived it’s weird isn’t it
when millions of random people are
killed on screen audiences usually don’t
even bat an eye
if even one random animal bites the
dust’ though everybody loses their minds
this particularly applies to dogs which
are arguably the most adorable and loyal
animals on earth
hang on seven
seeing something so cute and cuddly died
can feel like a cheap shot thus it’s a
common role in disaster movies that
innocent pets have to make it out okay
can I will do sure he can be your dog
too like thanks the whole human race may
go extinct but the important thing is
that boomer will live number six the old
person sacrifice in the same vein as
pets nobody wants to watch a young
person meet their untimely end either
grace I know I promised you I was coming
home I don’t under understand looks like
I’m gonna have to break that promise if
the person is old enough to apply for
senior citizenship status however we
typically have no problem shrugging
their demise off oh damn
every group of survivors needs an old
person to sacrifice him or herself in
the final act in most cases it’s
somebody full of regret that’s trying to
compensate for past mistakes they find
their ultimate purpose in life through
martyrdom while their days are numbered
from the get-go at least they’ll be
remembered as heroes
Oh
number five the hero scientist he’s
Akash you groupie no shut up Herman I
don’t love them okay I study them you
can’t have a disaster movie without the
token nerdy guy who spouts exposition
and technical jargon in the beginning
the kaiju attacks were spaced by 24
weeks then twelve then six then every
two weeks the science in question
however never makes any sense whatsoever
in various cases though the scientist
will get upgraded from dorky comedic
relief to the hero who saves the day I
don’t know how helpful I can be
sometimes the hero scientist is an
unlikely badass other times the hero
scientist is Matthew Broderick the
radiation isn’t an anomaly it’s the clue
even if this archetype is hit or miss
it’s encouraging to know that brain is
more powerful than brawn as long as you
don’t get blown up
mankind survived the last ice age we’re
certainly capable of surviving this one
number four those stupid higher-ups
earlier today our military base in Guam
was attacked by this guy Galaga how do
you know when the end of the world is on
the horizon
you think more people would see it
coming you have got to evacuate the west
side just thinking
in disaster movies however only one guy
on the planet knows what’s going on
eventually it will shut down when that
occurs there goes our warm climate he’ll
try to warn the higher-ups about the
impending doom during a conference the
big bad government will rarely listen to
them though neglecting to evacuate
cities or take the necessary precautions
listen Paul get the hell out of there
before it’s too late ok by the time the
higher-ups finally realize the error of
their ways it’s too late
millions of lives have already been lost
your jobs to figure out when this is all
gonna fall apart
number 3 the protagonists survive
against all logic I couldn’t breathe
unless you’re a villain or the noble
sacrifice in a disaster movie you’re
pretty much guaranteed to make it out in
one piece Sam Brody was checked into the
Oakland Coliseum shelter an hour ago he
is safe doesn’t matter if you spend the
whole flick getting chased by kaiju
drifting through outer space or
confronting fatal storms you’re gonna
survive against all logic with nothing
more than a couple of cuts on your
forehead and some dirt on your cheeks
a shark could swallow somebody whole and
they’d still be perfectly fine
so the next time disaster strikes kick
back and keep it real do you always have
to do things the hard way
number two the President’s speech my
fellow Americans this will be the last
time I dress you when tragedy hits we
often look to our world leaders for
words of comfort and inspiration these
past few weeks have left us all with a
profound sense of humility in the face
of nature’s destructive power when the
President of the United States has a
small or substantial role in a disaster
movie you can count on him to address
the nation at some point today
none of us estranges today we are one
family stepping into the darkness
together perhaps the most famous example
is Bill Pullman’s rousing speech in
Independence Day the fourth of July will
no longer be known as an American
holiday sure it’s corny and silly but
you’d have to be made of stone for his
words to not get you pumped to save the
world from annihilation
we will not finish without
we’re going to live on we’re going to
survive today we celebrate our
Independence Day even when they deliver
bad news like Morgan Freeman and deep
impact movie presidents can still make
us feel united and hopeful other
countries are preparing similar caves
along whatever lines they feel are best
to preserve their way of life this is
hours before we get to our top pick here
are some honorable mentions
Oh what the hell were you thinking
number one the destruction of world
landmarks what is that the state of have
I not good that is not in any disaster
movie you’re bound to see at least one
world landmark crumble to the ground
team America has once again pissed off
the entire world after blowing up half
of Cairo could be the White House could
be the Eiffel Tower or the Great Pyramid
no iconic structure is safe seeing these
landmarks get blown up makes it truly
feel like doomsday has arrived just want
to tell her when they’re doomed
while it’s distressing for our heroes to
watch it’s also motivation to keep going
and survive even if the world may be
reduced to a smoky wasteland by the end
ha ha ha ha
do you agree with our list oh that’s
right – boy what’s your favorite
disaster film cliche
for more entertaining top 10s published
every day be sure to subscribe to
watchmojo.com sure I think we can not
take care of some of that
the end of the world welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’re counting
down our picks for the top ten disaster
movie cliches news like this got out
there have been overnight breakdown on
basic social services worldwide rioting
mass religious hysteria total chaos you
could imagine for this list we’re taking
a look at tropes that keep popping up
and blowing up in disaster movies number
10 the New York destruction scene
two more have been spotted over the
Atlantic once moving toward New York the
other side of this direction most
disaster movies are set in a major US
city but New York is traditionally the
go to setting the Big Apple is often
viewed as a beacon of hope where dreams
can come true
watching it get destroyed by a natural
disaster or a giant monster makes us all
feel like the American dream has died
we’re talking about a storm of biblical
proportions Matt if they are not stopped
we could be talking about unprecedented
devastation in the heart of New York’s
the fact that New York is populated by
millions of people also means there’s
never any shortage of panicking crowds
running for their lives
still exactly how many more times do we
have to see the Statue of Liberty gets
demolished give her a break
number nine the cutaways to carnage the
world as we know it will soon come to an
end
while New York is the primary locale for
disaster movies sometimes the film will
focus on global pandemonium in this case
we’ll briefly cut away from our main
characters to see what’s going on in the
rest of the world all over the place
Mokey’s a breach of the atmosphere from
Finland down the North American seaboard
this montage of sorts will often focus
on people running away from the same
disaster it just goes to show that the
nations of the world may have their
differences but when aliens invade or
the Earth’s core stops spinning we can
all find common ground unless of course
you are a conniving coward in which case
it’s every man for himself
it’s okay on
I can’t build on yes you can I can do
this alone number eight the divorced
couple so what now
now we rebuild hey kids are you upset
that your parents are getting a divorce
don’t worry all you got to do is wait
for an apocalypse to happen what don’t
hang up
David how did you get this number that’s
sure to bring mom and dad back together
at least according to movie logic know
what I think we’ve seen enough
many disaster movies focus on a father
who redeems himself in the eyes of his
ex-wife and children by saving them from
the end of the world daddy can we go
back home well we talked about that
we’re gonna find a new home out here
somewhere if there’s an evil stepdad or
new boyfriend in the mix
have no fear an earthquake or sharknado
we’ll get him out of the way even if the
stepdad is a fairly decent guy he’s
still dead no matter what number seven
the pets survived it’s weird isn’t it
when millions of random people are
killed on screen audiences usually don’t
even bat an eye
if even one random animal bites the
dust’ though everybody loses their minds
this particularly applies to dogs which
are arguably the most adorable and loyal
animals on earth
hang on seven
seeing something so cute and cuddly died
can feel like a cheap shot thus it’s a
common role in disaster movies that
innocent pets have to make it out okay
can I will do sure he can be your dog
too like thanks the whole human race may
go extinct but the important thing is
that boomer will live number six the old
person sacrifice in the same vein as
pets nobody wants to watch a young
person meet their untimely end either
grace I know I promised you I was coming
home I don’t under understand looks like
I’m gonna have to break that promise if
the person is old enough to apply for
senior citizenship status however we
typically have no problem shrugging
their demise off oh damn
every group of survivors needs an old
person to sacrifice him or herself in
the final act in most cases it’s
somebody full of regret that’s trying to
compensate for past mistakes they find
their ultimate purpose in life through
martyrdom while their days are numbered
from the get-go at least they’ll be
remembered as heroes
Oh
number five the hero scientist he’s
Akash you groupie no shut up Herman I
don’t love them okay I study them you
can’t have a disaster movie without the
token nerdy guy who spouts exposition
and technical jargon in the beginning
the kaiju attacks were spaced by 24
weeks then twelve then six then every
two weeks the science in question
however never makes any sense whatsoever
in various cases though the scientist
will get upgraded from dorky comedic
relief to the hero who saves the day I
don’t know how helpful I can be
sometimes the hero scientist is an
unlikely badass other times the hero
scientist is Matthew Broderick the
radiation isn’t an anomaly it’s the clue
even if this archetype is hit or miss
it’s encouraging to know that brain is
more powerful than brawn as long as you
don’t get blown up
mankind survived the last ice age we’re
certainly capable of surviving this one
number four those stupid higher-ups
earlier today our military base in Guam
was attacked by this guy Galaga how do
you know when the end of the world is on
the horizon
you think more people would see it
coming you have got to evacuate the west
side just thinking
in disaster movies however only one guy
on the planet knows what’s going on
eventually it will shut down when that
occurs there goes our warm climate he’ll
try to warn the higher-ups about the
impending doom during a conference the
big bad government will rarely listen to
them though neglecting to evacuate
cities or take the necessary precautions
listen Paul get the hell out of there
before it’s too late ok by the time the
higher-ups finally realize the error of
their ways it’s too late
millions of lives have already been lost
your jobs to figure out when this is all
gonna fall apart
number 3 the protagonists survive
against all logic I couldn’t breathe
unless you’re a villain or the noble
sacrifice in a disaster movie you’re
pretty much guaranteed to make it out in
one piece Sam Brody was checked into the
Oakland Coliseum shelter an hour ago he
is safe doesn’t matter if you spend the
whole flick getting chased by kaiju
drifting through outer space or
confronting fatal storms you’re gonna
survive against all logic with nothing
more than a couple of cuts on your
forehead and some dirt on your cheeks
a shark could swallow somebody whole and
they’d still be perfectly fine
so the next time disaster strikes kick
back and keep it real do you always have
to do things the hard way
number two the President’s speech my
fellow Americans this will be the last
time I dress you when tragedy hits we
often look to our world leaders for
words of comfort and inspiration these
past few weeks have left us all with a
profound sense of humility in the face
of nature’s destructive power when the
President of the United States has a
small or substantial role in a disaster
movie you can count on him to address
the nation at some point today
none of us estranges today we are one
family stepping into the darkness
together perhaps the most famous example
is Bill Pullman’s rousing speech in
Independence Day the fourth of July will
no longer be known as an American
holiday sure it’s corny and silly but
you’d have to be made of stone for his
words to not get you pumped to save the
world from annihilation
we will not finish without
we’re going to live on we’re going to
survive today we celebrate our
Independence Day even when they deliver
bad news like Morgan Freeman and deep
impact movie presidents can still make
us feel united and hopeful other
countries are preparing similar caves
along whatever lines they feel are best
to preserve their way of life this is
hours before we get to our top pick here
are some honorable mentions
Oh what the hell were you thinking
number one the destruction of world
landmarks what is that the state of have
I not good that is not in any disaster
movie you’re bound to see at least one
world landmark crumble to the ground
team America has once again pissed off
the entire world after blowing up half
of Cairo could be the White House could
be the Eiffel Tower or the Great Pyramid
no iconic structure is safe seeing these
landmarks get blown up makes it truly
feel like doomsday has arrived just want
to tell her when they’re doomed
while it’s distressing for our heroes to
watch it’s also motivation to keep going
and survive even if the world may be
reduced to a smoky wasteland by the end
ha ha ha ha
do you agree with our list oh that’s
right – boy what’s your favorite
disaster film cliche
for more entertaining top 10s published
every day be sure to subscribe to
watchmojo.com sure I think we can not
take care of some of that
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