We count down great movies about dangerous weather…
This week, INTO THE STORM is released in Irish cinemas. As one may expect from the title, the film is about the humans left in the path of a dangerous super storm. Seeing as we get such an abundance of weather in Ireland – which means we are obviously well-equipped to complain about it – we decided to take a look at the movies starring the biggest force on the planet; the weather…
CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS
Could you imagine turning the Irish rain into a storm of milkshake, tea or – even better – whiskey? Well that’s the dream of young Flint Lockwood – perhaps without the alcohol – who creates a machine that turns weather into food. CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS focuses on the zany happenings when Flint’s machine goes out of control and is not only a film with a huge heart, it also stars Neil Patrick Harris as the best talking monkey ever to hit our screens.
THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW
Climate change kicks off a new Ice Age, and the humans are – of course – right in the path of disaster. Jack Hall (Denis Quaid) must make a trek across the treacherous weather ridden world to save his son, as the residents of New York hunker down in the face of violent and dangerous storms. Roland Emmerich’s film may not have been the most realistic – or had a great tagline – but on the trek to work in the midst of an Irish winter, who hasn’t felt like Dennis Quaid on his voyage?
THE PERFECT STORM
Based on a true story, THE PERFECT STORM is the story of three fishermen – played by George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg and John C. Reilly – who set out to the fishing grounds of the North Atlantic. Two weeks later a storm formed, the like of which had never been seen, trapping the tiny commercial fishing vessel in its midst. Director Wolfgang Petersen is no stranger to making disaster movies – with POSEIDON and OUTBREAK also under his belt – but the fact that THE PERFECT STORM is based on a true story does tug at the heartstrings, and the storm is realistically and terrifyingly rendered.
2012
Another Roland Emmerich film to add to the list; 2012 plays on the idea that the world was supposed to end two years ago. Released in 2009, 2012 tells the story of a struggling writer who must keep his family together when the apocalyptic shifting of the Earth’s plates leads to earthquakes and meg atsunamis that wash over the face of the planet.
Emmerich generally has a good time with disaster movies, and although the premise of 2012 is superbly silly, and the film suffers from a dodgy script, it is a visual thrill ride.
AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH
In 2006, former Vice President of the US Al Gore released a documentary aimed at educating people about global warming. Although this is not a disaster movie, it is certainly one about the weather, as Gore takes the audience through the causes of super storms like Hurricane Katrina, and the future consequences of climate change.
AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH won the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 2006, and is now used in school science curricula all around the world.
Honourable mentions to: TYPHOON, HARD RAIN and THE ICE STORM
INTO THE STORM is released in Irish cinemas on August 22nd.
Words: Brogen Hayes