The Hurricanes That Rocked Hollywood: Wildest Cyclone Movies
https://climate-crisis-247-bucket.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/07204947/7018311-150x150.jpgHurricanes have a long history in Hollywood. As special effects extravaganzas, hurricanes can dazzle audiences, and act as compelling villains in man vs. nature storylines.
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The first major hurricane film was “The Hurricane” from 1937, whose climax features a hurricane generated with practical effects like miniatures, wind machines, and water tanks. While films like “The Perfect Storm” and “Hours” are conventional disaster movies, films like “Key Largo” use hurricanes to trap their main characters into what is more of an intimate drama. Others, like “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” use hurricanes as myth to tell a story about resilience and imagination. As Hurricane Erin kicks off the 2025 hurricane season, we compiled the 10 best movies with hurricanes.
To determine the best movies with hurricanes, Climate Crisis 247 reviewed data on audience and critical reception from IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes. Movies with hurricanes were ranked based on an index constituted of IMDb user rating, Rotten Tomatoes audience score, and Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score. All data is current as of August 2025.
9. The Hurricane (1937)
- IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (2,350 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 67% (250 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: N/A
- Directed by: John Ford
8. 2012 (2009)
- IMDb user rating: 5.8/10 (363,790 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 47% (508,463 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 39% (247 reviews)
- Directed by: Roland Emmerich
7. The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
- IMDb user rating: 6.4/10 (429,136 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 50% (32,749,429 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 45% (221 reviews)
- Directed by: Roland Emmerich
6. The Perfect Storm (2000)
- IMDb user rating: 6.5/10 (170,090 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 63% (279,249 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 47% (135 reviews)
- Directed by: Wolfgang Petersen
5. Hours (2013)
- IMDb user rating: 6.4/10 (29,053 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 60% (18,433 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 61% (33 reviews)
- Directed by: Eric Heisserer
4. Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)
- IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (82,136 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 76% (39,374 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (207 reviews)
- Directed by: Benh Zeitlin
3. The Impossible (2012)
- IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (226,654 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (49,422 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81% (202 reviews)
- Directed by: J.A. Bayona
2. Key Largo (1948)
- IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (38,974 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (12,041 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (35 reviews)
- Directed by: John Huston
1. Jurassic Park (1993)
- IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (909,321 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (1,071,829 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (130 reviews)
- Directed by: Steven Spielberg
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