Tornado movies come in all shapes, sizes, and colors; it isn’t always about tugging at your heartstrings or the thrill. There’s room for perseverance, acts of courage and sacrifice, and even comedy. Some are deeply personal stories, while others step back for the big picture. Regardless of the message, tornado movies show that Earth can be a very scary place and yet the human race faces the dangers head on. Here are the 10 best tornado movies that will surely blow you away to the next county over.
Twister (1996)
Starring Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton—who starred in Alien—Twister follows a group of storm chasers doing what they do best: putting their lives in danger for the sake of gathering information. Peel back the adrenaline rush of the chase and the very real threat of tornadoes and what you find is a married couple trying to weather the storm of an oncoming divorce.
While Twister features devastating scenes of destruction, it’s the characters and their mission that are placed front and center, especially Jo Harding’s motivation. Seeing her father killed by a tornado at a young age put her on the path of being a meteorologist hell-bent on learning as much as she can to help others. Definitely worth a watch if you need a good cry.
Take Shelter (2011)
Curtis and Samantha (played by Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain, respectively) are a happily married couple living life as well as they can with their deaf daughter, Hannah. Unfortunately, life takes a turn for the worst as the dynamic between Samantha and Curtis starts to shift. It’s there, between Curtis and Samantha, that Take Shelter puts a unique spin on the nature of tornadoes.
Instead of focusing on the destructive nature of natural disasters, Take Shelter tells the story of a paranoid husband and his growing worry of an oncoming storm he swears will come. Michael Shannon’s performance as a loving father is so endearing that, in a messed up kind of way, you want him to feel vindicated.
Where Was God? (2014)
No dramatization or fiction required—Where Was God? isn’t based on anything other than reality. On May 20, 2013, an F5 tornado caused catastrophic damage to Moore, Oklahoma that equaled eight atomic bombs, claiming the lives of two dozen people and injuring over 200. In this documentary, the survivors are given an opportunity to share their story.
Where Was God? isn’t just a documentary meant to tug at your heartstrings, though it does plenty of that (unless you’re a robot), but to document hope, perseverance, and as a beacon of inspiration for others. It’s also surprisingly informative about the natural disaster, how first-responders react in said situations, and the aftermath.
Tornado! (1996)
Tornado! and Twister might share a few lingering plot threads, mainly the tornado-predicting machine, but the former has something the latter doesn’t: Bruce Campbell, who plays the role of Jake Thorne. Alongside Dr. Joe Branson (played by Ernie Hudson), the pair attempt to convince government officials to fund Branson’s tornado-predicting machine.