Every Tsunami Movie You Need To Watch – Huge List!

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Welcome to the list. Not just any list. This is the list of the greatest (and not-so-greatest) tsunami movies your eyes can feast on to calm your obsession. Before we get into the movies, though, let’s take a step back and learn a little!

Despite what movies may have led you to believe, tsunamis generally aren’t lone-wolf waves. They’re a series of waves usually created by an undersea earthquake or volcanic eruption.

In open waters, you may not even notice a tsunami traveling under your boat – only when it makes its way closer to land does it start to increase in size.

Their speed is also something to take note of, being able to travel as fast as jet planes close to the origin, only slowing down during landfall.

These are the three worst tsunamis for humans in our recorded history (total deaths):

• July 21, 365 (yes, year 365) – Greece – 300,000 – 500,000 dead
• December 26, 2004 – Indian Ocean – 280,000 dead
• December 28, 1908 – Italy – 123,000 dead

Greece also has records of the earliest tsunami ever noted by humans. It occurred in 479 BC when Persian attackers tried to take advantage of the sudden receding of water, in order to circumvent a cliff. They were met with “a great flood-tide, higher, as the people of the place say, than any one of the many that had been before”.

If you’re interested, you can check out the full list of every recorded tsunami here.

Most Realistic Tsunami

Although we haven’t seen every movie on the list ourselves, many others have. And whilst compiling this list together, there was a recurring notion amongst viewers as to which film contained the most realistic wave. It occurs in The Impossible (2012). 

We recommend leaving it to last, just so you can truly appreciate how good it is.

Real Tsunamis Caught on Tape

With the majority of the modern society now equipped with cameras in their back pocket, most tsunamis in the past decade witness by humans have also been caught on film.

Both the 2004 Boxing Day event and the 2011 tsunami in Japan have been well documented by those on ground zero.

The two clips below show the force at which the wave can hit, and just how unexpected it can be.

There have also been many ‘mini’ tsunamis captured on film around the world as well. ‘lizardvideoz’ from Youtube was kind enough to put together a compilation for us to all enjoy.

Mini-tsunamis can occur from smaller earthquakes or even large ships going down a canal.

And now – here is the list of tsunami movies:

San Andreas

Dwayne Johnson stars in an end-of-the-world type movie after the San Andreas fault line rubs together causing an explosive earthquake. What follows is an action-packed, run-of-the-mill storyline in which he performs some daredevil style stunts in order to save his daughter from the incoming tsunami heading straight for the city.

San Andreas is a great film if you’re looking for something to watch doesn’t require too much focus. The CGI and effects use are what you’d expect today, and the wave hitting the city is definitely up there. Although History vs Hollywood states it’s near impossible for an actual wave to reach as high they depicted.

Trailer

Tsunami Scene

2012

Quite possibly one of the most widely known end-of-the-world movies ever created. 2012 plays a crude joke on all the hype back when some religious groups truly believed the world was going to end in 2012. Most of us are still here in 2017 so that clearly wasn’t the case. This is a type of movie which you either love or hate – there’s no sitting on the fence.

2012 largely focuses on earthquakes and rupturing tectonic plates – throwing the world and it’s people into utter chaos, with the vast majority perishing during the initial disasters. John Cusack, without any sort of training and pure dumb luck, someone manages to escape the treacherous LA and head for China where they’ve secretly been building vessels in preparation.

What comes next is not just any wave – it’s the wave. Although not the most realistic, the tsunami scene in 2012 is definitely one of the most epic. It surpasses mountains, crushes cities, and brings ocean life to places it hasn’t been in millions of years. A must watch if you’re looking for the ultimate wave.

Trailer

Tsunami Scene

The Day After Tomorrow

On par with 2012 – The Day After Tomorrow depicts another version of the world possibly ending, but this time, mother nature reigns down hell from above. Storms so complex and so large that they cover the entire Northern Hemisphere, sending millions upon millions of people flocking to the south. Not all of them make it.

One father, the scientist who alerted the world what was going to happen, finds out his son it trapped in New York with the eye of the storm soon to hit it. He makes the bold move to trek through the blizzard to rescue him. Will he make it in time? Of course he does! This movie gets a happy ending just like the rest. We doubt that’s a surprise for anyone.

The Day After Tomorrow mostly focuses on the storms, and the icy cold temperatures it brings with it. There is one scene, though, and without it, we wouldn’t be talking about it. A super-sized tsunami takes on the Big Apple (New York) and somewhat wins. It brings with it a range of goodies including a freight container ship casually floating down the Manhattan streets.

Trailer

Tsunami Scene

The Impossible

The first, but not the last, on the list to be based on the dramatization of a real tsunami. One of the most recent ones as well – the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami. An earthquake with a magnitude of 9.1-9.3 struck a point in the Indian ocean, releasing an amount of energy so large the wave which followed killed between 230,000-280,000 people living in the coastal regions. This tsunami is the 2nd worst natural disaster of any type, in term of lives lost, since 1900.

The Impossible follows the story of a single family holidaying in Thailand during the disaster. Naomi Watts plays the role of a tough mother while she seeks to find the rest of her family. If you’re looking for one of the most realist tsunami scenes – this is it. Just a heads up, the wave itself hits quite early in the movie with other eye-watering scenes to follow.

It’s received praise from a number of critics including Damon Wise from The Guardian stating:

Part of the appeal of this affecting and powerful drama is that it puts the viewer right in the moment at every stage, using authentic locations and tsunami survivors to hammer home the reality of this tragedy.

Trailer

Tsunami Scene

Tidal Wave

Originally titled Haeundae (a popular beach town for tourists in South Korea), Tidal Wave has won numerous awards from a number of organizations, as well as being nominated for many more. One such award the film was given was the Best Production of the Year in 2009 from the Director’s Cut Awards. It also took home the Best Cinematography from the Korean Association of Film Critics Awards and the Best Director at the Max Movie Awards in 2010. Not bad at all! Check out the full list of awards and nominations for Tidal Wave here.

On to the movie itself – Professor Kim, played by Joong-Hoon Park, is a marine biologist current doing some work in South Korea. His extensive experience with tidal waves has shown him signs of an impending mega tsunami heading straight for the populated beach town of Haeundae. He does all he can to save as many as possible, but the wave still hits. And it hits hard. 

One aspect the movie portrays extremely well is the suspenseful buildup to the tsunami. The realization of all those on the beach, and in the city, that something unbelievably powerful and destructive is heading straight for you. It maintains one of the longest tsunami scenes in any movie, portraying many individual situations in which people are consumed by the wave. Highly recommend you checking this one out.

A comment on Youtube stated the film was far better than some of the Hollywood takes on a tsunami. So if you don’t mind subtitles – this one should jump high up your to-watch list.

Trailer

Tsunami Scene

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JB_P72O0b-Q

Deep Impact

The end of the world is upon us (again). This time, however, it’s coming from outer space in the form of a comet. A crew is tasked with the ultimate responsibility to save the world by traveling to the comet before impact in order to shift its course and/or blow it up into a million pieces. As you can see from the poster, they don’t succeed on all counts.

A comet hits in the Atlantic ocean and sends a wave so high, it absolutely decimates everything in its path. Deep Impact arguably depicts the largest tsunami any movie has ever portrayed. 3,000 feet high, and traveling at a speed only a comet could produce. The wave scene itself is only a small part of the movie, but when it hits, it’s well worth the wait.

What makes Deep Impact one to remember is the story and acting behind the destruction, is actually quite impressive. Meaning you won’t simply be waiting for the world to end and people to die – you’ll enjoy the whole movie!

The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA nominated the movie for the Best Science Fiction Film in 1998. Unfortunately, it just got pipped by the similar end of the world movie, Armageddon. Armageddon doesn’t have a tsunami scene, though, so we politely disagree with the result!

JZeth from IMDB had the following to say:

Deep Impact presents just the opposite: Characters that are notably human, several dovetailed story lines, and it saves the special effects (which are very good) for the movie’s climax

Trailer

Tsunami Scene

The Wave

If there was ever an appropriate name for a tsunami movie, it’s this one. The Wave’s tsunami is unique, though. It doesn’t originate from an earthquake, not from a storm, and not from a comet – so how then? A mountain collapses.

The Wave stands out as it doesn’t focus on destroying the whole world and eclipsing humanity with its destruction, but rather, just a small town in Norway. Don’t let that turn you off, it’s a great film. Of course, being a Norwegian film, you’ll have to watch it with subtitles on if you want to understand anything besides the screaming.

It’s also been nominated for an Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA award – this time for the Best International Film in 2016. It did manage to take home a few trophies, however, for the Best Sound Design and Best Film at the Amanda Awards in 2016.

You’ll find some of the most realistic wave CGI in this film, so if you’ve got a couple hours to spare, watch it. It’s available on Netflix at the moment so get in quick!

Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LF2TEBijpI

Tsunami Scene

See above trailer. The specific tsunami scene isn’t available.

2022 Tsunami

Five years to go until we can confirm whether this one comes true or not! Bets anyone? Re-titled to Deathwave in some parts of the world, letting us know exactly what the premise of the movie is – death and destruction. It plays on the 2004 boxing day Tsunami in Thailand as a few of the others on the list have tried to dramatize themselves. This time, however, the wave hits the Thai gulf and is so big, no one can outrun it.

We had a cheeky giggle when we read the plot summary on IMDB:

But no one predicts the enormity of what is about to rise from the Thai Gulf. And no one can out run it this time. The Death Wave is coming.

 

Trailer

Tsunami Scene

The 5th Wave

The aliens have arrived, and they aren’t here on a friendly mission. Four waves of attacks have left the majority of Earth absolutely decimated – how will Cassie (Chloe Moretz) save her younger brother?

Based on the novel by Rick Yancey released in 2013 under the same name – The 5th Wave – Sony was quick to pick up the film rights and begin production of the movie-adaption. Unfortunately, the film received negative reviews across the board.

One user who left an unkindly review on IMDB had the following to say:

There is nothing interesting about this movie, the story is very flat and everything is predictable. It is filled with illogical decisions and the alien race, who is intelligent enough to come here and rule on landing, has no clue what to do and how to do anything efficiently.

More comments on the trailer and film report the tsunami scene is extremely unrealistic and the CGI used is nowhere near the same level and some of the others on the list.

Of course, production companies are generally more interested in the financial figures rather than the public’s perception. Having grossed $110 million worldwide on a budget of $38 million, they still came out more than $70 million on top. A big success from a monetary perspective.

Trailer

Tsunami Scene

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRuWKR0m9qQ

Tidal Wave: No Escape

This one wasn’t released to the big screens but rather premiered solely on television. One aspect which sets these tidal waves apart, is they aren’t being caused by nature. An evil scientist has somehow developed a way to create them himself! With his new found control over the oceans and it’s potential destructive power, he demands one billion dollars to keep his finger off the trigger.

You can guess, as the budget wasn’t high enough to warrant a big screen release, the CGI and special effects used to visualize the tsunami aren’t the best. The closing paragraph from a review at The Movie Scene spared no details on the quality of the movie:

What this all boils down to is that if you like bad TV movies then you will enjoy “Tidal Wave: No Escape” because it is simply bad. It is basically entertaining for all the wrong reasons from the outrageous story to the dodgy special effects.

Trailer

Tsunami Scene

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7PCz0T54bk

Killer Wave

Not an official movie per se, IMDB titles it as a “TV Mini-Series”, but it’s so in line with the topic of the post, we thought we’d include it anyway. Plus, there are only two episodes with a combined total running time of 2 hours and 55 minutes. Think of it as an extended movie with an intermission at the halfway point.

Similar to Tidal Wave: No Escape, the tsunami’s in this show aren’t the result of natural occurrences – but the sinister concoction of man. Johne (Angus Macfadyen) must find out who is behind the killer waves before they strike again. Clues lead him to believe the destruction caused by the waves may be an incentive for construction companies to support them. Only one way to find out!

We haven’t watched this one ourselves so we checked out the general consensus of a few online reviews. This one pretty much sums them all up perfectly (bar the few who despised it for entering their lives):

Overall, good for a TV movie. Worth watching, but I probably would not watch it a second time. It would be a movie that most family members could watch, although younger viewers are often wanting the special effects and impact of ‘big-budget’ movies.

Trailer

Tsunami Scene

Geostorm

If you’re reading this in early 2017, you’re gonna have to wait a bit longer to catch this one. Geostorm’s only released in cinemas on October 20, 2017, for the USA.

The story is set in the distant future in which the earth’s climate is able to be controlled by highly complex satellites. As all technology eventually does, they start to malfunction and the earth’s climate system is sent into haywire. A single man (Gerard Butler) must head into space to tame the wild satellites with some sleek programming skills.

Before he does, though, the satellites unleash hell on earth by generating huge hurricanes, unheard of thunderstorms, heat waves, hail storms, fire whirls, and of course, tsunamis.

Users who’ve watched the trailer below believe the movie looks like the baby of similar films such as The Day After Tomorrow, Deep Impact, and 2012. Another user writes:

How many times are we going to see 100ft tsunamis wiping out cities?

Seeing as though producers know you love them so much – plenty more!

Keep an eye on this one. Dean Devlin, the director, has also been the producer behind international hits such as Godzilla (1998), Independence Day (1996), and Independence Day: Resurgence (2016).

Trailer

The Abyss

The Abyss – an absolute classic in Sci-Fi movies. With or without tsunamis, we urge you to give this one a shot if you haven’t already. Be warned, it was produced in 1989, so the CGI and graphics won’t be what you’re used to seeing in the 21st century. It has, however, managed to take home an Oscar, six more awards, and it was nominated for another 13. So you know it’s half-good from the Oscar.

In some of the deepest waters on earth, a submarine carrying nuclear contents has been ambushed and subsequently sunk. A crew of Navy SEALs and a pair of formerly married petroleum engineers are tasked with the duty of recovering the sub. Little do they know, something which no human has ever encountered before awaits them in the darkness.

If you are going to give The Abyss a watch, make sure you get your hands on the extended version, and not the theatrical version. Only the extended version has an extra 5-minute scene which features a 1000ft tsunami. The scene was cut from the theatrical version as it was never intended to cross the 135-minute mark in cinemas – forcing James Cameron to cut some scenes. He later added them back in into the full version.

Rooster99 took the words right out of our mouth with his review:

This movie is extremely well made. Make sure you get the original director’s cut, or Special Edition as they are calling it on the DVD. It includes the real ending, along with more than 20 minutes of additional footage. The morons from the studio in Hollywood decided that the public wouldn’t want to see a nearly 3-hour underwater adventure, and forced James Cameron to cut it down and change the ending

Trailer

Tsunami Scene

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOaBKds3HCM

Meteor

As the oldest film on the list, Meteor is a great film to watch if you’re interested in checking out how they implemented special effects to portray tsunamis back in the day. We’ve come unbelievably far since Meteor. But! That doesn’t mean it’s not worth watching at all. At least watch if for the sound – it was nominated for Best Sound at the 1980 Oscars.

Similar to Deep Impact, Meteor is the straight forward – giant pile of space rock heading to Earth and we must blow it up before it wipes humanity from the planet. 

Meteor stands out in the fact the USSR and the US government must combine their weaponry forces together in order to accomplish the task. Will they drop their past differences and agree to use their illegal nuclear weapon satellites for the greater good of the world? We think you already know the answer.

The highest rated review from a non-critic had the following to say:

Don’t let the naysayers in here turn you off from this underrated gem. If “Deep Impact” and “Armageddon” left you wanting, give “Meteor” a try. Sure, it may not be as polished as those two productions, but it has more going for it than you might think.

Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVQrq-TUZIw

Tsunami Scene

Poseidon

You’ve likely already heard of this one – Poseidon is an absolute classic disaster movie. We were torn whether to include it or not, however, as the wave which capsizes the ship isn’t exactly a tsunami, but rather a rogue wave. Rogue waves are waves which are more than twice the size of the waves around it and are extremely unpredictable to forecast. Check out the National Ocean Service for a great overview of the phenomenon.

Before we get flack for including Poseidon – here us out. The main point behind a tsunami movie is to include a  wave of destruction – and Poseidon’s rogue wave is exactly that! A wall of water, heading straight for a fully-booked cruise ship. How will the crew and passengers survive?

Simon Braund from Empire Online had the following to say:

A shot in the arm for the classic disaster movie: awesome effects, nail-biting tension and a cast of characters we don’t want dead after half an hour — even, amazingly, the cute kid.

It isn’t Wolfgang Petersen’s first time filming a disaster movie in the ocean. If you remember – The Perfect Storm from 2000 was also one of his creations. He’s also directed a number of other legendary films including Outbreak (1995), Air Force One (1997), and Troy (2004).

This is one of the best clips we managed to find containing a real life rogue wave. WARNING: Contains swearing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YL2XL17z8Fs

Trailer

Tsunami Scene

Flood

London’s under threat. A storm raging off of England’s east coast has joined forces with seas so high and rough they’ve become a serious threat to the existence of the city. Millions of lives are at stake – will the Thames barriers hold? Or will the impending tsunami crush the city and its inhabitants to mere rubble and dust?

Filming in London took place over a short period of two weeks. The crew then made their way over to South Africa where another 11 weeks of the film was shot. One of the most memorable aspects of the film was its intricate use of CGI and special effects to produce the images of London following the storm.

Flood was nominated for two awards – Best Original Score for Horror/Thriller Film at the International Film Music Critics Award in 2007. And for the Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Film (Jessalyn Gilsig) at the Shanghai International TV Festival in 2008.

Richard Hard shared his opinion over on the IMDB page which many users tended to agree with:

The special effects are impressive but clearly copy scenes we’ve already seen…Flood is worth a watch on a wet Sunday afternoon, it’s certainly not a bad film. Just an unimaginative and forgettable one.

Trailer

Tsunami Scene

Not available.

Disaster Wars: Earthquake vs. Tsunami

This is the Sharknado of tsunami movies. You know those movies which contain an unbearably terrible storyline, predictable beyond belief, and special effects that look like they were first used in the 1930’s? This is that.  It’s so bad, that it’s may just be good – but not good enough to warrant Disaster Wars: Earthquake vs. Tsunami Part 5 as Sharknado has.

Disaster Wars, as you can tell from the conspicuous title, it about pitting one natural disaster against the other in order to save lives. A tsunami is making its way to the east coast of both North and South America having already destroyed the Hawaiian islands. Highly specialized scientists have come up with a solution to let off a bomb in order to dissipate it. It doesn’t work. The tsunami only increases in size.

A young graduate student comes up with an idea, an idea so crazy it just might work. You guessed it. Create a man-made earthquake to counter the tsunami. Will it work? Gotta watch the movie for the answer.

J. H from Boston comes to a different conclusion, urging you to save your time for something else:

I remember saying over and over again…”Are you kidding me”? I had to check the spoiler box, because to describe some of the ridiculous scenes that passed for a movie these days was absolutely necessary in hopes to save the rest of mankind from wasting one second of their precious time to think they might want to watch this.

Trailer

Tsunami Scene

Not available.

Hereafter

If you’re after an awesomely realistic tsunami movie centered around the wave itself, this isn’t it. Hereafter’s storyline focuses on three different individuals with one thing in common – they’ve all experienced a near death situation.

Similar to The Impossible, the tsunami in question is based on the real life 2004 Boxing Day tsunami in Thailand. The films show a mother and her child shopping at the local beachside markets in Phuket when the wave hits. She grabs her daughter and runs for safety, but as we’re all experienced tsunami veterans, we already know – you can’t outrun a tsunami. Get up, get high, and get there quick.

Hereafter hit the screens to mixed reviews from viewers and critics. Many praised the acting whilst other took swipes at the lack of focus on the story itself. It did, however, manage to get nominated for an Oscar, win four more awards, and was further nominated for another 13. Surely this means it’s worth a watch!

A large majority of the top rated comments on Hereafter’s standalone tsunami scene were displeased with the simple fact of how clear the water is. Once user stated it looks like the character was swimming in a pool rather than being swept away by the fierce ocean wave!

Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDnHfQtH0zU

Tsunami Scene