Tackling heavy and often controversial topics is no easy feat; Hollywood has struggled many times with successfully depicting the climate crisis. The subject is often mishandled or downright ignored completely when it comes to fiction films, despite many well-executed documentaries proving it can be done. That’s why it’s so refreshing when filmmakers actually get the climate crisis right, with impressive results. The release of Adam McKay’s Netflix hit Don’t Look Up is dividing critics, showing that the subject can certainly be addressed.
Updated August 31, 2022: If you love movies about climate change, you’ll be happy to know we’ve updated this article with additional content and entries from the unique subgenre.
Sometimes, it’s addressed successfully and entertainingly. Whether it’s Dennis Quaid fighting against an impending ice age or an alien Keanu Reeves angry at the destruction humans cause, environmental disasters and catastrophes have been an effective go-to trope in Tinsel Town for a while now. With international scientists declaring that “the worst is yet to come,” it’s important to take a look at some of the best movies about climate change.
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14 mother! (2017)
Paramount Pictures
The title of Darren Aronofsky’s 2017 psychological horror film mother! says it all, referring explicitly to ‘Mother Earth.’ Sure, the film’s plot parallels the Bible, but mother! also serves as a deeper allegory to climate change. The story follows a man (Ed Harris) and woman’s (Michelle Pfeiffer) invasion of mother’s (Jennifer Lawrence) and Him’s (Javier Bardem) privacy and violation of their freedom. Their entrance to the latter’s house leads to a chain of chaos, which ultimately ends in death and destruction.
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The movie subtly hints at the disobedient and selfish nature of man and woman by showing how they’re naturally inclined to lie and break rules. Additionally, the entrance of the man and woman’s two sons, a Cain and Abel pairing, evokes more of the overall evilness of mankind. Lawrence even confirmed the climate change tie-in during an interview with The Telegraph, stating that the film “depicts the rape and torment of Mother Earth.”
13 Soylent Green (1973)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
One of the earliest and most prominent films to tackle the terrifying realities of climate change was the 1973 ecological dystopian thriller Soylent Green, which takes place in an extremely overpopulated New York City in 2022 (sounds familiar). The classic film depicts the world as a nearly uninhabitable place due to the greenhouse effect; resources are almost non-existent, the oceans are dying, and food sources are scarce, resulting in a horrifying food solution that famously featured the final jaw-dropping line.
Charlton Heston starred (and Edward G. Robinson co-starred, in his final film) in the unnerving sci-fi and horror hybrid, which was based on author Harry Harrison’s 1966 novel Make Room! Make Room!, appearing as a determined detective who uncovers the nefarious deeds carried out by the food-making company.
12 Don’t Look Up (2021)
Netflix
Here’s yet another scathing look at current-day politics and culture, brought to you by Adam McKay (The Big Short, Vice). Don’t Look Up mocks how media is addressing the very real threat of looming disaster for planet Earth. Who better to cast as the film’s lead than Leonardo DiCaprio, a real-life advocate of climate change awareness? He plays a science professor alongside Jennifer Lawrence as his younger student; the two are tasked with merely convincing the people in charge of the very obvious evidence that a fast-approaching comet means certain destruction.
The “disaster” centered in McKay’s film is indeed a confirmed metaphor for climate change. Despite the film’s mixed reviews and unnecessarily long runtime, it’s still a hoot to watch the countless A-listers (Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, Jonah Hill, and Tyler Perry, to name only a few) in action as they fumble through life amid the apocalypse.
11 Snowpiercer (2014)
The Weinstein CompanyCJ Entertainment
South Korean master Bong Joon-ho’s post-apocalyptic sci-fi film Snowpiercer takes place aboard the titular train, which travels the globe with what’s left of humanity. After a botched attempt at climate engineering to combat global warming, a new Snowball Earth was created and caused the destruction of most life. Based on the French graphic novel Le Transperceneige by Jacques Lob, Chris Evans stars as one of the lower-class passengers aboard the train who all ultimately rebel against the elite passengers. Snowpiercer’s environmental and sociopolitical message is prevalent throughout the entire film, painting a brutally devastating picture of what could happen to the beloved planet if global warming and massive inequality persist.
10 Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)
Cinereach
Set within a small community on an island in the Louisiana Bayou, Beasts of the Southern Wild tells the tale of six-year-old Hushpuppy as she combats her stubborn father’s failing health and the melting ice caps that flood her beloved home. The girl must find a way to fight back against the changing world around her; with nature rebelling, ice caps melting, and temperatures rising, prehistoric creatures called aurochs (a kind of metaphorical manifestation of climate change) begin to attack.
Beasts of the Southern Wild was met with both critical and commercial acclaim and was nominated for four Academy Awards. The emotionally moving journey of Hushpuppy touched audiences; for her portrayal, Quvenzhané Wallis became the youngest person to ever be nominated for Best Actress, at age 9.
9 The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
Centropolis Entertainment
The Roland Emmerich sci-fi disaster film The Day After Tomorrow depicts catastrophic climatic effects following a disruption of the North Atlantic Ocean circulation. Dennis Quaid stars as a paleoclimatologist making a daring voyage during the catastrophes from Washington, D.C. to New York City in search of his son, played by Jake Gyllenhaal. The father must battle against extreme weather conditions and the pending new ice age on his seemingly futile trek.
The film is actually based on the non-fiction book The Coming Global Superstorm by Art Bell and Whitley Strieber, and was a box office smash. Despite mixed reviews from critics and its scientific inaccuracies, The Day After Tomorrow delivers an important message: human unsustainability is causing irreparable damage to the planet.
8 FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992)
Kroyer Films, Inc.
The animated musical film FernGully: The Last Rainforest is set in a magical Australian rainforest and focuses on a group of fairies who openly embrace a mistakenly shrunken logger. Together, the fairies and animals of the rainforest band together to protect their home from greedy loggers and the wicked Hexxus, a pollution entity. It’s the rare climate film with children as its target audience, preaching the importance of protecting the environment and respecting the land. FernGully: The Last Rainforest also features an impressive voice cast including Robin Williams, Tim Curry, Christian Slater, and Cheech Marin.
7 The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)
3 Arts Entertainment
A loose adaptation of the 1951 film of the same name, 2008’s The Day the Earth Stood Still addresses the issue of mankind’s environmental damage to the planet. The film follows alien Klaatu (played by Keanu Reeves), who is sent to Earth to either change the behavior of humans or eradicate them. The blockbuster flick includes a talented cast, with the aforementioned Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, John Cleese, and Kathy Bates. Despite a less than warm reception, The Day the Earth Stood Still was a box office hit and tackled the topic of climate change passionately, shedding light on the damage humans are doing and delivering an urgent warning.
6 Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)
20th Century Fox
2014’s action-comedy Kingsman: The Secret Service is a more light-hearted approach to the heavy topic of climate change, and centers on Gary “Eggsy” Unwin’s recruitment and training into a secret spy organization. His first major mission is to locate global threat Richmond Valentine, a wealthy narcissist who wants to combat global warming by destroying most of humanity. The highly-praised and commercially successful film features a talented cast including Taron Egerton as Unwin and a delightful Samuel L. Jackson as the villain Valentine. Director Matthew Vaughn did a fantastic job addressing a serious issue with humor, action, and glee.
5 2040 (2019)
Madman Entertainment
Damon Gameau directed and starred the thought-provoking 2019 Australian documentary 2040, which chronicles the creator’s journey around the globe as he searches for innovative solutions to combat climate change in the hopes of providing his four-year-old daughter with a more hopeful future. Gameau interviewed numerous academics and notable ecological experts for the inspiring project and analyzed climate mitigation concepts like renewable energy, regenerative agricultural practices and even seaweed ecosystems, while also detailing the current technological achievements that can play a pivotal role. 2040 was lauded by critics for its uplifting and refreshing message, with the Los Angeles Times writing, “The status quo is unsustainable, and Gameau illustrates that transformative change is not only necessary, but possible.”
4 Princess Mononoke (1997)
Toho
From the genius mind of Studio Ghibli’s Hayao Miyazaki comes Princess Mononoke, a brilliant animated film that follows a young Emishi prince named Ashitaka as he finds himself in the middle of a war between the gods of the forest and the mining colony Tatara. Miyazaki is no stranger to tackling environmental issues, and this visually stunning and deeply poignant tale is no exception. With a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 93%, Princess Mononoke is a powerful declaration on the damage humankind does to its ecology, and what happens when the environment starts fighting back.
3 An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
Lawrence Bender Productions
Former United States Vice President Al Gore wrote 2006’s An Inconvenient Truth to educate people about global warming, and director Davis Guggenheim follows Gore on the lecture circuit in this groundbreaking documentary. The film helped to raise awareness of the not-so-cold realities and dangers of global warming, re-energizing the environmental movement in the process. Gore presented all the vital information through speeches and PowerPoints which analyzed its causes, effects, and potential solutions.
An Inconvenient Truth premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival to critical and commercial success, winning the Best Documentary Feature at the Academy Awards (and at practically every other awards) while also becoming on of the highest-grossing documentaries of all time.
2 Avatar (2009)
From the creative mind of Hollywood heavyweight James Cameron, 2009’s Avatar was an international phenomenon that broke box office records and introduced revolutionary visual effects. The epic sci-fi drama tells the story of a paraplegic Marine who is sent to the moon Pandora on a unique mission, finding himself torn between his loyalty to his home and the new world he’s discovered.
Avatar is set in the mid-22nd century during a time when the Earth is dying, destroyed by global warming, overpopulation, and crumbling ozone. The moon Pandora becomes humanity’s new target and the movie depicts the climate catastrophe it faces from invading human forces. The cinematography and plot are creative and thought-provoking, and Avatar even nabbed three Academy Awards; more than that, the film has literally grossed $3 billion to date, making it more profitable than most individual countries in the world. With more sequels on the way, it’s sure to hold that title.
1 Interstellar (2014)
Paramount Pictures
Prolific director Christopher Nolan is often praised for his metaphysical and epistemological subject matter, and his visionary and boundary-pushing films have grossed more than $5 billion worldwide. No stranger to innovative content, Nolan has become a master of the science fiction genre, with 2014’s Interstellar being one of his most impressive films. Set in a dystopian future where humanity is struggling to survive due to climatic, Dust Bowl-like conditions, the movie follows a group of astronauts in search of a new home for mankind, ultimately traveling through a wormhole to do so.
With an A-list cast including Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, and Michael Caine, Interstellar is a visual and auditory masterpiece that opened to rave reviews. Audiences also couldn’t get enough of the captivating and thrilling sci-fi juggernaut, and it remains one of Nolan’s best films.
