More than 100 films (and a few TV programs) have referenced climate change over the decades, even if the issue just makes a cameo. To compile the ultimate list of cli-fi films, I started with a list of 100 such films that Washington Post opinion graphics reporter Amanda Shendruk and I identified in summer 2023. I added movies identified in Climate Reality On-Screen and Climate Reality Check reports.
Checkmarks refer to the Climate Reality Check, which was applied to the 250 most popular films of 2013-2022. One check means climate exists in story world of film; two checks means a character knows it. Titles marked “AA” passed the Climate Reality Check performed on films nominated for the 2024 Academy Awards.
- Our Man Flint (1966)
- No Blade of Grass (1970)
- Soylent Green (1973)
- Day of the Animals (1977)
- The Noah’s Ark Principle (1984)
- Do the Right Thing (1989)
- Split Second (1992)
- The Fire Next Time (1993)
- Waterworld (1995)
- The American President (1995)
- Twister (1996)
- The Arrival (1996)
- AI (2001)
- The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
- Category 6: Day of Destruction (2004)
- Category 7: The End of the World (2005)
- Absolute Zero (2006)
- The Last Winter (2006)
- Tornado (2006)
- Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006)
- Flood (2007)
- The Simpsons Movie (2007)
- Lost City Raiders (2008)
- NYC Tornado Terror (2008)
- Storm Cell (2008)
- The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)
- Half-Life (2008)
- The Road (2009)
- The Storm (2009)
- The Thaw (2009)
- Beyond the Pole (2009)
- Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)
- Arctic Blast (2010)
- A Glaring Emission (2010)
- Ice 2020 (2011)
- Happy Feet 2 (2011)
- Take Shelter (2011)
- Christmas Twister (2012)
- Seattle Superstorm (2012)
- Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)
- Future Weather (2012)
- 500 MPH Storm (2013)
- Category 8 (2013)
- The Colony (2013)
- The East (2013)
- Night Moves (2013)
- Pacific Rim (2013) √√
- Sharknado (2013)
- Snowpiercer (2013)√
- Amazing Spiderman 2 (2014) √√
- Interstellar (2014) √
- Into the Storm (2014)
- Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014) √√
- The Last Survivors (2014)
- Noah (2014)
- The Rover (2014)
- Sharknado: The Second One (2014)
- The Young Ones (2014)
- Chloe & Theo (2015)
- Fantastic Four (2015) √√
- Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
- Maze Runner: Scorch Trials (2015) √√
- Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! (2015)
- Tomorrowland (2015)
- Sharknado: The 4th Awakens (2016)
- Blade Runner 2049 (2017) √
- Downsizing (2017)
- First Reformed (2017)
- Geostorm (2017)
- Happy Death Day (2017) √√
- The Humanity Bureau (2017)
- Justice League – Theatrical Cut (2017) √√
- Mother’s Day (2017)
- MFKZ (2017)
- Sharknado 5: Global Swarming (2017)
- Aquaman (2018) √√
- Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
- The Hurricane Heist (2018)
- The Predator (2018)
- Venom (2018) √√
- Woman at War (2018)
- Arctic Dogs (2019)
- Avengers: Endgame (2019)
- Frozen II (2019)
- Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
- Hobbs & Shaw (2019) √√
- Long Shot (2019)
- Marriage Story (2019) √√
- Midsommar (2019) √√
- Parasite (2019) √
- Pokemon: Detective Pikachu (2019) √√
- Spiderman: Far From Home (2019)
- V-Wars (2019)
- Weathering with You (2019)
- 2067 (2020)
- Apocalypse of Ice (2020)
- Deep Blue Sea 3 (2020)
- The Head (2020)
- The Hunt (2020) √√
- Tenet (2020) √√
- CODA (2021) √
- Don’t Look Up (2021) √√
- Eternals (2021) √√
- Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) √√
- The Guilty (2021) √
- Reminiscence (2021)
- The Tomorrow War (2021) √√
- Voyagers (2021)
- Wrath of Man (2021) √√
- Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021) √√
- Alcarras (2022)
- The Batman (2022) √
- Glass Onion (2022) √√
- How to Blow Up a Pipeline (2022)
- Jurassic World Dominion (2022) √√
- Strange World (2022)
- Triangle of Sadness (2022) √
- Vesper (2022)
- Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)
- Barbie (2023) AA √√
- Extrapolations (2023)
- Jung_E (2023)
- MI: Dead Reckoning, Pt.1 (2023) AA √√
- Nyad (2023) AA √√
We help millions of people understand climate change and what to do about it. Help us reach even more people like you.
