Eco-disasters, caught on film!

By Jevon Phillips, Patrick Day, and Deborah Netburn, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers

On Earth Day, we look at a handful of eco-centric films in which characters do battle and or lose the war against Mother Nature.

Whether natural, man-made, or otherworldly, insolent humans have to take into account how we affect and react to the environment around us. Or else.

The Day After Tomorrow (2004)

Eco-disaster: Global warming (or cooling) / greenhouse gases melting the ice cap

Solution: None. Dennis Quaid, as a paleoclimatologist, predicts the events, but doesn't think they'll happen for years. Arctic storms hit New York, tornadoes toss L.A. -- there was no stopping 'momma.' The president's message at the end of the film about respecting Mother Nature addressed the issues, but there was nothing that could be done.

Pictured: Jake Gyllenhaal