Chart-Topping Netflix Disaster Thriller Divides Audiences

Disaster movies used to be all the rage. Back in the 1990s, movie theaters were chock full of one disaster epic after another. Armageddon was a sensation, Independence Day remains an annual watch for many, and both Tommy Lee Jones and Pierce Brosnan duked it out with killer volcanoes in Volcano and Dante’s Peak respectively. Disaster movies used to be the juggernauts for groundbreaking special effects and scale. If you wanted to see big explosions and entire cityscapes crumble, there was no better subgenre. 

In the years since, especially with the proliferation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and its many destructive tendencies (The Avengers’ final battle would cost an estimated $160 billion to repair), disaster movies have fallen by the wayside. Something like Moonfall is the exception now, not the norm. Low-budget offerings have tried, often successfully, to break into the market, and curiously enough, Norway has been among the best. Roar Uthaug’s The Wave and sequel The Quake are among the best disaster movies ever made. Now, a new miniseries from Norway is looking to cash in on the burgeoning trend, and it’s now ascended to the top spot on Netflix while doing so. 

Per Netflix: Anders Baasmo (Kon-Tiki) stars as Fredrik, a father who desperately tries to protect his family during the largest tsunami in history.

La Palma is currently one of the most-watched series on Netflix, and it even took the #1 spot for more than a week since it premiered in December. The series, spanning just four episodes, has been a sensation. The success is all the more remarkable given that the series isn’t in the English language. While the titular island of La Palma is a real place—and one of the most active volcanic ridges in the world—the story itself is entirely fictional. 

Despite the success, reviews have been mixed. On Rotten Tomatoes, audiences have rated La Palma a paltry 30%. Online, the response has been a bit more positive. You can check out some choice social media reactions below: 

I’m watching La Palma on Netflix, and Sara is so f-ing annoying. What do you mean you want to sacrifice your family over a girl you literally met 2 minutes ago!?!? pic.twitter.com/FoHiKFA7ui

— Richard ???️‍? (@RichardJG_) December 15, 2024

Little Miss Sara in Netflix’s La Palma series has really done nothing but piss me off for the entire show.

— K (@outofsightqueen) December 17, 2024

I was watching this movie “La Palma” on Netflix. By the end of the movie, I was rooting for the Tsunami.

— Lg (@LgAFC49) December 18, 2024

Watched La Palma on Netflix last night. A miniseries about an immortal Norwegian family who, apparently unaware of their immortality spend the duration of a natural disaster trying their hardest to kill themselves. Some gorgeous money shots and Korean cinema levels of melodrama.

— Digital Suicide (@DigitalSuicide5) December 17, 2024

So basically La Palma on Netflix has completely destroyed the tourist industry .because I know for damn sure I certainly will never go there #lapalmanetflix

— Lesley K (@Lesleykmakeup) December 17, 2024

Hey, at least it seems you can stream La Palma and rest easy knowing you’d have a better chance of surviving than its leads. If you’ve watched it, however, I want to know about it. How does it compare to other disaster series on the streamer? Is there a new wave (pun intended) of disaster movies coming our way? Let me know over on Twitter @Chadiscollins. 

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