Cyclone

Cyclone

Year: 1978

Runtime: 118 mins

Language: English

Director: René Cardona Jr.

Horror

After a violent storm forces an airplane to crash into the sea, a handful of survivors cling to a small tour boat. Stranded under relentless sun with scarce food and water, desperation drives them to cannibalism. Just as rescue aircraft arrive, ferocious sharks circle, turning the rescue into a lethal showdown.

Warning: spoilers below!

Haven’t seen Cyclone yet? This summary contains major spoilers. Bookmark the page, watch the movie, and come back for the full breakdown. If you're ready, scroll on and relive the story!

Timeline & Setting – Cyclone (1978)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Cyclone (1978). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Caribbean Sea, off the coast of Mexico

The action unfolds in the Caribbean Sea along the Mexican coast, where calm waters give way to a deadly cyclone. The setting shifts from a coastal locale to a storm-wracked open sea, with wreckage drifting between fishing boats and a tour boat. The tropical sea environment becomes a crucible for survival, followed by the appearance of sharks drawn to the dead and wreckage.

🌊 Sea 🏝️ Tropical coast 🐟 Maritime life

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:29

Main Characters – Cyclone (1978)

Meet the key characters of Cyclone (1978), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Taylor (Lionel Stander)

A selfish passenger from the crashed plane who tries to hoard water and impose his will on others. His actions reveal the moral corrosion that can surface under extreme scarcity, and he ultimately meets a grisly end when sharks attack the wreckage.

🧭 Selfish 🗺️ Survivor ⚖️ Morality

Pitorro (Mario Almada)

Captain of the fishing trawler who emerges as a practical leader among the survivors. He organizes the use of lifeboats and pursues rescue options, acting as a stabilizing force in a chaos-driven situation.

⚓ Leader 🪝 Resourceful 🌊 Survival

Sheila (Carroll Baker)

A tourist among the group of survivors who endures the storm and its aftermath. She navigates the shifting social dynamics and the dwindling supplies as the group fights to stay alive.

🏝️ Survivor 🧭 Resilience 🍞 Food scarcity

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:29

Major Themes – Cyclone (1978)

Explore the central themes of Cyclone (1978), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🌪️ Disaster

A powerful cyclone upends the travelers' plans and forces rapid adaptation to a life-or-death scenario. Resources shrink quickly while danger remains constant, highlighting how fragile safety can be in a storm-torn world. The narrative uses the disaster as a lens on human behavior under pressure, exposing both cooperation and brutality.

🧭 Leadership

Crises test who takes charge and how decisions shape survival. Pitorro, the trawler's captain, coordinates efforts toward safety and rescue, while others struggle with fear and ego. The contrast between pragmatic leadership and self-serving behavior drives much of the film's tension and group dynamics.

🦈 Mortality

As food and water run out, death becomes a constant presence aboard the drifting craft. Sharks are drawn to the wreckage and claim life, underscoring the ruthlessness of nature. The birth of a baby offers a rare glimmer of hope amid the losses, reinforcing the fragile line between despair and survival.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:29

Mobile App Preview

Coming soon on iOS and Android

The Plot Explained Mobile App

From blockbusters to hidden gems — dive into movie stories anytime, anywhere. Save your favorites, discover plots faster, and never miss a twist again.

Sign up to be the first to know when we launch. Your email stays private — always.

Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Survival Morality Movies like Cyclone

Stories where desperate circumstances force civilized people to confront their darkest instincts.If you liked the grim descent into cannibalism in Cyclone, explore more movies about survival morality. These stories feature characters stranded or isolated, facing desperate circumstances that test their humanity. Find similar films about the psychological toll of extreme survival and the loss of civilized behavior.

desperatebrutaloppressivesuspensefulanxioussurvivalistgrimclaustrophobic

Narrative Summary

These narratives typically begin with a catastrophic event that isolates a group. As resources dwindle and hope fades, internal conflicts escalate, leading to a breakdown of social order. The story chronicles the characters' moral descent, often culminating in acts they would have previously found unthinkable, set against a backdrop of relentless external threats.

Why These Movies?

Movies in this thread are united by their dark tone, heavy emotional weight, and focus on the theme of moral decay under pressure. They share a steady, methodical pacing that allows the tension and desperation to build authentically, creating a consistently oppressive and thought-provoking atmosphere.

Nature's Wrath Horror Movies like Cyclone

Films where characters are pitted against an unforgiving and brutal natural world.Fans of Cyclone's shark attacks and violent storm will enjoy these nature's wrath movies. This list features stories where survival hinges against brutal natural disasters or deadly animal attacks. Discover similar high-intensity horror films about being trapped and hunted by an unforgiving environment.

suspensefulanxiousbrutaloppressivedesperateclaustrophobicgrimsurvivalist

Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern involves characters being thrust into a hostile environment—often the open sea, a desert, or a wilderness—by a disaster. They are then systematically hunted or worn down by natural elements or predators. The structure is a series of escalating threats where rescue is tantalizingly close but constantly thwarted, emphasizing humanity's vulnerability.

Why These Movies?

These films are grouped by their high intensity, dark tone, and focus on survival against elemental forces. They share a suspenseful, anxious mood and often a bittersweet or bleak ending feel, where survival comes at a great cost. The pacing is typically steady, building tension relentlessly toward a final, lethal confrontation.

Unlock the Full Story of Cyclone

Don't stop at just watching — explore Cyclone in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Cyclone is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Cyclone Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Cyclone, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Cyclone Summary

Cyclone Timeline

Track the full timeline of Cyclone with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Cyclone Timeline

Cyclone Spoiler-Free Summary

Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of Cyclone that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.

Cyclone Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Cyclone

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Cyclone: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About Cyclone

Similar Movies to Cyclone

Discover movies like Cyclone that share similar genres, themes, and storytelling elements. Whether you’re drawn to the atmosphere, character arcs, or plot structure, these curated recommendations will help you explore more films you’ll love.