Having a blast: 23 of the best movie explosions of all time
Celebrate July 4 with our list commemorating the fine cinematic art of blowing stuff up—including the Death Star, the White House, and a bus
Film Features Michael Bay
We try our best, here at The A.V. Club, to let nuance and subtlety shine through in everything we do. As we contemplate the grand body of the great beast that is Cinema, for instance, we endeavor to do so with our minds and our hearts both open and engaged, the better for the poetry of Film Transcendent to filter through our souls.
We attempt to pursue this thoughtful and engaged endeavor 364 days out of the year—365 on leap years.
Today, however, is July 4. American Independence Day. And so we’ve foresworn those loftier ambitions—just for a day, we swear!—in favor of the basest, most beautiful pleasure in all of movie-going: Watching shit blow up. And in that gleefully pyrotechnic spirit, we present to you 23 of the best explosions in all of movie-dom—the real stuff, too, with a minimum of CGI. Because for more than a century, filmmakers have come together to blow up cars, buildings, miniatures, and more, and it’s never not one of the best things you can do with a camera, thanks to a huge number of incredibly talented professionals, and the deep and inescapable human urge to destroy something and then go “Oooh.” So shut your brain off, follow along, and we promise to show you an enormous amount of cool shit blowing up.
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So many Bond’s and not the greatest blow-up of them all?
I am also fond of the Stark Tech demonstration with Tony posturing in the foreground from Iron Man. Mostly because it’s also a great bit of character building.
Missing option! Scanners : Head blows up
Lol, indeed. Happy 4th!
Classic!
My introduction to Michael Ironside, who has never let me down since.
Krypton’s explosion in the first Reeve movie is pretty cool too. Esp with those little tiny balls exploding on camera.
I’m a big fan of the ones where it looks like the actor is right in the thick of it.
Such a cool scene from a cool fucking movie.
That car explosion is pure Python – especially the policeman getting his notebook out.
The Other Guys“I have soft tissue damage!”
1ReplyFurioser and FurioserWilliam Hughes7/04/23 8:24pmMichael Bay: ‘The Big Bang is the official biggest explosion? Gotta top that!’ (Ends universe making next Transformers movie.)ReplyRonnieBarzelWilliam Hughes7/04/23 4:23pmAs “slobs-versus-snobs stories with explosions set to the 1812 Overture” go, V for Vendetta is certainly no Caddyshack.ReplyJerk Gently, Hole-istic DetectiveWilliam Hughes7/05/23 7:51amNot sure why this list starts with a clip titled “plane blows up” that does not feature a plane blowing up.ReplyRisingson CarlosWilliam Hughes7/05/23 4:37amSorry, the perfect recreation of the Carrero Blanco bomb in Gillo Pontecorvo’s “Ogro” should be here. ReplyLoad more comments
My two favorite explosions are both in Return of the Jedi: The shield generator complex explosion (I love how it happens in three stages; first the building entry, then the dish, then the entire surrounding forest), and the Death Star reactor collapse (with the Millennium Falcon in the foreground, and the explosion just expanding into this gargantuan fireball in a fraction of a second).The slow-motion destruction of the surface of Jedha in Rogue One is also particularly great. Gareth Edwards really has a talent for depicting colossal scale. The trailer for his next movie (The Creator) looks fantastic, visually, but I’m already annoyed that it’s about AI trying to kill us all.
Yeah the combination of the Jedha blast followed by getting to really see Vader at his most badass makes the ending to Rogue One an all-timer in the Star Wars franchise.
This list covers a wide range of explosive spectacles. It’s a great reminder of the power of visual effects and how they can enhance the excitement and spectacle of a film. So, if you’re looking for some explosive entertainment this Independence Day, be sure to check out these unforgettable movie moments! https://postfity.com/
Given that the old version of the Death Star explosion is included in the slideshow, I want to take a moment to mention the original version of the expanding ring effect that was reused for the SW: ANH Special Editon.
Star Trek VI’s destruction of the Klingon moon of Praxis and its subsquent cosmic shockwave. Still an incredible visual and I don’t think it’s been better applied since. Talk about starting a movie off with a bang.
Don’t forget about the Big E exploding in STIII.
YES! That should totally have made the list.
The Death Star Explosion in Return is IMO more exciting, with Wedge and the Falcon blasting out of the interior right as the explosion is taking place (and the latter looking like it’s being shot out of a cannon).
I agree, particularly the flames licking at the Millenium Falcon and the blast nearly overtaking them as they come out. It helps that it comes at the end of the Greatest Space Battle ever put to film. For me nothing has ever matched it it terms of excitement and sheer technical prowess. To make a sequence like that using analogue methods just boggles the mind.
But really what I wanted to point out was the use of the expanding ring shockwave effect that has been kind of overused afterwards. ST VII did it first and ILM reused it for both Death Stars in the Special Editions, but I think Trek did it best.
Yeah the tracking shot (if you want to call it that) from the front as the Falcon and x-wing reenter the tunnel from the interior of the Death Star is a masterful practical shot.
As “slobs-versus-snobs stories with explosions set to the 1812 Overture” go, V for Vendetta is certainly no Caddyshack.
The Other Guys“I have soft tissue damage!”
“I NEED AN MRI! I…NEED…AN…M…R…I…!”
I feel like Threads deserves a mention just because of sheer terror value.
For your consideration, the fireworks factory scene from Naked Gun.
Michael Bay: ‘The Big Bang is the official biggest explosion? Gotta top that!’ (Ends universe making next Transformers movie.)
MADE IT MA! TOP OF THE WORLD!DON’T OPEN THAT CASE!!
Robert Aldrich, such an underrated visionary, Raoul Walsh, such a canonical then for some reason forgotten visionary as well. These guys enjoyed storytelling and it showed.
How did you leave out Demolition Man? They blew up an entire building for the shot? At the time it was the single largest explosion created for a movie.
Sorry, the perfect recreation of the Carrero Blanco bomb in Gillo Pontecorvo’s “Ogro” should be here.
Not sure why this list starts with a clip titled “plane blows up” that does not feature a plane blowing up.
A couple of others: the office assault from the Matrix, and the nailbomb in Swordfish.
Pretty solid list. I do have to ask if the line about T2 being more “metal” than any metal song was throwing a bit of shade at Adam Jones –lead guitarist for Tool who used to work for Stan Winston, including T2.
this article on the AV Club really brings the fireworks for July 4th! It’s a blast to relive some of the most epic movie explosions captured on the big screen. Explosions have always been a staple in action films, and this compilation does a great job of showcasing some iconic moments. https://simplified.com/ai-letter-writer/