Top 10 Movie Explosions

With Autobots and Decepticons exploding everything in sight in Transformers: Dark of the Moon we decided to take a look back at the very best explosions in cinema history…

10. Swordfish

An explosion that slows down, everything in the movie moves in slow motion. Apart from the camera which moves around the scene capturing cars bouncing, people being thrown through the air by the blast and all the destruction. A breathtaking piece of cinema art that will leave anyone scratching their head wondering how it was done.

9. The Italian Job

‘You’re only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!’ They didn’t – they blew the whole van up in spectacular fashion. An explosion that has become as iconic in movie history as the line that accompanies it.

8. V For Vendetta

Accomplishing what Guy Fawkes didn’t quite manage, the spectacular fireworks-filled demolition of a landmark which had became a symbol of oppression is mesmerizing. Watching the clock tower that houses Big Ben explode is shocking and beautiful at the same time. The fireworks that then spill from make you want to make amazed noises like a child at a fireworks display.

7. Lucky Number Slevin

Blowing up the apartment of a major gang lord’s son is always going to be impressive. What makes this all the more impressive is Bruce Willis’s grin as he walks away with Josh Hartnet, proving cool guys don’t look at explosions.

6. Fight Club

Ending. As Jack and Marla, hand in hand, look out of the window at the destruction of the credit card towers a sense of freedom can be felt. It is a somewhat romantic scene with The Pixies’s ‘Where is My Mind’ playing. Just think – everyone’s credit going back to zero and no more debt. The destruction and music sum up the movie perfectly.

5. Independence Day

An alien spaceship looms over the White House. A beam of light comes down from it. Boom! In spectacular fashion the White House explodes into millions of splinters and flames. An amazing visual effect that caused quite a stir when the movie was released.

4. Mission Impossible

A helicopter in a subway? That was never going to end well. Lucky for Tom Cruise though, the helicopter’s rotor blades and flames miss him by inches. An amazing bit of cinematic special effects.

3. Armageddon

An asteroid smashing into the planet is always going to be a spectacular feat of special effects. Other movies have tried but Armageddon seems to capture the point of impact better than any. Dust, water and rock flying and rippling all around the planet – and that’s after Bruce Willis has destroyed the huge one that could have destroyed the planet! With a huge explosion it is no wonder it was directed by Michael Bay.

2. Star Wars – Episode IV: A New Hope

How can this not make it into a list of amazing explosions? The destruction of the Death Star – everything about it is breathtaking. From the X-wing fight that precedes it to the short pause in the music to allow the audience to feel the magnitude of it. Who would have thought some fireworks in a papier-mache Death Star would look so amazing?

1. Inception

Fruit, buildings, newspapers – everything in the street blowing up as Leonardo DeCaprio and Ellen Page sit calmly talking about how dreams can be manipulated. A spectacular feat of cinema wizardry.