10.'Mission: Impossible' (1996)
The tunnel scene
People complained that Brian De Palma's update of the classic espionage
series lacked action. Strange that for a film whose climax sees a
helicopter chase a high-speed train through a tunnel before the
exploding in massive fireball.
====================
9. 'Forrest Gump' (1994)
In the Marines
While 'Forrest Gump' will never be remembered as a classic war film, it
showed us the grim reality of warfare when a handful of fellow soldiers are
obliterated next to Forrest in the jungles of Vietnam.
===================
8. 'Shooter' (2007)
The house on the hill
It may have been only a mediocre film, but there’s a house that blows up
in the film that is worth the price of admission. If you didn’t catch this one
in the theatre with full THX sound, you definitely missed out. Why were
they blowing up a house?
===================================
7. 'War of the Worlds' (2005)
The victims of the aliens guns
The second teaming of Stephen Spielberg and Tom Cruise promised more
action after their more cerebral first pairing, Minority Report. The
reworking of HG Wells' classic certainly delivers in the scene when the
alien tripods start vaporising all and sundry.
===========================================
6. 'The Rock' (1996)
Alcatraz
Nicolas Cage has to save San Francisco from stolen VX gas, and what
better way than incinerating the entire island of Alcatraz. And thanks to
Michael Bay’s action scene prowess, we see it go up in a fireball.
==========================================
5. 'V for Vendetta' (2005)
Parliament
No surprise really a film featuring an anti hero who hides behind a Guy
Fawkes mask and that begins with the explosion of the Old Bailey features
highly on this list. For its climax the film's protagonist, V, goes one better
than Fawkes and actually raises the Houses of Parliament to the ground
============================================
4. 'Armageddon' (1998)
France
There were rumours that there were several versions of this scene shot
for international audiences, i.e. in the French release London was
destroyed etc. These turned out to be false and instead the whole world
got to watch/enjoy Paris being levelled by a meteor shower.
============================================
3. 'Independence Day' (1996)
Everywhere else in the U.S.
Yet another film where nasty aliens invade Earth and promptly blow up
pretty much everything. The scenes of destruction rained upon the US in
Roland Emmerich's hit still make an impact today more than ten years
later, especially the moment when the White House is obliterated.
==========================================
2. 'Transformers' (2007)
The Qatar Air Force Base
The king of explosions, Michael Bay, has to make do with second place
with the opener to 2007's smash hit. The demolition of the Air Force Base
in Qatar set the tone for the rest of the film loud, brash and entertaining
==========================================
1. 'Star Wars' (1977)
The Death Star Destruction
George Lucas's classic tops yet another poll, this time for the scene
where Luke "uses the force" to destroy the Empire's evil planet-destroying
space station. Once again Lucas was well ahead of curve with
his visual effects and if you didn't jump out your seat the
first time you saw it, you obviously have no soul.
