Top 10 Real Explosion Scenes in Movies

“Apocalypse Now” (1979)

While certainly a masterpiece, “Apocalypse Now” is infamous for its grueling production. Francis Coppola does everything for real, and that includes blowing up a forest. In one of the movie’s most iconic scenes, Bill Kilgore orders a napalm strike on a tree line, and the order is carried out by a number of jets. The explosion is a powerful and realistic depiction of the horrors of war, with massive flames erupting into the sky and thick black smoke billowing out from the lush greenery. Kilgore loves the smell of napalm in the morning, and we love the way it translates onto film. The scene is undeniably horrific, but that explosion is a work of cinematic mastery.

“The Bridge on the River Kwai” (1957)

This classic war drama from David Lean features a stunning bridge destruction that is still considered one of the greatest explosions ever captured on film. In the famous climax of the story, Colonel Nicholson blows the titular bridge, sending a train careening into the river below. The climactic boom was no small feat; it required careful coordination with special effects teams who blew the massive bridge and sent a real train off of it. Despite being half a century old, this explosion is every bit as awe-inspiring as it was in 1957. Such is the power of doing it for real.

“Police Story 2” (1988)

When it comes to Jackie Chan films, most of the attention goes towards the legendary star and his eye-popping stunts. He got to shine in the first “Police Story,” famously sliding down a metal pole covered in lights. Chan lets the special effects team shine in “Police Story 2,” and they create a magnificent explosion that destroys an entire building. The fireworks factory goes up, and Jackie Chan barely makes it out in time before the entire structure erupts in a gigantic fireball. The scale of this explosion is tremendous, with the flames dwarfing Chan who is running in the foreground. The exploding fireworks add even more magic to an already magical moment.

“Speed” (1994)

The premise is so simple but so genius - a city bus is rigged to explode if it goes under fifty miles an hour, and a cop tries to stop it. Endless shenanigans ensue. Keanu Reeves’ Jack Traven successfully gets everyone off the bus, but not in disarming the bomb. After he and Annie escape the bus, it collides into an airplane, and both go up in a jaw-dropping explosion that sends flaming debris across the tarmac. Everyone is left with their mouths open, and we don’t blame them. They could have filmed this scene using miniatures, but nope - it was done for real at Mojave Airport using a decommissioned cargo plane filled with explosives. Nothing beats the real thing.

“Spectre” (2015)

By 2015, CGI explosions were becoming increasingly common. But the James Bond franchise has a history of doing things for real, and “Spectre” honored that tradition. Bond battles his way through Blofeld’s secret lair, dispatching goons and shooting a few gas lines. After making his great escape, he and Swann watch from above as the entire lair explodes in a colossal boom. This scene was shot for real in Morocco using 24 explosive charges and over 8,000 liters of kerosene! The result was gloriously captured in one take, and it now holds the Guinness World Record for the largest explosion in movie history. Just imagine if one of them sneezed…

“Oppenheimer” (2023)

Everyone was waiting for it, and it did not disappoint. Like the Bond franchise, Christopher Nolan has a penchant for doing things for real, like when he crashed a real plane through a building for “Tenet.” While he obviously wasn’t going to film a real nuclear explosion, we were all curious how he would capture the famous Trinity test in “Oppenheimer.” He did so using a combination of miniatures, forced perspective, and a metric ton of explosives, all of which went off in the New Mexico desert. The result is positively nightmarish - and undeniably spectacular.

“Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope” (1977)

George Lucas made various controversial changes to the original “Star Wars” in the contentious Special Edition. This included modifying one of the most iconic explosions in all of cinema. Shortly after the missiles enter that super convenient exhaust port, the Death Star goes up in a huge blast and a shower of brilliant sparks. This explosion was achieved using a model, pyrotechnics, and other practical techniques pioneered by Lucas and his talented team at Industrial Light & Magic. Unfortunately, this famous boom was altered for the 1997 Special Edition, with Lucas adding a CGI ring that radiates out from the explosion.

“Mad Max: Fury Road” (2015)

Released in 2015, this fourth entry in the “Mad Max” franchise received acclaim for its action sequences, with many fans and critics noting its reliance on practical effects. This included blowing up a real tanker, the magnificent results of which can be seen in the movie’s thrilling climax. Having taken one of the massive poles, Max swings in front of the tanker just as it explodes in a huge eruption of flame and smoke. The scale of this blast is spectacular, and seeing it on the big screen is an absolute must. Unsurprisingly, this explosion was done for real, with the special effects team blowing a remote-controlled tanker with over 1,000 liters of fuel.

“Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (1991)

James Cameron is a director with a brilliant imagination - and the budgets to see them brought to life, as demonstrated through the ship crash in “Aliens.” In the famous climax of “Terminator 2,” the gang breaks into Cyberdyne, steals some vital components of the original Terminator, and blows the office to smithereens. If it looks like James Cameron actually blew up a building, well, that’s because he did. The exteriors of Cyberdyne were filmed at an abandoned office complex in San Jose. As the complex was scheduled for demolition anyway, Cameron thought he would have some fun before it went down. So, he and his team rigged the building with explosives and captured the impressive results on camera.

“Independence Day” (1996)

Roland Emmerich’s masterpiece was released on the cusp of CGI, yet it contains the most brilliant practical explosions ever captured on screen. Everyone knows the scene - the UFOs rain blue beams onto famous landmarks, destroying the White House, the Empire State Building, and the U.S. Bank Tower. All of this was done practically, with the special effects team building miniature buildings and entire city streets, then blowing them sky-high with explosive charges. Add in some fancy camera work, and you have yourself an iconic piece of blockbuster moviemaking.