Top 20 Most Epic Modern Movie Moments

“Logan” (2017)

Talk about going down swinging! Wolverine’s 2017 swansong, “Logan,” fittingly sees the renegade X-Man go out in a final animalistic rage of epic proportions! In a climactic scene, he needs to save his newly discovered daughter, Laura. With his mutant body all but deteriorating, Logan injects himself with a dangerous serum to elevate his weakened powers. This gives him the necessary fury to take on the pursuing mercenaries and his lethal clone. Wolverine and Laura are able to slice, dice, and shoot their way to a brutal victory. Of course, it’s not without a cost. Let’s just say we’re glad Logan got in this last bit of beast mode bonding before meeting his ultimate end.

“1917” (2019)

A harrowing achievement in filmmaking, Sam Mendes’ “1917” offers up quite the awe-inspiring addition to the wartime genre of movies. To enhance the plot’s ticking-clock of suspense, Mendes uses a “real-time” approach to the proceedings. He makes the film look and feel like one continuous shot. It’s this bit of technical ingenuity that makes the film’s climax all the more epic. When British lance-corporal Schofield has to run across a volatile battlefield in a desperate attempt to deliver a lifesaving message, he must dodge everything from incoming explosions to charging soldiers. After months of rehearsals and two days of filming, the results speak for themselves. Even an unintentional tumble from the actor only adds to the remarkable impact of the scene!

“The Shining” (1980)

By the end of Stanley Kubrick’s chilling adaptation of “The Shining,” writer Jack Torrance has a seriously bad case of “all work and no play.” Driven to madness by the supernatural-infested Overlook hotel, the disturbed daddy dearest goes on a terrifying hunt… with his very family serving as his prey. Wielding a menacing fire axe, Jack tracks his wife to a locked bathroom. With a series of forceful strikes and a peek through the resulting hole, the family patriarch lets out a twisted take on a phrase straight from the pop culture lexicon. But he's not exactly playing a talk show host welcoming a guest to his stage. Jack’s greeting led to an epic moment full of sinister intentions!

“Spider-Man 2” (2004)

Within his tangled web of reboots and sequels, Peter’s version of our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man has spun out his fair share of memorable onscreen occurrences. One of his most epic moments takes place in the wall crawler’s second big-screen outing. Spidey engages in a daring battle atop a moving train with his mentor-gone-mad, Doctor Octopus. During the fight, Peter learns the demented doc has destroyed the vehicle’s brakes. Spider-Man gallantly puts himself in front of the runaway automotive and uses everything he has to bring it to a halt. His draining heroics don’t go unappreciated. Not only do the saved passengers carry our collapsed hero to safety, but they restore his anonymity. We think a certain Uncle Ben would be proud!

“Kill Bill: Vol. 1” (2003)

As the saying goes – “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” Let Quentin Tarnation’s “Kill Bill” serve as the ultimate example. Four years after being double-crossed and left for dead, Uma Therman’s “The Bride” awakens from a coma and sets out on a violent journey of revenge. The reborn assassin quickly tracks her first target, O’Ren Ishii, to the House of the Blue Leaves. But the Bride discovers that the entirety of O’Ren’s personal army, The Crazy 88, stands in her way! What follows is an epic battle featuring one woman cutting down waves of opponents. By the end of the battle, our victorious heroine lets what’s left of the survivors go home before she heads to another epic fight.

“Back to the Future” (1985)

Movie climaxes don’t get much more electrifying than this one! In the beloved sci-fi blockbuster “Back to the Future,” Doc Brown’s time-traveling experiment sends California teen, Marty McFly, into the bygone 1950s. Not only does he have to preserve his very existence in the past by ensuring his teenage parents fall in love, but he must travel back to the present to save Doc. The key to his return is a documented lightning strike set to take place at the local courthouse clock tower. Since a blast from the storm is the only way to power the DeLorean time machine, this scene becomes the ultimate race against time in order to catch cinemas' most EPIC bolt of lightning!

“Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith” (2005)

Ok, we admit George Lucas’ trio of Star Wars prequels is rather divisive. But there’s no denying that they featured a handful of standout moments. The most epic of them all takes place when Anakin Skywalker, the newly apprenticed Sith Lord clashes with his former Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Surrounded by lava on the planet Mustafar, the fight between former friends gets intense rather quickly. When Obi-Wan managed to get the high ground, it looked like the duel was over. But the future Dark Lord attempts to continue the duel. This leads to Anakin suffering a major defeat at Obi-Wan’s hands. Fortunately for us, this battle paved the way for an epic Darth Vader moment in another prequel film, “Rogue One”.

“Mission: Impossible – Fallout” (2018)

Tom Cruise has A LOT of amazing stunts under his belt. But he arguably topped them all in "Mission: Impossible – Fallout"! The epic sequence occurs after Cruise’s Ethan Hunt decides to enter Paris undetected by performing a HALO jump out of a plane. You know, just your average high-altitude/free fall/low-open skydive! The jump looks questionable when Hunt spots an incoming lightning storm. But his CIA associate August Walker insists on jumping despite the warning. When he takes the leap, Ethan has no choice but to go after him. From there, we get a spectacular free fall that gets more dangerous when the two are struck by lightning. Knowing Cruise actually jumped out of a plane makes the scene even more epic.

“Inception” (2010)

If there is one director you can count on to consistently leave you awestruck, it’s Christopher Nolan. His 2010 sci-fi offering, “Inception,” is definitely no exception. The most astonishing sequence in the film comes in the form of a particular hallway fight. During an elaborate attempt to infiltrate a powerful businessman’s subconscious in a multi-layered dream, things go sideways for a team of cerebral thieves. A man named Arthur gets stuck in a dream layer that loses its gravity. This paving the way for a highly mesmerizing skirmish in a rotating hotel corridor. It’s an incredibly twisty sight, made all the more impressive knowing it was entirely accomplished by practical means. Our brains haven’t been the same since!

“Mad Max: Fury Road” (2015)

With near non-stop motorized mayhem throughout, “Mad Max: Fury Road” stands as quite the adrenaline-fueled spectacle. Thirty years after the last film, the post-apocalyptic action franchise got a welcome shot in the arm with George Miller’s follow-up film. The best moment in this cornucopia of full-throttle thrills arrives when an ominous wasteland storm blows in. It’s here that our hero, chained to the hood of a car, is taken on a wild ride in pursuit of the large War Rig. Once in the blinding red sandstorm, Max does everything he can to stay alive. The vehicle he’s chained to is utterly wrecked during the mayhem. We guess you can say the intensity in this sequence was turned up to the max!

“Saving Private Ryan” (1998)

Unflinching, and utterly horrifying, “Saving Private Ryan’s” opening battle scene at Omaha Beach was praised for its epic authenticity immediately upon its release. The scene would go on to influence just about every wartime film that succeeded it. From the moment the infamous beachside storming begins, we bear witness to an up-close and personal blitzkrieg of devastation. Seen from the point of view of Tom Hanks’ Captain John H Miller, the scene serves as a sobering reminder of the horrors of war. It’s one thing to read about such things in a history textbook, but another to bear witness to the devastation by way of sheer unrelenting realism!

“Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981)

The opening moments of Indiana Jones’ inaugural franchise film introduces audiences to one of cinema’s most iconic characters while enthralling them in the process. It’s here that our archeologist/adventurer extraordinaire attempts to steal a Golden Idol artifact. While doing so, he unwittingly triggers a set of booby-traps. The most threatening of them all is a giant boulder made for the purposes of rolling destruction. This, of course, leads to the near fedora-flattening chase we are all so very familiar with. It’s one that other films would go on to spoof profusely. If this wasn’t the most epic way to present Indy to the world, then we don’t know what is!

“Pulp Fiction” (1994)

How do you make the dialogue in a Quentin Tarantino movie more epic? You just make sure it’s delivered by Samuel L. Jackson. And there’s no better example of this than in the pop culture touchstone that is “Pulp Fiction.” The film, which tells interweaving stories of different Los Angeles residents, features a pair of unlawful hitmen portrayed by John Travolta and Sam Jackson. When the duo runs roughshod over a helpless victim in search of information, a truly memorable exchange goes down. After his questions are met with a series of “what” replies, Jackson’s character snaps and dares his victim to say the word one more time. Jackson’s brash delivery turned this interrogation into a legendary scene and a reliable meme.

“Jurassic Park” (1993)

“Jurassic Park” will forever be the film that made us wish dinosaurs could truly be resurrected… only to have us quickly change our minds immediately. The dino-destruction in this Steven Spielberg franchise-starter was more than enough proof of how dangerous such a colossal act could be. It all starts when the film’s traitorous computer programmer deactivates the park’s security system in order to gain access to an off-limits embryo storage room. In doing so, he also cuts power to the outside tour vehicles and the dinosaur’s electrified barriers. This dough-brained act allows a Tyrannosaurus rex to escape and inflict all manner of havoc on the trapped humans. But is also creating one of cinema's most heart-pounding sequences in the process.

“The Dark Knight” (2008)

When Heath Ledger was cast as the Joker in Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight,” fans were skeptical. But all doubt was quickly erased thanks to an epic opening sequence. During the scene, we learn that Joker convinced his masked cronies to off one another throughout a daring robbery at a mob bank. In the end, it’s revealed that he’s the last thief standing. Ledger’s Joker proved just how insanely fearless and cunning he was. Expertly shot by Nolan, the scene perfectly laid the groundwork for the unpredictability that was to follow. As for Joker, his ruthlessness would only grow stronger and stranger thanks to a series of exceedingly disturbing acts. Need we remind you of the many storytimes dedicated to how he got his scars?

“Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (1991)

Thanks to an abundance of high-octane action, “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” still stands as a seminal sci-fi blockbuster! Among the abundance of explosive scenes, the daring chase through the San Fernando Valley proves to be particularly intense. With John Connor in his crosshairs, the T-1000 uses a semi-truck to plow his way towards his dirt-bike riding target, John Connor. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s terminator trails the predator and prey in a Harley Davidson. With metal crunching destruction, a breathtaking motorcycle jump, and one heck of a fiery finish, it’s safe to say this scene delivered an adrenaline rush. T2’s epic-ness wasn’t limited to action scenes though. The film concludes with a surprisingly touching self-sacrifice from Arnie’s cybernetic android. Thumbs up indeed!

“Avengers: Endgame” (2019)

In “Avengers: Infinity War,” Thanos delivered an unthinkable universe-altering snap. This left fans waiting with bated breath to see if the countless “dusted” victims, including many of our favorite heroes, would have their fates reversed. We’d get our answer around 12 agonizing months later when “Avengers: Endgame” produced a record-breaking finale of epic proportions. It’s here that audiences witnessed such ground-breaking occurrences as Captain America doing the impossible and actually wielding the mighty Mjolnir! But it was the sheer epic-ness of seeing the portals open and our beloved heroes return to fight a Thanos that sent many theaters into raucous applause. Movie moments just don’t get more crowd-pleasing than this!

“The Matrix” (1999)

When the Wachowskis unleashed “The Matrix” upon the world at the close of the ’90s, not only did it leave a big impression on audiences, but it also influenced the entire movie industry! A big part of that impact, of course, stemmed from the epic on-screen display of the “bullet time” technique. This technique would later be copied in a barrage of future Hollywood films. Without question, the most notable example of this legendary action sequence takes place when Keanu Reeves’s Neo faces down the Agent on a building rooftop. Neo stunningly dodges an onslaught of bullets by bending his body in unnatural ways in slow motion. It’s the type of sequence that makes you sit up and say “whoa!”