Top 10 Movies That Totally Destroyed London
Evidently, Hollywood loves to lay waste to our capital. But that's okay, it just means we must have plenty of iconic landmarks! Let's take a look at the most prominent examples of when movies gave London a good hiding.
Special thanks to our user WordToTheWes for submitting the idea on our interactive suggestion tool: WatchMojo.comsuggest
#10: “28 Weeks Later” (2007)
Whereas “28 Days Later” showed us an eerily desolate London, “28 Weeks Later” actually displays a London half blown to hell. The US military intervene (obviously) to cleanse the city and its inhabitants of the rage virus the only way they know how - with fire and fury! Fortunately, the destruction solves everything and there’s nothing else to worry about… oh wait. It’s a swift scene, hence why it doesn’t rank higher on the list, but the city sure takes an almighty pasting in this brief sequence.
#9: “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (2009)
In the sixth installment of the “Harry Potter” movie franchise, the Death Eaters take their diabolical deeds beyond the Wizarding World and into the heart of the muggle’s own London, with a dastardly attack on… the Millennium Bridge. As if it wasn’t unstable enough to begin with! Though some might suggest the structure’s been a bit of an eyesore for the Thames since it was built, it’s a destructive act by the darkest of dark wizards nonetheless and makes for quite the spectacle.
#8: “The Lost World” (1925)
Long before the “Jurassic Park” sequel of the same name, this silent classic introduced audiences to a hidden world of living dinosaurs in the Amazon. Things really hit the fan though when a group of explorers bring back an angry Brontosaurus to London, and it inevitably breaks free to run riot through the streets! Eventually, it’s only the beast’s own weight that triggers its downfall, as its huge mass leads to the collapse of Tower Bridge and the prehistoric creature crashes into the river below.
#7: “London Has Fallen” (2016)
After wreaking havoc on the White House in “Olympus Has Fallen” this sequel takes it up several notches, with terrorists targeting an entire city this time round. It’s never too long until a building, bridge, or vehicle is getting blown into smithereens. However, despite the obvious terrorist threat, this movie is clearly intended as a double dose of all-action fun and shouldn’t be taken too seriously. Sure, there’s all manner of ruthless killing, but as long as Gerard Butler can keep the President from harm, the day will be saved!
#6: “Flood” (2007)
If you ever want to scare anyone into caring for the environment, show them this! The carnage is off the charts for London here, as a colossal water surge overcomes the Thames barrier, flooding the city and annihilating everything in its path! The special effects may be a bit shoddy – it isn’t exactly a large-scale Hollywood blockbuster – but budgets aside, the images of the capital being consumed by a force of sheer nature are still harrowing to see and even more horrific to imagine ever becoming a reality!
#5: “The Mummy” (2017)
There’s a whole lot of impressive buildings in London… which means a whole lot of windows… which of course means a whole lot of glass to be converted back into sand by an evil Mummy, who uses it to create an epic sandstorm to lay waste to the city with! Alongside everything else, it’s relatively refreshing to see London monuments being attacked by sand as opposed to simply being blown up. Plus, it offers an excuse for Tom Cruise to run really fast, which is always a bonus!
#4: “V for Vendetta” (2005)
We’re back to blowing up London landmarks, but if it has to be done, it might as well be done in style! And for a good cause! It makes a change for the good guy to be the one behind the mayhem, let alone to be labelled as a terrorist… But when you’re going up against a fascist, tyrannical Government, you get a pass. The Old Bailey is the first to go boom courtesy of this film’s protagonist, while the action eventually concludes with an explosion of Parliament itself!
#3: “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” (2013)
Forgot targeting iconic attractions, why not simply wipe an entire metropolis off the map? That’s what Cobra pull off in the “G.I. Joe” sequel, using a missile fired from a satellite in space that effectively acts as a giant bullet. All the damage of a nuclear bomb, but without the pesky nuclear fallout. What’s curious, however, is despite the fact that this would be the biggest terror attack in the history of forever, it’s all portrayed in a very nonchalant manner, with the incident never even being brought up again afterwards.
#2: “Reign of Fire” (2002)
Before Dragons were running (or should that be flying) rampage in Westeros on “Game of Thrones,” they were setting London ablaze in 2002’s “Reign of Fire.” And these aren’t creatures that can be controlled by any queen! They’re pure, primal beasts, leaving the capital (and everywhere else for that matter) in a post-apocalyptic state of complete chaos. It’s up to Christian Bale and Matthew McConaughey to protect the few survivors that are left and do their best to slay the ancient behemoths!
#1: “Independence Day: Resurgence” (2016)
How do you top floods, dragons, and missiles from space? By having an alien ship pick up half of Asia and proceed to drop it onto London itself! And other surrounding areas we can reasonably imagine… As shown with “Olympus Has Fallen” and its follow up, the best way to outdo destroying the White House is by destroying the city of London – which is exactly what this franchise does. Destruction doesn’t get more grandiose than this mind you, and all to a light-hearted quip by Jeff Goldblum. You know, just to lighten the mood! RIP The Big Smoke.