GODZILLA returns to theaters today, and in honor of the King of the Monsters and his penchant for wrecking everything around him, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite scenes of mass destruction in movies.

10. Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol

Moscow Kremlin falling down

Ghost Protocol is a very adequate Mission Impossible film. This was PIXAR director Brad Bird’s first attempt at a live action film, and he outdid J.J. Abrams by producing the best of the 4 modern Mission Impossible Films. This movie is also impressive because it features a 78 year old Tom Cruise somehow looking younger and more fit than he did in Risky Business. Anyway, the movie features the scene above, which is probably one of the most realistic portrays of a building exploding I’ve ever seen. I bet if you took this back in time and played it for Russians in the 80’s, you could turn the cold war hot, or at least turn some Russians hot! Get it!? Tom Cruise! Meeeeeeeow!

9. Deep Impact

The comet hits Earth

1998’s Deep Impact may not be a great movie but goddamnit, it was the best object from space colliding with Earth movie that came out that year! Forget Elijah Wood outracing the end of the world on his Vespa. Forget Morgan Freeman’s role as the black U.S. President during the apocalypse (a punchline for hack comedians ever since). Forget Téa Leoni’s face. All you need is to watch the moneyshot of the comet colliding with Earth and the beautiful fallout of planetary destruction. The entire scene has a cathartic stillness to it even as buildings are toppling over and Lady Liberty loses her head. My favorite part is specifically when the shoreline pulls deep into the ocean before unleashing a horrifying tidal wave, killing everyone in its path and most importantly, Téa Leoni.

8. 28 Days Later

Opening scene

While it may not be a traditional “destruction scene,” the opening sequence of 28 Days Later is an expertly shot reveal of the world-in-ruins that the film exists in. Cillian Murphy’s protagonist Jim wanders out of the empty hospital he woke up in and out onto the streets of London. He’s wearing only a hospital gown which illustrates to us as the audience how vulnerable he is before he even realizes it. The streets are emptier than the hospital and cars are turned on their sides. Something terrible has happened here and Jim is slowly coming to that conclusion himself. He wanders the streets hollering out a confused, “Hello!” But no one answers. It isn’t until he picks up a newspaper with the headline “EVACUATION” that he finally begins to understand the weight of the situation. And this is all in the opening moments of the film!

7. V for Vendetta

The destruction of Parliament

Ok, I will say this right here, right now… V for Vendetta is not a good movie. It’s drawn out, boring, and uninspired. However, there is something to be said for getting to live in a time where I can see what would have happened if Guy Fawkes had succeeded in his plot to destroy the Parliament in 1605. Well, actually we get to see a more subdued version of what Guy Fawkes would have accomplished. So go ahead and watch the clip above, and if it inspires a thought in your head like “hey! I should watch the whole movie!”, then save yourself by opening your window and jumping out.

6. Gojira

Godzilla!

The original Godzilla, aka Gojira, doesn’t exactly wow with its special effects in this day and age, but for the time it was made, it’s an impressive feat of miniature work. Mixed with the tensions and horror of the real life bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Godzilla was a monster created in reaction to the times. In the original cut of the film, Godzilla emerges with almost no hesitation and begins laying waste to everything in his path. He is a cold, merciless monster here; much different from the more comical creature the many sequels would turn him into.

5. Independence Day

The aliens attack

No list of destruction scenes is complete without the alien attack in 1996’s Independence Day. It was one of the first times in cinema that an alien invasion was actually fully realized. We had finally gotten technologically advanced to the point that we didn’t need miniature cities to burn and knock over. I can remember sitting in awe as the hatch to the alien ship opened and blue light started swirling around. We all saw from the trailers what was going to happen but it was an experience to see it happen for the first time on the big screen. They blew up the goddamn White House! Come on! For the entire rest of the year I would cite ID4 as my favorite movie (until Scream came out that December). For better or worse, this was the beginning of modern CGI. Michael Bay could not be reached for comment.

4. Melancholia

The beginning is the end

Lars von Trier takes mass destruction to the definitive level with the very opening scene of Melancholia, where he literally destroys the Earth itself. The film is about a mysterious planet that is hurtling towards Earth. Rather than leave it a mystery, and have audiences guessing the entire film if the planet actually will destroy us all, von Trier cuts out the suspense and confirms that yes, the Earth will indeed be destroyed. It all plays out in a haunting, beautiful sequence that sets the melancholy (sorry) tone of the film.

3. Cloverfield

Candid destruction

This scene is now so iconic, yet strangely I don’t think a lot of people realize it. Not only did it revolutionize “found footage” but it also added what I’m going to call the “fleeting glimpse CGI” to movies. We’ve all heard the adage “less is more”– which Cloverfield brilliantly sticks to story-wise, but in terms of how much money it costs to produce special effects shots, less costs less. And this technique is now a godsend for indie filmmakers.

This scene also has the added effect of conjuring the emotional response people had to watching 9/11 footage on their TVs. It mimics that moment just enough to trigger that nostalgic dread but not enough to trivialize a national tragedy. I will admit though, the Statue of Liberty head is way over the top genre camp. In hindsight it could be read as cultural commentary of the great recession beginning, but that wouldn’t happen for another 8 months. In normal sight, I wish it would have just been some other piece of debris, perhaps a gargoyle from the Chrysler building? I just can’t imagine why an alien creature is carrying around Lady Liberty’s head and then kicking it down the street.

2. The Birds

The gas station

This particular scene isn’t as destructive as the others on the list, but it’s a classic that can’t be ignored. Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds is the story of a socialite (Tippi Hedren) who chases a man back to his home town of Bodega Bay. Unfortunately for her, flocks of birds decide to use this opportune moment to randomly attack humanity. Hitchcock’s film is so chilling because he never gives us a reason the birds are attacking. In this scene, some out of town schlub decides to stop at a gas station and instantly light his big fat cigar. Unfortunately, the birds have cause enough havoc to spill some gasoline.

1. Ghostbusters

The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man

Ghostbusters takes the “giant monster attacking a city” trope and turns it on its head with this incredibly memorable finale: The Ghostbusters are tasked with summoning the means of their own destruction by the evil demon Gozer, and Ray (Dan Aykroyd) tries to think of something harmless. Unfortunately this backfires, and the “harmless” Stay Puft Marshmallow Man becomes a behemoth stomping through New York. The contrast with the destruction the Marshmallow Man is causing against his blissful, grinning face will never cease to be amusing.

This list was compiled by the CutPrintFilm staff.

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