There's something satisfying about seeing big explosions on-screen. Maybe it's that human beings have always been drawn to fire, and explosions display the same kind of heat and color in a more dramatic - and loud - fashion. Or maybe it has something to do with the fact that we don't want to be near them in real life, but can enjoy them safely when we see them on screen. In that way, explosions have the same appeal as action movies (and it's no coincidence that action movies often feature plenty of explosions).
Christopher Nolan's upcoming Oppenheimer has received attention recently for its dedication to recreating an atomic bomb explosion without CGI. It's unknown at this stage how it will look on-screen, but it's unlikely to be shown the same way a typical blockbuster explosion might look. The following 10 movies are all slightly more light-hearted affairs that feature satisfying explosions, and should delight action fans and those who like seeing big things go up in flames alike.
'Mad Max: Fury Road' (2015)
The fourth film in the Mad Max series, Fury Road is probably best known for its spectacular car chase sequences. Well, it'd be more accurate to say it's best known for its spectacular car chase sequence, seeing as most of the movie is one long, protracted, very exciting chase.
Within all that chasing and crashing are some spectacular explosions. Numerous vehicles go up in flames during Mad Max: Fury Road's high-octane action setpieces, with the fiery red explosions standing out against the bright blue skies and rust-covered, gray/brown vehicles. It's a visual feast for those who are fans of giant fireballs, and one reason why Fury Road has a reputation for being one of the best large-scale action movies of the past decade.
'The Wages of Fear' (1953)
Constantly nerve-wracking from the start until the end, The Wages of Fear is one thriller that's lost none of its impact in the 70 years since its release. It's an unrelenting slow-burn about several men who undertake the dangerous job of transporting fragile explosives by truck over rocky terrain, knowing all the while that the slightest collision could see them suffering a fiery demise.
It's the rare movie where you don't want to see an explosion, but nevertheless, the stakes have to be established one way or another, and so at least some exploding is inevitable. It's a gritty, visceral, sweat-inducing movie, and that goes for both the scenes where something is blowing up and for the scenes where you're hoping nothing will.
'The Naked Gun' (1988)
The Naked Gun might follow a policeman who has to stop a dangerous criminal, but it's far from the kind of serious (or semi-serious) action movie you'd expect to find some great explosions in. It's a very silly parody of police/crime movies instead, but it's consistently hilarious throughout.
It's also really dedicated to all of its gags, including an elaborate one that features a series of escalating explosions at the end of a car chase. It all culminates with a missile hitting a fireworks factory, causing a huge amount of destruction, with protagonist Frank Drebin unconvincingly telling bystanders to "Move on" because "There's nothing to see." It might be the most memorable explosion ever featured in a parody movie.
'The Dark Knight' (2008)
The Dark Knight shows that Oppenheimer is far from the first time Christopher Nolan chose to put a huge explosion on-screen. The second film in his Batman trilogy features The Joker as its main villain, and given he's a character who loves to cause chaos and destruction, he ends up being quite fond of making stuff blow up.
The Joker's love of things going kaboom is best demonstrated in the movie's iconic hospital sequence, which sees The Joker blowing up an entire hospital while dressed like a nurse. While the rumor about Heath Ledger improvising when the explosion was delayed is ultimately a myth, Nolan and his crew did blow up a real building for the explosion seen in the final film, as it was slated for destruction anyway.
'Die Hard' (1988)
Even if the sequels to Die Hard ended up having bigger explosions, it's hard to top the fiery one that consumes the top of the Nakatomi Plaza near the end of the original. It's one case where quality is more important than quantity, because the best Die Hard movie is the one that has the best explosion.
Die Hard is a surprisingly subdued action movie for much of its runtime, with a claustrophobic setting, vulnerable, everyman hero, and a relatively small team of antagonists (certainly nothing like the small army Arnold Schwarzenegger takes on and beats in Commando, for example). This makes Die Hard having an explosive ending all the more satisfying and rewarding, given how it contrasts with the rest of the movie.
'The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly' (1966)
Rightly regarded as one of the best Westerns of all time, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is such a good film that even those who aren't fans of the genre will likely get a kick out of it. This might be thanks to the fact that it's consistently exciting, funny, and features a good old-fashioned treasure hunt as its main premise, the simplicity of which surely has appeal to just about everyone.
It's a movie that continually gets bigger and more exciting with every scene, with its penultimate setpiece featuring one giant explosion. It comes at the end of a war sequence, and has two out of the three title characters rigging a bridge to explode in spectacular fashion. It looks genuinely dangerous, with debris appearing to almost hit Clint Eastwood and Eli Wallach, and was also notable for the fact that the bridge had to be constructed and destroyed twice, due to some costly miscommunication.
'Hard Boiled' (1992)
John Woo loves explosions almost as much as he loves doves flying across action scenes. He's a director who's known for making some of the best and most hard-hitting action movies of all time, and his 1992 classic Hard Boiled is up there with his greatest contributions to the genre.
Much of the second half of Hard Boiled is non-stop action, with an extended shootout in a hospital making for the movie's brilliant and gloriously fun final act. Of course, it all culminates in a giant explosion that sees the hospital going up in flames (thankfully after the patients are evacuated). It's all shot from multiple angles, so you can savor the explosion for as long as possible, making for a perfect ending to a near-perfect action movie.
'The Train' (1964)
The Train is an underrated World War Two movie that benefited from being made just 20 years after the conflict it depicts. As such, it was able to more authentically use things like real equipment and costumes to tell its story about French Resistance fighters trying to recover artwork stolen by a high-ranking Nazi officer who plans to leave France with the paintings by train.
While it might not be as action-packed as action movies of recent decades are, The Train still packs a punch, especially considering its age. Well before the climax, it even blows up an entire railway station, shown in all its glory in a high-angle wide shot, showing how old-school action movies can still deliver the goods.
'The Rock' (1996)
Anyone who knows about Michael Bay knows he's a director who loves explosions. It became something of a meme by the time the Transformers movies were coming out, but those movies about robots in disguise were not the first times Bay showed his love of things going boom on-screen.
The Rock is arguably his best action movie, and certainly one of his most relentless. While much of the film's action takes place in and around Alcatraz Prison, a car chase through San Francisco early on probably delivers the most by way of explosions. Is it unrealistic how many vehicles explode during this? A little. Is it undeniably fun, though? Absolutely.
'The Bridge on the River Kwai' (1957)
The Bridge on the River Kwai might have the best on-screen explosion out of any Best Picture Oscar winner. It's a classic World War Two movie about British prisoners of war who are forced to construct a bridge for the Japanese forces who captured them, all the while American forces plot to blow up the bridge.
In this way, it does a great job of highlighting the futility of warfare, and how everyone loses at the end of the day. It also does this while being entertaining and quite suspenseful throughout, and the huge bridge explosion itself in the film's climax is undoubtedly hard to forget.