Friday, January 20, 2006

Hollywood Armageddon



Besides Dr. Strangelove, there were 40 nuclear armaggedon movies were identified and posted after I asked readers to send me the names of movies in which atomic detonations occur on screen. The list is as follows:

1. The Day After*

2. Threads*

3. Trinity and Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Movie

4. The Mouse That Roared

5. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines*

6. Red Dawn

7. Big Trouble

8. True Lies*

9. A Boy and His Dog

10. Six String Samurai

11. Terminator 2

12. Broken Arrow*

13. Sum of All Fears*

14. Special Bulletin

15. Countdown to Looking Glass

16. Dawn's Early Light

17. The Peacemaker

18. Chain Reaction

19. Goldeneye

20. Crimson Tide

21. Miracle Mile

22. Testament*

23. A Boy and His Dog

24. On the Beach

25. Special Bulletin

26. When the Wind Blows

27. Beneath the Planet of the Apes

28. The Bedford Incident

29. Pisma myortvogo cheloveka

30. Fifth Element

31. The War of the Worlds

32. Colossus: The Forbin Project*

33. The Andromeda Strain

34. Silent Running

35. Aliens

36. The Dead Zone

37. 2010

38. Ice Station Zebra

39. Superman 1

40. Atomic Cafe

I put asterisks next to movies that either I've seen or could otherwise say with certainty that nuclear detonation does occur on screen. As far as the others, I don't know -- that's a lot of movies to watch.

If anyone can add to my store of knowledge, and tell me if they know for sure that a blast occurs screen or not, I'd appreciate it.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

What about Independence Day?
The scene when they try to blow the ufo up, which totally ignores this torchlight..

Milan said...

Definitely includes a blast:
1) GoldenEye
2) Terminator 2

Definitely does not:
1) Crimson Tide
2) The Mouse that Roared

Anonymous said...

In your list of nuclear detonation movies:

3. Trinity and Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Movie
Yes: this is a documentary partially on the above-ground tests.

9. A Boy and His Dog
This title is repeated in #23.

14. Special Bulletin
Yes: TV movie where a group steals enough fissile material to make a small device which is detonated in Charleston, South Carolina (if I recall correctly).
It is also repeated in #25.

17. The Peacemaker
Yes: a rogue Russian general detonates one warhead to cover up his theft of other warheads.

20. Crimson Tide
No: the action takes place aboard a US submarine where a partial launch code is received, but no warheads are detonated.

23. A Boy and His Dog
This title is repeated in #9.

25. Special Bulletin
This title is repeated in #14.

30. Fifth Element
Kinda-sorta: there is an explosion, but it is due to something beyond a thermonuclear device.

33. The Andromeda Strain
No: the biological station is set to be destroyed by a thermonuclear device, but it is stopped.

34. Silent Running
Yes: the device which was to destroy the biodomes is used to destroy the ship instead.

35. Aliens
Maybe: the fusion power plant of the terraforming station is set to overload.

37. 2010
I guess so: Jupiter is turned into a star by the aliens who left the Monoliths, so I guess this counts.

39. Superman 1
Yes: Lex Luthor detonates a nuclear warhead to destabilize the San Andreas Fault.

William Gurstelle said...

To Anonymous poster above:
You really know your movies!

Anonymous said...

Oh, missed one... "The Iron Giant", the 1999 animated film. Near the end, a submarine launches a nuclear missile at the robot, and the robot intercepts it in midair -- but it does go off, destroying the robot.

Anonymous said...

Six String Samurai

Yes -- actual footage of nuclear blasts featured in first few minutes during description of how things turned into a wasteland.

Anonymous said...

you guys forgot one,

when austin powers infiltrates Dr. Evil's secret lair, the Dr. sets a nuclear device to detonate, destroying the complex. Dr. Evil himself is unharmed, having cyrogenically frozen himself and blasted off in a spacecraft.

The explosion footage of the secret base is taken from US nuclear test site stock footage

Anonymous said...

you forogt about independence day!