10 Ridiculous Movie Myths About Explosions

Is there anything more satisfying than a giant-ass explosion in a movie? In even the worst films - we're looking at you, Michael Bay - an explosion can be a fun payoff and even a diversion from a braindead script or terrible acting (all the more so if it's one of the terrible actors getting blown up). However, there does come a certain point of saturation, where it feels like we've seen every possibly world (and otherworldy) object blown to pieces in every way possible - what ground is there left to break in this important field of filmmaking? While we don't expect films to be accurate - especially action films - something they do take rather absurd liberties with is the credulity of their explosions; because most of us have never experienced one up-close and first hand, filmmakers think that they can play fast and loose with physics and expect us to buy it. To be fair, most of the time they're not wrong in that assumption, though there are plenty of fireball-related cliches I'm just not prepared to tolerate anymore. Here are 10 ridiculous movie myths about explosions...

10. Impact Alone Will Explode Anything

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGpv0vkEbVM&t=8m25s Here's one I really hate, though when used in its most blatant capacity, it can tend to generate more laughter than derision (or derisive laughter, perhaps). In movies, it seems like the most minor collision can cause something to explode into a gigantic fireball. Case in point, take the above Michael Bay classic The Rock, in which a runaway tram finishes its active duty by colliding into a number of parked cars, which somehow causes everything to explode into a gigantic fireball that rivals Apocalypse Now's opening one in terms of beautiful excess. To make it even more hilariously over the top, the tram is catapulted about 15 feet into the air, while Nicolas Cage, bemused at how the laws of physics have suddenly unfurled around him, stares on in amazement. I mean, sure, cars have petrol tanks, but is a tram hitting into it, even directly, really going to make it spontaneously combust? This is a rule of pretty much every action film out there; just as much as nudge another car and both of them will combust within a few nanoseconds. Amusing, but stupid.
 
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Frequently sleep-deprived film addict and video game obsessive who spends more time than is healthy in darkened London screening rooms. Follow his twitter on @ShaunMunroFilm or e-mail him at shaneo632 [at] gmail.com.