The latest in a long line of Godzilla movies hits the big screen today, and anticipation is high amongst movie fans. The trailer above shows some of the destruction caused by the star of the show - but will it surpass some of the following epic movie destruction sequences?
01. Independence Day
This is the one that rebooted the movie-going public's love for mass destruction and feel-good heroics. The White House has been blown up, knocked over and burned down countless times since but this, in our opinion, is still the best and most memorable scene.
02. 2012
If there was ever a film centred around destruction, 2012 was it. The visual effects are some of the best ever created, with digital landscapes, cities, vehicles and everything inbetween being destroyed at one point or another.
The fluid simulations toward the end of the film are also particularly noteworthy, with the team at Scanline really pushing technological boundaries. Oh, and the White House gets destroyed. Again. Crushed by an aircraft carrier, dropped by a tidal wave. Obviously.
03. GI Joe
There isn't a huge amount in this film that marks it out as a masterpiece, but the destruction of the Eiffel Tower is pretty spectacular. The particle work has a certain beauty and the breaking and falling of the remaining iron looks both believeable as well as having the wow factor that can sometimes overshadow the realism.
04. Avengers Assemble
Joss Whedon's epic super hero movie has it all. Except the destruction of the White House (maybe in Avengers 2?). While in other films it's the destruction that stays the focus of the shots, here it's the backdrop to a great combination of beautifully choreographed action, sharp one liners and evil alien invaders.
The destruction maybe not be at the forefront but there is plenty of it and it all looks fantastic, especially the dust, smoke and debris.
05. Man of Steel
Man of Steel may not be an obvious choice but the destruction of Krypton is pretty spectacular. The pyroclastic effects leading up to the final seconds of the planet's life are beautiful and seeing Krypton explode was quite an event.
There have been many attempts at destroying a planet and most of them have failed. The end of Krypton however, was well paced and not too drawn out. The crust ruptured and then a great big explosion. Exactly how it should have been (for the movie, that is - we're no scientists).
Bonus - Team America
This little gem can't be held high for it's effects or cinematography but it should be in the list, purely for what it says and how it moves the plot along. You can almost feel how much fun the makers had on set, blowing up pyramids, buildings and the Eiffel Tower. F**K YEAH!
Have we missed any great destruction scenes from the list? If you think something deserves to be here then let us know below.
