Super 8 (2011)
The brilliant opening to JJ Abrams’ sci-fi homage-fest depicts a train derailing while a group of kids run for cover. It may be CGI, but the result is both mind blowing and spine tingling in equal measure.
Steel carriages fly through the air and fire sprouts out of every alcove as the camera tilts and weaves to avoid the debris. If you can deal with the persistent lens flare, this is one of the best explosions of the lot.
Production values!
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
Luke Skywalker single-handedly brings down the Death Star without even using his super-hi tech equipment, instead relying entirely on 'The Force'.
Not only does Luke avert the destruction of an entire planet with this incredibly unlikely move, but he also gets revenge for the earlier death of Porkins, who really should have pulled up.
The spectacular explosion fills the screen with sparkling fragments from the gigantic Death Star. A towering moment in cinematic history. As Hans Solo says, “That was a one in a million shot!”
