4 Awesome Bridge Explosions in Movies

I Am Legend

Skip to 00:43 to watch the Brooklyn Bridge blown to smithereens in this memorable scene from Will Smith’s apocalypse movie (not to be confused with Will Smith’s apocalypse of a movie). And it’s not all CGI; the scene was shot on location over six nights with 2,000 extras, and cost a whopping $5 million.

The Dark Knight Rises

In Christopher Nolan’s 2012 masterpiece, three major bridges are obliterated in a matter of seconds following a series of coordinated explosions. When the dust has settled, Bain officially controls the city, and only one bridge connecting Gotham to the outside world remains. Good thing the United States government would never bend to the will of a masked terrorist, and intentionally blow a 20-foot hole through the middle of that one remaining bridge. And they especially wouldn’t do that while a school bus full of orphans looks on. Right? Guys? Where’s everybody going? Hello?

War of the Worlds

In War of the Worlds, Tom Cruise plays a deadbeat dad who must transport his kids from New York to Boston, where their mother awaits, after aliens launch a full-scale attack of major cities across the world. So, Cruise and his two kids get in the car, hop on I-95, and a few hours later they get to Boston, and everything is totally fine. Just kidding – it’s all pretty fucked up.

Bridge on the River Kwai

What Have I Done?

The Bridge on the River Kwai

— MOVIECLIPS.com

It may not seem as badass as some of the other examples on this list, but keep in mind that there was no CGI when this movie was made in 1957. They blew that sucker for real, a stunt that paid off when the movie went on to win seven Academy Awards. The action starts at around 1:30, and it’s dynamite – literally and figuratively.