# Enough with the explosions already!! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 9, 2013, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enough-with-the-explosions-already/670736 "2013-10-09T01:01:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enough-with-the-explosions-already/670736/1 "2013-10-09T01:01:53Z")
Geez Louise, I don’t think it’s my imagination, but these days I’ve noticed that during any random action-type TV show, whenever anyone turns on the car ignition or opens a door, there’s a pretty good chance there will be a gigantibus explosion. And it’s not just cars… it can be any vehicle-- airplane, school bus, small boat. I mean, c’mon. It’s getting old. It’s a cheap thrill and I say, let’s cut it out. Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enough-with-the-explosions-already/670736/2 "2013-10-09T03:11:35Z")
'plosions are what made hollywood what it is today. Hippie. …of course, I think movies suck today. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enough-with-the-explosions-already/670736/3 "2013-10-09T03:29:53Z")
I haven’t seen too many bicycle explosions at the flicks, so there’s that. ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enough-with-the-explosions-already/670736/4 "2013-10-09T03:40:39Z")
> [@G0sp3l](#): > > 'plosions are what made hollywood what it is today. [These gentlemen](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHkvD7-u7y8) would be inclined to agree. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enough-with-the-explosions-already/670736/5 "2013-10-09T03:52:54Z")
Like most things wrong with movies these days, blame CGI. Explosions are easy (read cheap) to do with computers now, certainly much cheaper than real ones, so they make ample use of them. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enough-with-the-explosions-already/670736/6 "2013-10-09T03:59:50Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > I haven’t seen too many bicycle explosions at the flicks, so there’s that. Don’t give them ideas. ---
**Author:** ![blindboyard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blindboyard/32/2833_2.png) [@blindboyard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blindboyard)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enough-with-the-explosions-already/670736/7 "2013-10-09T08:23:39Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > I haven’t seen too many bicycle explosions at the flicks, so there’s that. Horse drawn carriages, on the other hand… ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enough-with-the-explosions-already/670736/8 "2013-10-09T08:25:37Z")
Most of those cars didn’t even have good insurance. However, they have a good description of the bombers - green, lizard looking creature with an Australian accent who sneaks under the car and plants the bomb while his partner, a rather perky woman who goes by the name of “Flo”, distracts onlookers. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enough-with-the-explosions-already/670736/9 "2013-10-09T09:03:21Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > Like most things wrong with movies these days, blame CGI. Blame the studios, blame the Director, blame the audience. Don’t blame CGI. The lesser known Jackson 5 track. ---
**Author:** ![KRC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@KRC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KRC)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enough-with-the-explosions-already/670736/10 "2013-10-09T09:58:01Z")
Yeah, the explosions were annoying until we realized it was just personnel at the air force base testing how Albuquerque would react to terrorists, which was generally by running out of the house and looking for one… Oh, never mind. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enough-with-the-explosions-already/670736/11 "2013-10-09T12:54:01Z")
Actually, I was thinking more of TV shows, as I watch almost no action movies. It happened on _NCIS_ last night: one explosion when a guy opened a door, and another one when a small plane blew up in mid-air. Happened in _The Mentalist_- guy turns on the car…boom. There have been so many on TV recently, I can’t remember them all. ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enough-with-the-explosions-already/670736/12 "2013-10-09T16:28:38Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > I haven’t seen too many bicycle explosions at the flicks, so there’s that. Imagine “Elliott and ET on their iconic bike ride. Just as they reach the apex… blammo!!!” Entire movies have been built around worse scenes. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enough-with-the-explosions-already/670736/13 "2013-10-09T16:33:03Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Geez Louise, I don’t think it’s my imagination, but these days I’ve noticed that during any random action-type TV show, whenever anyone turns on the car ignition or opens a door, there’s a pretty good chance there will be a gigantibus explosion. . To be fair, that’s a common problem with Pintos. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enough-with-the-explosions-already/670736/14 "2013-10-09T16:34:35Z")
As someone trained to make things go boom, I can tell you that Hollywood has made people unimpressed with the real thing. Giant fireballs don’t normally happen unless there is gasoline present. A few pounds of C4 doesn’t look too exciting when it blows. A hand grenade is boring to look at. No fireballs. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enough-with-the-explosions-already/670736/15 "2013-10-09T17:00:27Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > As someone trained to make things go boom, I can tell you that Hollywood has made people unimpressed with the real thing. Giant fireballs don’t normally happen unless there is gasoline present. A few pounds of C4 doesn’t look too exciting when it blows. A hand grenade is boring to look at. No fireballs. I find a visible shockwave much cooler than a fireball, personally, but Hollywood doesn’t go for such relative subtlety in explosions.