10 Epic Action Sequences That You Can Watch Over And Over Again

If you go on Wikipedia – or any other analogous website of your choosing – and check the list of highest-grossing films of all time, you might make a (not so) shocking discovery: it’s an action extravaganza! Indeed, aside from a couple occasional flicks about Ice Queens, talking toys and sinking ships (the last of which, by the way, I have no idea why it’s there), the whole list is dominated by action movies. You have your Avengers, your Pirates, your Transformers and so and so on. In fact, about 16 of the 19 movies that have made over a billion dollars worldwide are categorized as – you guessed it – action. So, to celebrate our evident enjoyment of explosions, gunfights and grown men hitting each other, here are 10 epic action sequences that you can watch over and over again. Because why the heck not, right? 10) Rotating Hallway – Inception Okay, I see we're starting out small...Christopher Nolan’s dream project was another fantastic addition to the director’s already stunning resume. The film about an elaborate heist taking place in a person’s unconscious gave us a smart, compelling story, thrilling action and great visuals – and it was, without a doubt, one of the best movies of 2010. But despite the film being a stellar ride as a whole, there’s one prominent moment we all still have in the back of our heads. A certain hotel hallway, to be exact. Granted, the setting might not be anything too special by itself – but add revolving gravity, hand-to-hand combat and an upper-dream-level-car-chase into the mix and you’ve got yourself a hell of an epic action sequence. Who would’ve guessed? 9) First Battle – 300 Before he was making movies about a man dressed in a red cape and red-and-blue jumpsuit, Zack Snyder was making movies about a legion of men dressed in a red cape and underwear (that’s it!). I’m talking, of course, about his big green-screen project – also known as 300. To be fair, though, the live action adaptation of the Frank Miller’s fantastic graphic novel was a pleasant surprise, consequently verifying the director’s position as a major player in the business. No doubt, the part that comes to mind first is when the guy screams the name of his precious homeland and kicks the other guy into the pit. But as far as action sequences are concerned, it’s the Spartans’ initial scuffle with the massive Persian army that we all remember – be that the original version or one of the countless parodies that reminds us. I’m not quite sure what does it, exactly. I guess there’s just something about seeing the nameless bad guy’s blood get spilled. In delightful slow motion, of course. 8) Neo vs. Smith(s) – The Matrix Reloaded From what I’ve understood, there’s a lot of mixed feelings about this second entry in the Wachowski's definitely-a-bit-strange-but-equally-as-entertaining action/sci-fi trilogy. I know, right, a sequel people didn’t like as much as the first movie – that’s unheard-of! Thinking back though, there’s actually a handful of memorable action sequences in Reloaded. There’s the chateau battle, the “upgrades” fight, Seraph’s test, the highway chase, etc. But the one that stuck with me the most was the burly brawl scene where Neo had to once again fight Agent Smith. Only this time, there’s hundreds of him. Yes yes, the CGI might be a bit too obvious for today’s standards and the duration too long... but regardless of the infinite number of (minor) complaints your friendly neighbourhood cynic might come up with, the scene still holds its own. And the reason? Because it’s cool as hell! Be that the amazing fight in general or the catchy soundtrack that does it, but this is definitely one of those scenes you can watch over and over without it losing its value. On a totally different note, is it just me or does one of the CGI Smiths literally fall apart when Neo strikes him against the apartment building window with the pole? 7) Ark Convoy – Raiders of The Lost Ark He might be breaking his legs on his own spaceship’s hydraulic doors these days, but there was a time when Harrison Ford was chasing down Nazi convoys with just horses, fists and bare will in order to stop them from keeping any historical items to themselves. All joking aside, the Desert Chase is indubitably one piece of Hollywood entertainment that hasn’t gone old over the years. True, the contemporary movie world might be all about massive transforming robots, grown men dressing in superhero costumes and one tiny Hobbit – but the good ol’ Indy will never be forgotten. At least if Spielberg and Lucas get to decide (I’m still waiting on that next re-re-re-re-release). Nevertheless, the truck sequence is filled with compelling action, amazing cinematography, superb acting and most of all: great fun. It hasn’t lost its effect over these 30 years – and it probably never will. 6) Beginning – Skyfall After Quantum of Solace turned out to be a saddening disappointment – aka: it sucked big time – the filmmakers really needed to step up their game for the next instalment. Luckily... they did. And they proved it right from the get-go. Taking place in the oh-so-familiar-by-now-Istanbul, the opening sequence of Skyfall has Bond (James Bond) chase down a mercenary who stole the plotline of the fourth Mission Impossible. The chase carries on from the rooftops of the Grand Bazaar to the crowded streets and finally onto a moving train. What can I say about this one? There’s guns, motorbikes, cars (Audis and VW Beetles), cops, crashes and hand-to-hand combat. What’s not to love? 5) NYC Battle – The Avengers Remember when we were talking about movies that have made money? Well, this is one of them. A whopping 1.5 billion dollars at the box office! True, it might be far away from Titanic, even further from Avatar – but trust me; that’s a lot of money. Serving as the apex to MCU’s phase 1, Marvel’s The Avengers (not to be confused with the 60’s British TV show of the same name) brought the comics’ superheroes together for the first time in feature film history. And the result was... well, why do I even bother. You’ve seen the movie, haven’t you... A stellar film throughout, the end climax has the earth’s mightiest heroes battle it out against the Chitauri army in hopes to prevent them from completely trashing up New York. And what follows is a well-made, visually impressive action sequence – which you can watch over and over. 4) Train Brawl – Spider-Man 2 As I just mentioned, the end battle in Avengers is indeed impressive, but in the end it can’t compete with the Train Brawl sequence that unfolds in Spider-Man 2 – the best Spidey film to date. And the reason is: consistency, emotional investment and controlled chaos (just to name a few). The life of dear M.J. serving as the motivator, the sequence has Spidey return to fight Doc Ock – and boy oh boy do they go at it. And I really do mean it. They go from fighting on top of a clock tower to fighting in mid-air to fighting on top a moving train (I’m beginning to sense a pattern here). All in all, it’s an amazing sequence, and though the CGI is exactly the same as in Matrix Reloaded’s case, it definitely earns its spot as one of the best action sequences of all time. Now if Marc Webb just could pull off something even remotely close to this, I’m sensing good things in the Webhead’s future. 3) Atom Bomb Chase – The Dark Knight Rises It might be all about Batman V Superman and Justice League right now, but no matter how good (or bad) the DCCU will ultimately turn out, Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy will never be overshadowed by these future instalments. #BaleIsBatman #HashtagToChangeTheWorld Although the prologue was extremely gorgeous as well, it’s the chase scene near the end that nabs the “best action sequence of TDKR” trophy. Though, just as with the Tumbler Escape in Batman Begins, it’s Hans Zimmer’s amazing soundtrack playing in the background that helps it get to the level of intensity it’s at. Nevertheless, there’s Batman inside a flying Tumbler and Catwoman riding the Batpod, both chasing after Liam Neeson’s daughter who’s trying to blow up the city – all while the future-Robin is trying to get a schoolbus full of children across a bridge. Great stuff. 2) Maelstrom – Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End Remember; the title of this article is EPIC action sequences. And what does the word “epic” really mean? Multiple things, actually, but the essential definition here (and most likely in general) would be something big and something colossal – something mighty and grand in scale. Now let's look at the end battle in At World’s End. There are pirates and “fish people” – Captain Jack Sparrow and Davy Jones among them – on their respected ships; battling each other while sailing at full speed inside of a massive whirlpool – all while the rain is pouring down from the dark sky. Whatever your interpretation of the word “epic” might be, I think we’re starting to get close. In all seriousness, though, the maelstrom is one of the most entertaining action sequences I have ever seen. And it should be: it took them a nearly an endless amount of money and time to make it reality. Sure, the battle is long, and it might have its ups and downs, but there’s definitely some very, very cool moments in there. I mean, Sparrow and Jones climb up to have a swordfight on the damn yardarm for Christ’s sake – all while Hans Zimmer’s score plays in the background. So this is what $300 million dollars buys you... 1) The Battle of Minas Tirith – The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King All of the previous entries on this list deserve their spot; every single one of them is great – all in their own way. But when it comes to creating something epic, there’s one man who seems to do it better than everyone else. And that is the fat Stanley Kubrick (he said that himself, so technically this doesn’t count as bullying). To be honest, though, Peter Jackson has really made some good-looking movies in his career. Yes, you could argue that it’s because most of his career consists of LOTR. But in the end it doesn’t really matter, does it? The original Lord of the Rings trilogy was an astounding piece of moving art throughout all the three films, and though there practically are endless amount of moments to choose from, it ultimately ends up being the battle of Minas Tirith that takes the cake. There’s the siege by the orc army: the catapults, the chaos; there’s the Nazgûl with the flying beasts... And it doesn’t end there. Oh no. Then the fight carries on to the Pelennor Fields. It’s useless for me to try to put it in words. Just go watch it, I’m sure you can find it somewhere. And besides, the odds are you’ve already seen it. But be that the hundredth or even the thousandth time you’re watching it, your eyes just can’t get enough. And that’s why it’s the numero uno epic action sequence that you can rewatch over and over again. As always, the sad thing with these list-based articles is that there’s a limit to how many different choices you can feature. There’s undoubtedly an infinite number of great epic action sequences left out there to choose from, so if your favourites were blatantly omitted, let us know about them in the comments section below!