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Greatest Beams In Movie History

Posted by Zonk on from the pew-pew-kaboom dept.

_Laban_ writes "Vue Weekly has summarized the greatest beams in movie history. From the article: 'They slice us, they disintegrate us, they roast us alive, they level our greatest monuments and pinpoint our deepest fears.'"

9 of 235 comments (clear)

  1. What about Logan's Run? by bcg · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Logan's Run has one of the first (if not the first) use of the laser special effects that went on to be used in Star Wars. Other bonuses include Michael York's terrible acting and Jenny Agutter with a minimum of clothing. Apparently a remake is in the works...

    1. Re:What about Logan's Run? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

      So completely off topic it hurts, but when I was a teenager sometime I saw Logan's Run, and wondered if it would be mentioned to me on the day I turned 30. That thought stayed with me any time I heard of logan's run, or thought of my 30th birthday.

      Turns out you are the person who mentioned Logan's run first, today, the day that is my 30th birthday.

      So how's it feel to be part of a prophecy fulfilment? :)

  2. E.E. Doc Smith by Aussie · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Probably had more beams in his stories than all of Hollywood put together.
    Ah, Space opera. Link for the unenlightened.

  3. Re:Shadow beam by Detritus · · Score: 3, Interesting

    My favorite was the beam in the corridor outside the Red Queen's chamber in Resident Evil. You think the trespassers have a chance, then it switches into checkerboard mode.

    --
    Mea navis aericumbens anguillis abundat
  4. Descent Freespace 2 by Travoltus · · Score: 4, Interesting

    How about video games?

    The Freespace 2 slicer beams were the coolest sounding beams I've ever seen.

    --
    --- Grow a pair, liberals... stop letting the Republicans bully you!
  5. Care Bears by Martin+G.+1984 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    What about those Care Bear Beams?

  6. Hello...tractor by mr_z_beeblebrox · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The tractor beam was not even mentioned. Another failure in this, well maybe not a failure since it was never seen in action....The shark head mounted frickin laser beams. Those are a couple of my favorite beams.

  7. Lucas wanted to remake Flash Gordon by PapayaSF · · Score: 2, Interesting

    http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mstarwar.html

    Here it is, straight from Lucas' first Hollywood boss and fellow USC graduate, Francis Ford Coppola: "George wanted to do Flash Gordon ... he met with the people who owned it, and they didn't take him at all seriously. So he took the Flash Gordon trailers -- the diagonal titles that talk about the universe at that point [he means the opening story synopsis that seems to recede from the viewer as it scrolls up] -- and sort of combined it with a Stanley Kubrick '2001' world and created his own 'Flash Gordon.' " Lucas says the characters of "Star Wars" are not originals but "tributes."

    --
    Q: What does the "B." in Benoit B. Mandelbrot stand for? A: Benoit B. Mandelbrot
  8. Re:Babylon 5! by KillerBob · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The Shadow planetkillers were downright sinister....

    To be honest, though, I liked the pulse guns that you saw on the "lesser" ships. The B5 defense system, starfuries, Drazi ships, and even some of the human battlecruisers. For some reason, when I think of energy-based weapons, a rapid pulse energy-based weapon seems more realistic.

    A lot of modern cutting lasers are femtolasers. The laser beam actually hitting the target has better cutting/penetrating power than continuous contact, so you solve that problem by having a laser that does a billion pulses a minute.

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    If you believe everything you read, you'd better not read. - Japanese proverb