With all the fanfare and drama surrounding the imminent release of Star Wars, I thought it best to take a look back at some of the best laser scenes the film world has to offer.
Lasers are just tops, aren’t they? Over the years there’s been loads of great moments where a laser has decided the outcome of a scene. We’ve seen them as a force to be reckoned with in sci-fi flicks, a cunning means of entry in spy films, and even as a high-tech security measure in thrillers.
No matter how they’ve been deployed though, you can’t help but come to the conclusion that lasers are FUN! They’re futuristic, exciting and revolutionary. What’s better is that they’re no longer confined to the realms of cinema, but have actual real-life applications that we use on a daily-basis.
With that being said, here are some of the scenes you’ve been looking for…
Goldfinger – The laser cutter slab scene
“Do you expect me to talk?” “No, I EXPECT YOU TO DIE!”
What’s so great about this scene is that it goes against everything you’ve come to expect with a typical Bond film.
Usually, we get the bad guy jabbering on about his plans for world domination and so on, giving 007 just enough time to break free, drink a martini or two, then stop them dead in their tracks.
Not here though, as the villainous Goldfinger scoffs at Bond’s stalling attempts and leaves him to face the dreaded laser cutter. It’s the slowness of it all that makes it that more excruciating. Bond is powerless as the laser slowly, but surely edges itself closer and closer and for once we see Bond actually look worried.
Sure enough though he uses his famous charm to eek his way out of a very dire situation. Amazing scene and arguably one of the best in cinema history.
Star Wars – Luke and Vader’s climactic laser battle / The Death Star / Pretty much the whole series
“The Force is strong with this one.”
Where to begin with Star Wars? I’m getting excited just thinking about Episode VII, but for now I can only hope it holds a flame (or laser?) to arguably the biggest film franchise of all time.
Star Wars took the idea of lasers and ran with it, as practically everyone in this film uses a laser at one point or another. Whether it’s the Stormtroopers incapable of hitting their target, the Jedi wielding their famous lightsabers, or the moon-sized Death Star used by the Galactic Empire, there’s no escaping their draw.
Two of the most memorable scenes involving lasers encapsulate both their beauty and devastation. First is the Death Star, as it single-handedly destroys a nearby planet with a single burst, and next is the climactic fight between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker as the two battle it out in the name of good and evil.
Resident Evil – The deadly laser grid
“I’ve been a bad, bad girl.”
Despite what you may or may not think of the 2002 Resident Evil film, there’s still one scene in particular that always manages to stand out. In what is predominantly a ‘zombie-flick’, it’s pretty telling that the most terrifying scene involves nothing more than a laser and a tempestuous artificial intelligence system, appropriately named the Red Queen.
After members of the group venture into an enclosed corridor, the AI quickly locks the door behind them. The claustrophobic setting makes it virtually impossible for the inhabitants to escape, but nonetheless the scene leaves us on a laser’s edge (sorry) as a relentless wall of lasers jaunts toward them.
It’s cold, brutal and all too real for those who are trapped inside. Let’s just say it doesn’t end well for them.
Ghostbusters – Cross the streams!
“‘Scuse me Egon? You said crossing the streams was bad!”
So there’s a 50ft marshmallow man on the loose in New York City and he’s headed our way? Well it’s a good thing we’ve got these handy laser machines then isn’t it!
That’s essentially how it went down in Ghostbusters. A being from another dimension tries enforcing a reign of terror, only for four plucky ghost hunters to shut them down with their overpowered vacuum cleaners.
It’s an incredible scene and produced one of the most memorable quotes in cinema. All throughout the movie Egon has told everyone not to “cross the streams” of their lasers, but from the moment they do all hell breaks loose and they send the demon back to where it came from. Great family fun!
Predator – The first encounter
“If it bleeds, we can kill it.”
Throughout the film we’re given an impending sense of doom, with subtle references to mysterious happenings compounded only by distorted camera shots and a cacophony of noise from deep within the jungle. Also, there’s the greatest handshake ever.
On the face of things it’s a typical ‘80s action flick in which Arnold Schwarzenegger leads a team of elite commandos on a rebel hunting mission. It soon becomes apparent however that it is them who are the prey.
Cue the predator and his laser guided armoury; the dreadlocked beast from another planet A trifecta of terror as one by one the film’s namesake takes Arnie’s men down, leaving the two to duke it out in the ultimate battle between man and beast.
Here at Subcon Laser, we think that lasers are exciting for a whole host of reasons. You wouldn’t think it but some of the scenes you see in film aren’t as farfetched as you’d imagine, as lasers are now used across many industries today.
If you have any favourite laser scenes from cinema and would like to share them with us, then share your best moments over on our Twitter: @SubconLaser. Use the hashtag #LaserCameraAction and we’ll retweet the best ones!
