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Explosions and the Movies

© John Lovett

One of the things that peeves me most about war movies is the explosions. It seems that every handgrenade is a mini - atomic burst. Every shell is a full on hydrogen bomb. Now, I realize this phenomena in the movies. Bigger is better. At least when it comes to getting the audience into the theater. Don't fool yourself though into thinking that every military explosive device looks and sounds like the movies.

The real thing is not quite as spectacular. Believe me, fire and smoke do not all an explosion make. In fact, the military tries to minimize the fire and smoke generated from an explosion. What is desired from an explosion is over pressure and fragmentation. Please don't call this fragmentation shrapnel. Shrapnel is a particular design for artillery shells that is no longer in general use.

Most battlefield explosions are small puffs of smoke. Actual damage inflicted on large solid objects such as forts and houses and such are minimal. Of course, larger artillery shells and airdrop bombs will make for a large explosion and big holes. However, what I am writing about is the usual grenade, small caliber artillery, mortar, fired by the bad/good guys. In the recent van Damme movie LEGIONNAIRE, the Arabs have a small artillery piece they fire at the fort. You would have thought those Arabs had a five inch naval gun for all the damage that was done to that fort.

Another thing about Hollywood and explosions is that whenever a grenade, mortar shell, bomb, whatever explodes near our hero people go flying. I have never seen so much acrobatics as when an artillery shell goes off. Contrary to what a movie shows you, people do not go flying during an explosion. At least, they do not go flying in one piece. If you near enough to an explosion, the human body turns into a baggy filled with liquid.

Do I mean here to suggest that the effects of explosions should be more realistic? That is to say, should movies show all the viscera and blood that are the result of a real battle? That makes for an interesting argument. On the one hand, not showing the explosions and battle wounds properly leads viewers to believe that is what war is really like' somewhat bloodless. On the other hand, showing explosions and battle wounds in all their collective glory(?) can inure viewers to the horrors of war. This issue is for a future article.

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