A cool movie weapon makes all the difference in genre films and we look at ten movie weapons every millennial kid wanted…
Action and sci-fi films and their relentless battles between good and evil have one consistent. Weaponry is involved and whether it’s the use of real-life weapons or creations for your film, making it look effective and badass on screen is key to making it iconic.
When you’re a kid and you pick up a stick in the woodland and transport yourself to a battle against an imaginary evil force, what does that stick change into in the mind of that imaginative tike?
For Millennial kids and the younger Gen X’ers who grew up in a frankly golden age of action and fantasy cinema, we had some pretty cool weapons to choose from and here are ten…
Lightsaber – Star Wars
Let’s just get it right out the way because this wins and it’s all downhill from here and you knew it was coming. It’s the lightsaber and even Gen Z have grown up wanting these, just as long as they’re energy-efficient of course. So simple and yet so effective, the creation of a laser sword in George Lucas’ Star Wars franchise became an instant identifier.
Every kid watching with their boomer folks in ’77 wanted one and every kid who has watched in 47 years since does too. The real question is: what’s your colour? The lightsaber has been refined over the years but such a simple visual didn’t require a hugely complicated effect and that’s what made it work. We’ve seen plenty of fights over the years with some iconic laser sword fencing matches and it never fails to make your inner kid excited.
The Glaive – Krull
A bladed projectile that you toss like a frisbee and can control with your mind is definitely something a lot of folks my age wanted as a kid. It would have been a quick way of getting the cat down from the tree, albeit minus a tail. Krull didn’t do much at the box office but proved popular in the VHS era and a constant fixture on TV too.
For its flaws, Krull has got a lot of charm, a great cast, and some incredible sequences (the spider web is superb) but the Glaive was one of the standout features.
The Winchester – Terminator 2: Judgment Day
The shotgun has always been a popular and impressive staple in movies. Any time it’s used in a John Woo or Sam Peckinpah movie is inherently cool. However, the Winchester 1887 and particularly its unconventional usage in Terminator 2 is perhaps the most legendary example with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s cyborg using it one-handed whilst riding a motorcycle and cocking it with a distinctive twist and spin (the gun had to be specially modded to perform that I believe).
That’s not the only iconic weapon in T2 that people loved either…
The Mini-Gun – Various
The mini-gun pretty much whenever it’s been used in a manner that’s idiosyncratic of movie logic has always been impressive. The cinema of Schwarzenegger unsurprisingly features the best usages, including his destructive sequence in Terminator 2. It was also used impressively by Bill Duke as he unloaded “old painless” into a forest in the hope of striking an unseen foe.
Sure, these things should really be locked down or strapped into a “choppah” but it’s almost weightless for a man of Schwarzenegger’s intimidating size.
The Atlantean Sword – Conan The Barbarian
Arnie might be a weapon of mass destruction himself, even without the additional tools but he’s certainly had his pick of epic movie weaponry. In Conan The Barbarian the film kicks off with the titular character’s sword-crafting father killed and his latest creation stolen by Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones). Conan spends his life lusting for revenge and the chance to reclaim that sword in the process too.
Ironically it’s an entirely different sword, which Conan claims on his journey which is one of the great movie swords. The Atlantean Sword, which even has its own incredible music cue from Basil Poledouris in the scene where Conan discovers it, is a glorious creation. It remains an item that is replicated for and by fans constantly and Schwarzenegger, in spite of his beefy frame, wields it with aplomb.
The Sword of Power – Masters of the Universe
Whether in the form of the live-action opus, as wielded by Dolph Lundgren or its very original cartoon form, the two best variants of the sword of power always had a certain wow factor for impressionable oiks growing up.
For me, the movie version edges it. It looks suitably broad, long and powerful (that’s what she said) and of course in activating that power by saying the iconic line “I have the power” it becomes even more impressive.
Laser Blasters – Various
A good old laser blaster has become popular in Sci-fi and fantasy films and of course, its best use has been in Star Wars. The weapons were also used liberally in the aforementioned Masters of the Universe which owed a lot to the George Lucas franchise which refined and popularised lasers.
Sure, if the aim of stormtroopers is anything to go by their accuracy levels aren’t great but in the hands of Han Solo it’s fair to say the laser blaster can be highly effective. Anything is 10 times cooler when wielded by Harrison Ford, which helps.
The Whip – Indiana Jones
The whip isn’t an especially cool weapon and could in the wrong hands be pushed dangerously close to the realms of Fifty Shades, but as I said before, in the hands of Harrison Ford it instantly becomes badass.
Indiana Jones is synonymous with his iconic whip, using it memorably throughout the franchise (including one of the more enjoyable parts of the iffy Dial of Destiny). The fact Indy is a master with it helps and most millennial kids probably owned a toy version to chase siblings around the garden with (in the era of lethal toys).
Exploding Arrows – Rambo
Archery can be cool. The many adventures of Robin Hood, master archer prove that. However, the humble bow and arrow modified by John Rambo to include an explosive head is the kind of flagrant misuse of a weapon that got the young me giggling with delirium. I watched the Rambo films too young but aside from the M16 being made so cool by Sly Stallone, it was the exploding arrows which really stood out, as first utilised in Rambo: First Blood Part II.
In George P. Cosmatos’ excessively explosive sequel, Rambo causes ludicrous amounts of destruction and even uses it to blow up a single escaping enemy soldier. Its most legendary use came at the peak of 80s silliness.
Chainsaw – Various
Something about the whirring petrol engine growling itself through the speakers announced the Chainsaw as a legendary tier movie weapon. From Ash to Leatherface, to Buzzsaw and more, the humble chainsaw and its fiendish repurposing as a deadly weapon has become (and remains) a staple.
Sure most of the time, even a cursory look will show the machine isn’t even on, but the roaring sound design and liberal swinging usually cover it effectively or occasionally wilful disregard of safety saw actual chainsaws unleashed on camera. Ash and Leatherface still can claim to have the most iconic imagery associated with chainsaws on film.
Honourable Mentions:
Bazookas, Freddy’s Glove, Sai, Red Ryder BB Gun (you’ll put someone’s eye out with that thing), nunchaku, samurai swords, Wolverine’s claws (but could be a bathroom break accident waiting to happen), Uzi, the Golden Gun, Walther PPK, Flying CDs (for fans of Dark Angel).
What’s the best movie weapon? Let us know on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
Tom Jolliffe