Hollywood takes a wrecking ball to Los Angeles

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It seems everyone’s joyful as the sun never stops shining here, making it feel like an unending beautiful day. I simply adore Los Angeles! – Randy Newman

Since its establishment in 1781, Los Angeles has been known as the City of Angels. However, a future U.S. president expressed a rather earthly perspective during a passionate campaign speech, forecasting that due to “sinful” behavior, the city could face destruction by an earthquake as a form of divine retribution.

A significant earthquake strikes Los Angeles several days following the comments, leaving most of the city in ruins and demolishing many iconic sites such as the Bonaventure Hotel in downtown, Union Station, and the Santa Monica Pier.

As a dedicated movie buff, imagine me penning a script where a charismatic leader, having rewritten the nation’s Constitution to ensure his eternal presidency, issues a decree that severs Los Angeles from the mainland, transforming it into a detention zone for individuals deemed “too unsuitable” or “unfit” in the eyes of our newly minted “moral America.

Cut!

Just to clarify, what you’ve gone through is purely imaginary. The storyline outlined here serves as the foundation for John Carpenter’s 1996 movie, “Escape From L.A.”, which offers a humorous, post-apocalyptic depiction of a future Los Angeles.

John Carpenter, renowned for crafting the iconic 1978 movie “Halloween” that ushered in a new era of horror films, is part of a group of filmmakers who have targeted Los Angeles as their creative inspiration. They’ve metaphorically swung their wrecking balls at its palm trees, skyscrapers, and well-known landmarks, using them as backdrops for their cinematic masterpieces.

Since the release of “The War of the Worlds” in 1953, up to “This Is the End” in 2013, numerous urban areas have suffered devastation due to various catastrophes depicted in films such as “Earthquake” (1974), “The Day After Tomorrow” (2004), “Night of the Comet” (1984), and “Volcano” (1997). These disasters include earthquakes, tornadoes, comet impacts, and underground volcanic eruptions.

In “Them!” (1954), it’s colossal, genetically altered ants who storm Los Angeles. A bizarre incident involving a downpour of frogs occurs in the San Fernando Valley residents in “Magnolia” (1999). It seems that extraterrestrial beings have a certain animosity towards Los Angeles, as depicted in films like “War of the Worlds,” “Independence Day,” “Battle: LA,” and “Skyline.

In simpler terms, the movie “Blade Runner,” as described by filmmaker and critic Thom Andersen, portrays a grim and polluted version of Los Angeles, featuring aircrafts in flight and people constantly wet due to the relentless drizzle of corrosive rain.

In his 2003 documentary “Los Angeles Plays Itself,” Andersen critiques the city’s portrayal in film history by effectively wielding a wrecking ball. The movie’s narrator cites the late Mike Davis, a well-known historian and urbanist, who stated that Hollywood derives a unique pleasure from depicting the destruction of Los Angeles – a guilty pleasure that many of its viewers also seem to share.

Movies portraying the collapse of Los Angeles have consistently attracted cinema-goers for years. These films have been renowned for their spectacular depictions of devastation, thanks to advanced techniques like intricate models and extensive computer-generated imagery (CGI), which have provided a unique platform for visual effects artists in the industry to shine.

Movies

‘This Is the End’: Los Angeles takes on the apocalypse (again)

Disaster film titled ‘Earthquake,’ produced by Universal Pictures, features an illustrious ensemble led by Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, Richard Roundtree, Lorne Greene, and George Kennedy. Upon its release in 1974, cinemas introduced a unique sound system called Sensurround that caused theater seats to tremble during scenes of deafening chaos.

The film begins with a sweeping view from above showcasing Los Angeles’ beautiful skyline, lakes, and verdant hillsides. As the prominent title unfolds against this backdrop, John Williams’ foreboding music plays. By the end of the movie, a significant portion of the city is transformed into a charred, fiery wasteland.

Those photos bear a striking resemblance to some of the disturbing sights we saw during the devastating wildfires that ravaged Pacific Palisades, Malibu, and Altadena last January.

In the 2015 film “San Andreas,” Dwayne Johnson plays a leading role as a skilled helicopter pilot for the Los Angeles Fire Department. This action-packed movie, known for its stunning special effects, portrays a catastrophic earthquake originating from the San Andreas fault line, which causes widespread destruction across the West Coast, putting both Los Angeles and San Francisco in danger.

Movies

In a more conversational tone, the statement could be rephrased as: “Filmmakers don’t always show Los Angeles in its vibrant technicolor best, but ‘Plays’ presents a different perspective.

It’s worth noting that Los Angeles isn’t the only city portrayed as destroyed in films, as Hollywood has also depicted Paris being obliterated by a giant meteor in “Armageddon,” and large areas of Oklahoma being devastated by tornadoes in “Twister” and its sequel. Additionally, “Escape from L.A.” is the follow-up to John Carpenter’s “Escape From New York,” which shares similar themes and also depicts a destroyed city.

Nevertheless, the narrator of “Los Angeles Plays Itself,” Encke King, expresses that it appears as if the whole world is hoping to see Los Angeles sink into the Pacific Ocean or be engulfed by the San Andreas Fault.

The documentary focuses on an event from 1996’s “Independence Day” film where a crowd ascends the First Interstate World Center (now known as the U.S. Bank Tower) to welcome an alien spaceship hovering above it, assuming the aliens were friendly. They stand in awe as the ship’s lower section opens, revealing a comforting blue light. Shortly after, a massive beam erupts, obliterating the tower and the jubilant crowd.

Who among us can relate to a group, exaggeratedly depicted in exuberant foolishness, dancing to welcome extraterrestrials? King hints at a sense of relief as such eccentrics might be eliminated by the new, impolite alien visitors. The implication is that these individuals are being removed from our midst.

Brad Peyton, the director of “San Andreas,” explains that the appeal of disaster films, in part, comes from featuring globally recognized city landmarks: “These iconic landmarks serve as an attractive backdrop for movie-makers like myself, creating a universal spectacle intended for global audiences.

Paul Malcolm, a senior public programmer at the UCLA Film & Television Archive, offers a unique perspective: “Los Angeles and Hollywood are cities that never stay the same – they constantly demolish old structures and build new ones. It’s possible that Hollywood, with all its own internal turmoil about change, is reflecting these feelings in the way it shapes its hometown.

Beyond showcasing grandiose scenes and instances of bravery, certain filmmakers incorporate deeper themes related to disaster readiness and systemic weaknesses. Peyton, a Canadian native, recalls being in an underground parking garage somewhere in Los Angeles and pondering “this would be one of the worst places to find yourself during an earthquake.” This idea lingered in his mind for many years.

California

Hollywood frequently depicts the destruction of Los Angeles through various scenarios such as earthquakes, floods, extraterrestrial invasions, nuclear disasters, and climate catastrophes.

In the movie “Volcano,” a hidden volcano beneath MacArthur Park suddenly explodes, causing molten lava to flow through the metro system and pour out from the La Brea Tar Pits onto Wilshire Boulevard’s Museum Row. Seismologist Amy Barnes (played by Anne Heche) believes that this volcano could have been triggered following an earthquake. She voices her disapproval of city officials who permitted construction of a subway beneath seismically active land, stating: “The city is now facing the consequences of its overconfidence, building a subway on unstable ground.

Craig Detweiler, an author and filmmaker, suggested that the appeal of “wreck L.A.” films might stem from a sense of envy: “For those who dislike California, there’s a certain delight in witnessing its destruction due to a mix of jealousy over our prosperity and our pleasant climate.

The success of this kind of content sparked a unique subcategory, named “Los Angeles Destroying Itself,” which was carefully compiled by the UCLA Film & Television Archive for the Los Angeles Film Festival due to its popularity.

In 1988, I found myself right in the heart of a chaotic scene, as the crossroads of Fairfax Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard transformed into a frenzy during what was known as the “Miracle Mile” riot. The city’s residents around us were petrified by alarming news about incoming nuclear missiles, making the atmosphere tense and fearful.

Greg Strause, the director of “Skyline” and co-founder of a special-effects company with his brother Colin, admits that viewers find a certain enjoyment in watching famous Los Angeles landmarks being destroyed. As he put it, “When you see a landmark being turned upside down, that’s what tends to draw people away from their sofas and into movie theaters.

In a rephrased version: “The movie ‘Skyline’ features Eric Balfour and Scottie Thompson as Jarrod and Elaine, a Brooklyn-based couple visiting Los Angeles to celebrate their friend Terry’s (Donald Faison) birthday – a wealthy entrepreneur. However, the idyllic trip takes an unexpected turn when aliens launch an assault, leaving them stranded at Terry’s luxurious Marina del Rey penthouse.

During a lull in the action-packed scene, with my heart pounding and my palms sweating, I – expecting a new life soon – found myself momentarily overcome. In a hushed whisper, I confessed to my movie companions, “I can’t stand L.A.

The movie ‘Skyline’ came out in 2010. Although Hollywood hasn’t recently focused on destroying Los Angeles, UCLA’s Malcolm wouldn’t be shocked if such films make a comeback, as there will always be an appetite for movies that allow us to experience, albeit safely, things we often fear.

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2025-08-10 13:31