15 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About Awesome Movie Weapons

Weapons can have stories as interesting as the characters who wield them.
15 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About Awesome Movie Weapons

Movies, like real life, are full of violence. But it’s the fun kind of violence, full of gizmos whose main job is to look cool. This week, we’re taking a close look at those wonderful toys, seeing what makes them so memorable ... and what makes them so ridiculous.

Some of the most interesting and exciting characters are defined by the amazing weapons they use in movies. What would Iron Man be without his armor, Luke without his lightsaber, Doomguy without his… Doom? 

They'd be Shang-Chi. Oh, wait he has the rings now, right.

Anyway, we live in a weapon-crazy world, so it's no wonder that we love weapons in movies. Almost as much as we love Milk Duds, almost. Tons of cash, care and time get invested in creating the kill gadgets we all crave to watch cleave and cause carnage. Yeah, sure, sometimes movies don't get the weapons thing right. But we're not here to throw out the baby with the bullet-filled bathwater. We're here to celebrate and educate. So the next time you hear some Rando popping off about the Karate Kid's headband, you'll crane-kick'em with #3. 

Sure, the movies are great, but a lot of these weapons have some interesting tales to tell themselves.

There was a sticker on Luke’s lightsaber, originally a flash light flash, to cover a logo

Star Wars Luke Skywalker wields a... camera flash? The original lightsaber - Luke's, formerly Anakin's, eventually Rey's - was created from a flash tube unit from a forties-era cameras. There's even a sticker covering up the logo. This can only mean one thing: if we make cameras bright enough, they'll turn into lightsabers.

Source: Wookieepedia

Leo DiCaprio used a real flamethrower in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Leonardo DiCaprio used a real flamethrower. When the Manson family comes to kill Sharon Tate, DiCaprio's Rick Dalton beats them off with a flamethrower. The thing is, it's a real flamethrower with real flame. Despite the fact that movies will CGI in mustaches, they just gave DiCaprio a real one and let him loose.

Source: Republicworld.com

Most Star Trek props were created by one man, Wah Ming Chang

Star Trek The phaser was created by Wah Ming Chang. Set phasers to underappreciated. Most everything in the original series was created by the same man, Wah Ming Chang - phasers, communicator, the Gorn, even struggles! OK, wait, actually we take our appreciation back for that past one.

Source: Star Trek

Giancarlo Esposito couldn’t stop breaking the Darksaber in The Mandalorian

The Mandalorian Giancarlo Esposito kept breaking the Darksaber. Darksabers are fragile, it turns out. Esposito couldn't stop breaking the props on the set of The Mandalorian.

Source: Variety

Deckard’s gun in Blade Runner was one of the most expensive props ever sold

Blade Runner Deckard has a million-dollar gun. Deckard's gun is one of the million iconic things in that film. Which might explain why it is one of the most expensive movie weapon props ever, sold at a little over a quarter of a million.

Source: Comet TV

Freddy Krueger almost had a sickle instead of a glove in A Nightmare on Elm Street

A Nightmare on Elm Street Freddy almost had a sickle. Before landing on the iconic man who needs a trim, director Wes Craven thought about giving McDonald's overcooked twin a sickle, because subtlety is for cowards.

Source: Vulture

Antonio Banderas couldn’t help but make the gun shooting sounds during the shootout in Once Upon a Time in Mexico

Once Upon a Time in Mexico Antonio Banderas went bang, bang! himself. Banderas' Mariachi character has featured in three films, but only in the final one were the bullets entirely CGI. Unused to the lack of noise from blanks, Banderas - without thinking of it - started making gun shooting sounds during an entire fight, and it all had to be edited out.

Source: Internet Movie Firearms Database

Star Wars’ Ewan McGregor and Laura Dern both made sounds when using their sci-fi weapons

Star Wars Ewan McGregor and Laura Dern made weapon sounds. Schwoosh, zoom, pew! Obi-Wan McGregor started making lightsaber sounds while he used it, because who can break years of play acting? Admiral Holdo Dern did the same with her blaster. In both cases it had to be edited out in post.

Source: Showbiz CheatSheet

Anton Chigurh rarely used the cattle gun in No Country for Old Men

No Country for Old Men Anton Chigurh kills only one person with the cattle gun. The cattle gun is the most iconic weapon in the movie, even though it's only used lethally once. The rest of the time, it's used primarily to... open doors?

Source: The Atlantic

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