Best bone-rattling scenes for your home theater

Not only did Optimus Prime and Megatron manage to trash downlown L.A. in Transformers, but they’ll also rattle the teeth out of your guests' heads (name the quote, anyone?) while you’re showing off your home theater. Check out some of the best scenes for putting your pumped-up surround-sound system through its paces.

Electronic House just published a cool list of scenes that’ll shake your buddies to the core—or, as the case may be, wow them with subtle ambient effects. Among their picks:

2001: A Space Odyssey (Blu-ray/HD DVD): The apes’ discovery of the Monolith and Dave’s mind-bending journey beyond Jupiter. I’d also add the Strauss-accompanied shuttle flights to the orbiting space station and on to the Moon.

Pride and Prejudice (Dolby TrueHD 5.1): No, this Jane Austin epic isn't exactly a barn-burner of a movie, but Electronic House rightly points out that the ambient effects (especially during the party sequence) are impressive. Indeed, quiet scenes often bring out the best in surround systems (or point out the flaws in cheap ones).

Independence Day (DTS-HD 5.1 on Blu-ray): Electronic House likes the iconic White House destruction scene, although my favorite is the deep, rumbling opening, when the ominous shadow of the invading saucer crawls over the craggy lunar landscape.

Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace (Dolby Digital EX): Bad, bad movie ("Yipeeee!"), but the pod race is a staple of home theater demos.

Transformers (Dolby Digital Plus on HD DVD): You can’t beat the furious battle at the end, especially as one of the Transformers (sorry, I forget which one) leaps over a pair of oncoming missles; note the quiet, surreal moment when the cowering young woman screams as the robot flies over her.

Electronic House lists a half-dozen more eardrum-splitting scenes, which you can check out here; below is a list of some of my personal favorites:

Casino Royale (Dolby Digital on DVD, or PCM 5.1 on Blu-ray): A couple of scenes stand out: the African chase near the beginning, and the amazing Miami International sequence.

The Empire Strikes Back (Dolby Digital EX): The Imperial Walkers, followed by the Millennium Falcon fleeing through the asteroid field. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve blasted these scenes, on both LaserDisc (DD AC-3) and DVD.

Blade II (DTS): The attack in the vampire nightclub, with the big, thumping beats punctuated by gunfire and the thuds of Lighthammer’s... well, hammer (all right, enough with the snickering).

Revenge of the Sith (Dolby Digital EX): The massive assault over Coruscant at the very beginning.

U-571 (DTS): The sound of the rain as Matthew McConaughey, Jon Bon Jovi, and the rest row toward the enemy sub, and the unnerving screech as the torpedo slides across the hull of the captured U-boat.

I could go on and on here, but I’d rather hear your suggestions first. Make sure to mention the particular soundtrack (Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby TrueHD, etc.) along with the movie and scene. Lock and load!

Related:
Great Movie Scenes for Surround Sound [Electronic House]