Armageddon

In the opening disaster sequence of Michael Bay's 1998 blockbuster Armageddon, a sudden meteor shower pummels New York City, leaving the World Trade Center heavily damaged and smoking against the skyline. Giant space rocks tear massive holes directly through both Twin Towers, igniting severe fires near their upper floors while leaving the structures standing. Intended as high-octane visual spectacle, the imagery gained an unintended, eerie historical weight just three years later, as the gaping holes and billows of dark smoke disturbingally mirrored the actual destruction of September 11, 2001.