Ghostbusters © 1984 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc.
Darren Zenko from Edmonton's Vue Weekly wrote a fun article counting off "the greatest beams, lasers, death rays, and photo streams in movie history."
"They slice us, they disintegrate us, they roast us alive, they level our greatest monuments and pinpoint our deepest fears. But they also transport us, link us, serve us, protect us and illuminate the path to fortune and glory. They are beams, the glowing lances of focused radiation that have lit up our movie screens—and our imaginations—since some unknown caveman accidentally scratched a birchbark negative and became prehistory’s first FX guy. Here at the dawn of 2005’s summer blockbuster season, it’s as good a time as any to look back and salute the Great Beams of Film!"
In addition to Darren's list, I'd like to add:
