History Main / MillionMookMarch

* ''Literature/{{Temeraire}}'': In ''Blood of Tyrants'', three hundred soldiers does not a Million Mook March make. Three hundred dragons, on the other hand, represents the largest aerial force ever assembled in Europe (which is itself still barely a fraction of China's full aerial corps [[note]]6,288 officially enlisted (because it's a lucky number), plus an unknown number of "unofficial" reserves[[/note]]), and the sight of them all flying in formation stuns Laurence and co. to speechlessness. SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: this massive army is only possible because China maintains an extensive network of supply depots across its territory and feeds its dragons on easily-stored grain porridge rather than expensive and logistically-intensive raw beef in the European style; finding a sustainable food supply for three hundred 20-ton dragons becomes a major concern after they cross into Russia.

* It's not actually an entire army, but when the US task force tries to arrest Liquid Ocelot in Prague in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4'', it takes over three minutes for several dozens of trucks, ten patrol boats, six helicopters, and hundreds of soldiers to come out of their hiding spots and surround his boat on the river. But even with just three mooks and himself, Ocelot doesn't think about surrendering. Instead, in a terrible subversion, [[spoiler:he already has the master password to shut down all their equipment and when the soldiers are ordered to open fire, nothing happens. Then Ocelot's mooks mow down the entire Task Force in a few moments.]]

* Pretty much the entire point of ''Film/TriumphOfTheWill'', the most well-known Nazi propaganda film.

You've got a massive army at your disposal, but people need to see its size, not only to show off your power, but to hurt morale of anyone who stands against you. So you have them march, either in a straight line that takes all day, or massive formations that cover even the largest fields. Of course, TheEmpire can be expected to show this off.

[[caption-width-right:350:Magnificent, aren't they?]]

* In ''Film/{{Spartacus}}'' the disciplined cohorts of a Roman legion appear over the horizon and march down in formation to take up position on the hillside opposite Spartacus's slave army. Then a second legion repeats the process - then a third also marches onto the field.

* Subverted in ''Film/NineteenEightyFour'' where a propaganda movie showing this trope can't hide the bombed-out rubble of the city the glorious forces of Oceania are marching through.

** In two scenes from ''Film/AttackOfTheClones'': Once on Kamino when the clones provide a display for Obi-Wan, and again at the end when the clone army marches in formation on Coruscant as they depart for war.
** In ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'', where a battalion of clone troopers marches into the Jedi Temple, led by Darth Vader.

* Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick makes use of this trope, with several strips showing the vastness of the hobgoblin army (30,000 strong) before and during the invasion of Azure City. %%A more specific example would be appreciated, of course.

* The elite fighters of ancient Persia were known as 'the Immortals' not because they were particularly invulnerable, but because the fighting column was so deep as to seem never-ending to their opponents.

** In two scenes from ''Film/AttackOfTheClones'': Once on Kamino when the clones provide a display for Obi-Wan (seen in the page image), and again at the end when the clone army marches in formation on Coruscant as they depart for war.

* The Tyrant's army from ''Literature/ChroniclesOfTheEmergedWorld''. Partly justified as 1) the troops are artificially-created soldiers. 2) he has five lands out of eight under his command. From the second book onward, this is brought UpToEleven as he [[spoiler: summon an army made from the ghosts of all those who died in battle.]]

** The Soviets used this trick with [[UpToEleven strategic bombers]] during their military parades in the 1950s, deceiving American observers and creating the myth of the Bomber Gap. Believing their long-range bomber fleet to be massively inferior to the Soviet one, the Americans promptly invested as much as they could in research and production of [=ICBMs=]. Yes, much of the Cold War arms race was due to this ploy.

* The Qin army in ''Film/{{Hero}}''.