50 Most Influential Visual Effects Films of All Time

POSTED BY: reginaroadie
UPDATED: Friday, August 16, 2024 18:50
VIEWED: 7525
PAGE 1 of 3

1 2 3 NEXT PAGE

REGINAROADIE

Wednesday, May 16, 2007 2:47 PM

Hey All

Was checking my regular sites, and I found this story with the following list attached.

Eric Roth, Executive Director of the Visual Effects Society (VES), announced today the results of the VES 50: The Most Influential Visual Effects Films of All Time, which was determined by a vote of VES members. The VES 50 is the backdrop of the 2007 VES Festival of Visual Effects, which will take place the weekend of June 7-10 at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills.

"We’re thrilled to present VES 50. These films have had a significant, lasting impact on the practice and appreciation of visual effects as an integral, artistic element of cinematic expression and the storytelling process,” said Roth. We are equally thrilled about the programs that follow this theme and the industry’s living legends we have participating in them."

THE VES 50 (Bold and Italics indicates a tie score)

1. Star Wars (1977)
2. Blade Runner (1982)
3. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
3. The Matrix (1999)
5. Jurassic Park (1993)
6. Tron (1982)
7. King Kong (1933)
8. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
9. Alien (1979)
10. The Abyss (1989)
11. The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
12. Metropolis (1927)
13. A Trip to the Moon (1902)
14. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
15. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
16. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
17. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
18. Titanic (1997)
19. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
20. Jason and the Argonauts (1963)
20. E.T. the Extraterrestrial (1982)
22. Toy Story (1995)
23. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
24. The Ten Commandments (1956)
25. The War of the Worlds (1953)
25. Forrest Gump (1994)
25. Citizen Kane (1941)
25 The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad (1958)
25. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)
30. The Terminator (1984)
31. Aliens (1986)
32. Mary Poppins (1964)
33. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
34. Forbidden Planet (1956)
35. Babe (1995)
36. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
36. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
38. King Kong (2005)
39. Planet of the Apes (1968)
40. Fantastic Voyage (1966)
41. Jaws (1975)
41. Ghostbusters (1984)
43. Sin City (2005)
44. Superman: The Movie (1978)
45. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
46. The Lost World (1925)
46. Return of the Jedi (1983)
48. What Dreams May Come (1998)
49. An American Werewolf in London (1981)
50. Darby O’Gill and the Little People (1958)
50. The Fifth Element (1997)

Normally these kinds of lists dissapoint me, but in this case I found it to be a very definitive, well thought out list that really took consideration of non sci-fi movies that were fx pioneers. I like that CITIZEN KANE got on the list not only for pioneering the used of forced perspective, but it's extensive use of matte paintings that allowed the movie to look more massive and epic than it's budget would have allowed. I like that METROPOLIS and A TRIP TO THE MOON was so high on the list since they were revolutionary for it's time over a hundred years ago. CE3K should be at #8 since it's advanced fx's are not that noticeable, but still revolutionary (the fact that you could pan to a special effect instead of having the camera locked down was a huge step at the time).

My only complaints is that ROGER RABBIT should be higher than it is since it's still the gold standard of seamless acting against nothing that'll be filled in later. You look at the interaction between Eddie Valiant and Roger and compare it to other instances of actors reacting to nothing, it still stands the test of time. WHAT DREAMS MAY COME should also be higher, in my opinion, since it really blew my mind the first time I saw it and how Robin Williams seemed to be walking around in a painting for real. It really did seem like he was in Heaven. Here's hoping Peter Jackson takes notes for when he does the Heaven segments in THE LOVELY BONES.

So what do you guys think?

**************************************************
"Have you ever fired two guns whilst jumping through the air?"

CRUITHNE3753

Wednesday, May 16, 2007 4:42 PM

One of my favourite effects is rather subtle. It's in LotR:The Two Towers, when Gandalf breaks Saruman's spell over King Theoden and life returns to him.

(And anyone British over about 30 suddenly goes "it's Yosser Hughes!")

SINGATE

Wednesday, May 16, 2007 6:14 PM

That's a pretty damn comprehensive list, I expected older movies like Metropolis to be overlooked but it appears nothing was left out. Can't find too much fault with the order either, unless I were to get really nitpicky.

_________________________________________________

We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far.

CHRISISALL

Wednesday, May 16, 2007 6:14 PM

VERY comprehensive.

Nothing to add Chrisisall

CYBERSNARK

Wednesday, May 16, 2007 7:14 PM

One of my favourite effects is from LotR, the continuous effect of digitally tweaking actors' sizes to get Hobbits, Dwarves, Elves, Men, and prodigiously-tall Gandalf all existing in the same shots without relying on forced perspective or camera tricks.

-----
We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.

DERANGEDMILK

Wednesday, May 16, 2007 8:21 PM

I agree, a pretty damn good list. I don't see how the new Pirates movie made it on their though. Its to new to be influential and I don't remember the effects being all that spectacular.
-e

"Storms getting worse."
"We'll pass through it soon enough."

Vote for Firefly at http://richlabonte.net/tvvote/index.html

CHRISISALL

Wednesday, May 16, 2007 8:35 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by derangedmilk:
I agree, a pretty damn good list. I don't see how the new Pirates movie made it on their though.

I would have listed the first one...

Why's the rum gone Chrisisall

REGINAROADIE

Wednesday, May 16, 2007 8:48 PM

Actually, in regards to DEAD MAN'S CHEST's visual FX, there actually a step forward for visual fx in one case.

Usually, when an actor is wearing a motion capture suit (basically blue spandex covered in ping pong balls from head to toe so that FX animators have a skeletal guide to work with when animating), they normally have to wear it on a soundstage under a rigidly controlled environment. But with DEAD MAN'S CHEST, the various members of Davy Jones' crew were able to go out on location in the Carribean and interact with the environment. When you say them come out of the water and walk out onto the beach, that was for real. EW.com did a really great article on it, explaining it in more detail and how it is a breakthrough for VFX artists.

While DEAD MAN'S CHEST script-wise may have left for something to be desired, the fact that you can go out on location and film it for real instead of on a soundstage is actually exciting for me. This could lead to a fuller immersion into a fantasy world.

**************************************************
"Have you ever fired two guns whilst jumping through the air?"
"No."
"Have you ever fired ONE gun whilst jumping through the air?"

WACKYNEPHEW

Thursday, May 17, 2007 1:31 AM

I think it's too long. For instance, the LOTR movies should be counted as one. The effects from The Abyss and Terminator 2 are pretty much the same I think. I would have included whichever one came first. The idea being that the one influenced the other. Unless each Star Wars movie broke some kind of new ground, I would group them together also. I would also differenciate between computer aided effects and the pre-computer age effects. Its seems to me that it took a lot more ingenuity to come up with cool special effects back in the day. Planet of the Apes had incredible make-up effects for its time. Not sure if it falls under special effects.

Vote for Firefly at http://richlabonte.net/tvvote/index.html

"The lion and the calf shall lie down together but the calf won't get much sleep." Woody Allen

REGINAROADIE

Thursday, May 17, 2007 3:08 AM

Well, when it comes to make-up effects, it's still a VISUAL effect. You could make the same argument for AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON. It's main special effect was make-up, but it's one big gigantic leap for make-up. It was the first movie to win the Oscar for Make-up. The only two movies that won awards for make-up (APES and THE 5000 FINGERS OF DR. LAO, I think) were honorary Oscars. And given that most werewolf transformations are done digitally now and look really fake, that makes the transformation on WEREWOLF IN LONDON even more jaw-droppingly powerful.

**************************************************
"Have you ever fired two guns whilst jumping through the air?"
"No."
"Have you ever fired ONE gun whilst jumping through the air?"

1 2 3 NEXT PAGE