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The most influential visual effects films of all time and HDM

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Just read this on The Hollywood Reporter :


The Visual Effects Society has released a list of "the 50 most-influential visual effects films of all time." The VES selection criteria required that a film 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."


As these films are likely to interest us enthusiasts, I thought it would be worth it to track how many of them are out on hidef.


1. Star Wars (1977) Fox

2. Blade Runner (1982) Warner

3 (tie). 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) Warner

3 (tie). The Matrix (1999) Warner ANNOUNCED ON HD DVD

5. Jurassic Park (1993) Universal

6. Tron (1982) Disney

7. King Kong (1933) Warner

8. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) Sony

9. Alien (1979) Fox

10. The Abyss (1989) Fox

11. The Empire Strikes Back (1980) Fox

12. Metropolis (1927) (Kino)

13. A Trip to the Moon (1902) (Kino)

14. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) Lionsgate RELEASED ON BLU-RAY (USA), ANNOUNCED ON HD DVD (EU)

15. The Wizard of Oz (1939) Warner

16. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) Disney

17. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) Paramount

18. Titanic (1997) Paramount

19. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) (New Line)

20 (tie). Jason and the Argonauts (1963) Sony

20 (tie). E.T. the Extraterrestrial (1982) Universal

22. Toy Story (1995) Disney

23. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) Disney ANNOUNCED ON BLU-RAY

24. The Ten Commandments (1956) Paramount

25 (tie). The War of the Worlds (1953) Paramount

25 (tie). Forrest Gump (1994) Paramount

25 (tie). Citizen Kane (1941) Warner

25 (tie). The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad (1958) Sony

25 (tie). 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) Disney

30. The Terminator (1984) MGM RELEASED ON BLU-RAY

31. Aliens (1986) Fox

32. Mary Poppins (1964) Disney

33. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) (New Line)

34. Forbidden Planet (1956) Warner RELEASED ON HD DVD

35. Babe (1995) Universal

36 (tie). The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) Fox

36 (tie). Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) (New Line)

38. King Kong (2005) Universal RELEASED ON HD DVD

39. Planet of the Apes (1968) Fox

40. Fantastic Voyage (1966) Fox

41 (tie). Jaws (1975) Universal

41 (tie). Ghostbusters (1984) Sony

43. Sin City (2005) Disney

44. Superman: The Movie (1978) Warner RELEASED ON HD DVD AND BLU-RAY

45. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) Disney

46 (tie). The Lost World (1925) (Image)

46 (tie). Return of the Jedi (1983) Fox

48. What Dreams May Come (1998) Universal

49. An American Werewolf in London (1981) Universal RELEASED ON HD DVD

50 (tie). Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1958) Disney

50 (tie). The Fifth Element (1997) Sony RELEASED ON BLU-RAY


- Titles per studio: Disney 9, Fox 8, Warner 8, Universal 7, Paramount 5, Sony 5, New Line 3, Kino 2, Image 1, Lionsgate 1, MGM 1.

- 5 movies announced or released on HD DVD in America; 4 on Blu-ray; 1 announced on HD DVD in Europe.

- 8 movies announced or released on HDM.
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D
Don't forget we will soon have Terminator 2 on HD DVD in europe.


Regardless of which format you want to own or do own, its incredibly frustrating that both Fox and Paramount are just sitting on a mountain of great movies.
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Art Sonneborn
Just a ton of those I'd love to see in one of the HD formats.Thanks for the list.


Art
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M
What a rubbish list especially from VFX professionals.


BladeRunner doesn't really have anything that Star Wars didn't do first. You don't really have anything in Empire Strikes Back that wasn't already done previously , nothing monumental anyway.


The Abyss should be much higher than it is.


Dead Man's Chest should be higher.


Terminator has got nothing going on that hadn't already been done for 20 years beforehand.


Jaws has hardly any VFX work in it and what is there is simple even by the standards of the time.


An American Werewolf in London ????!!!!


Visual Effects???


I can only assume the members of the VES who actually know what "visual effects" are ,were too busy doing them to vote and the annciliary staff voted instead.
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C

Quote:
BladeRunner doesn't really have anything that Star Wars didn't do first.
Click to expand...

Huh? Completely different visual look to those two movies. The noir and decayed feel to Blade Runner is really a landmark visual style. Star Wars is also a landmark but in a very different way, IMO.


But Forrest Gump? Besides the fact that I hate that movie, I mean, what influence did that have on visual effects at all? Almost that whole film didn't have visual effects going on, I guess it's just the old TV scenes. Pretty silly IMO.
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D

Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisWiggles /forum/post/0


Huh? Completely different visual look to those two movies. The noir and decayed feel to Blade Runner is really a landmark visual style. Star Wars is also a landmark but in a very different way, IMO.


But Forrest Gump? Besides the fact that I hate that movie, I mean, what influence did that have on visual effects at all? Almost that whole film didn't have visual effects going on, I guess it's just the old TV scenes. Pretty silly IMO.
Click to expand...


Don't forget about Lt. Dan's legs, or lack there of. That was pretty groundbreaking for the time. The scene at The Mall in washington too. Several others...


Perhaps the reason you don't think about Forrest Gump as a visual effects movie is because they were done so well you didn't even notice?


Just a thought...
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M

Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisWiggles /forum/post/0


Huh? Completely different visual look to those two movies. The noir and decayed feel to Blade Runner is really a landmark visual style. Star Wars is also a landmark but in a very different way, IMO.


But Forrest Gump? Besides the fact that I hate that movie, I mean, what influence did that have on visual effects at all? Almost that whole film didn't have visual effects going on, I guess it's just the old TV scenes. Pretty silly IMO.
Click to expand...

Visual Effects: nothing to do with the style , based purely on the visual effects there is nothing particularly groundbreaking going on in the visual effects techniques deployed in Bladerunner compared with Star Wars. Some differences but fundamentally the techniques are the same.


There are a tonne of visual effects in Forest Gump that were seriously groundbreaking for the time. Lt. Dan's legs for a start. Head replacements for stunt doubles, the opening feather sequence. Probably the cutting edge of VFX work when it was released at a time when digital compositing was still somewhat in its infancy.
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T
This list, like any subjective list, is going to fall under scrutiny and debate. If you're going to call it a rubbish list, create your own and post it on here to see what everyone else thinks.
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A

Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisWiggles /forum/post/0


Huh? Completely different visual look to those two movies. The noir and decayed feel to Blade Runner is really a landmark visual style. Star Wars is also a landmark but in a very different way, IMO.


But Forrest Gump? Besides the fact that I hate that movie, I mean, what influence did that have on visual effects at all? Almost that whole film didn't have visual effects going on, I guess it's just the old TV scenes. Pretty silly IMO.
Click to expand...

Forest Gump, did you forget the scene where he told the president he had to pee? I think that what the thing was with this movie being on the list.
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B

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr.D /forum/post/0


An American Werewolf in London ????!!!! Visual Effects???
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What's with the extra question marks????!!!!


The Rick Baker-designed transformation sequence in that movie is phenominal for 1981. It's still holds up as the best practical (not-cgi) werewolf transformation shot in film.
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M

Quote:
Originally Posted by BZiggyZ /forum/post/0


What's with the extra question marks????!!!!


The Rick Baker-designed transformation sequence in that movie is phenominal for 1981. It's still holds up as the best practical (not-cgi) werewolf transformation shot in film.
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Exactly its primarily a practical effect , its not a visual effect , unless you regard running the film backwards as a visual effect ...which is hardly sophisticated.


Its a list made by the Visual Effects Society. If I made a list of innovative visual effects in films I wouldn't include practical effects any more than I'd include a film because I liked the music.
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M

Quote:
Originally Posted by turansformer /forum/post/0


This list, like any subjective list, is going to fall under scrutiny and debate. If you're going to call it a rubbish list, create your own and post it on here to see what everyone else thinks.
Click to expand...

I'm calling it a rubbish list because its supposed to be a list of films containing innovative visual effects work. Some of them have innovative visual effects , some of them have completely mundane visual effects albeit well executed (in some cases) and some of them have zero visual effects work worth mentioning.


Practical effects are not "visual effects" thats the point of differentiating them.
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E
Why is Sin City on the list? Didn't Sky Captain come out first.



Of course Sin City was a much better movie, but they both used the same effects.
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D

Quote:
Originally Posted by Everdog /forum/post/0


Why is Sin City on the list? Didn't Sky Captain come out first.



Of course Sin City was a much better movie, but they both used the same effects.
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Some of the things Robert Rodriguez did regarding the black and white and inverting colors had to be pretty innovative. If you haven't watched some of the "making of" on the extended cut, I highly recommend it...


A little more detail...


-The bandages on Marv were actually Neon orange during filming, and then post proccessed later to glow a bright white


-The blood used through out the movie was actually blue when filmed, then post processed to stand out in dark scenes


-I don't know that make-up applies to visual effects but The Yellow Bastard was actually blue for filming...and all the crazy prostetics used to make the characters look identical to their comic book counter-parts
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr.D /forum/post/0


Exactly its primarily a practical effect , its not a visual effect , unless you regard running the film backwards as a visual effect ...which is hardly sophisticated.


Its a list made by the Visual Effects Society. If I made a list of innovative visual effects in films I wouldn't include practical effects any more than I'd include a film because I liked the music.
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Well, I have no idea what a 'practical' effect is, but watching a man transform into a werewolf was very visual (and it looked great).
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M

Quote:
Originally Posted by Baronken /forum/post/0


Well, I have no idea what a 'practical' effect is, but watching a man transform into a werewolf was very visual (and it looked great).
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Yes..I kinda figured that out from your initial post....
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M

Quote:
Originally Posted by DaBearsFTW /forum/post/0


Some of the things Robert Rodriguez did regarding the black and white and inverting colors had to be pretty innovative.
Click to expand...


I can see where you are coming from but really those sort of processes you outlined are not particularly innovative in their own right. To be honest "Tron" has almost similarly worked over footage in intent if not exact technique.


Going back to the list though: where is "Willow"?

Where is "The Last StarFighter"?

Where is "Star Trek 2: Wrath of Kahn"?


All of them have innovative and pioneering digital visual effects.


"Dragonslayer" first use of go-motion.


Its a really drab list considering its supposedly been put together by visual effects professionals. This is more like a fanboy list.


"Toy Story" a visual effects film....hmmm.


"The Day the Earth Stood Still" ...great film ...hardly groundbreaking effects considering they did "Wizard of Oz" 12 years earlier...in colour.


No "Gone with the Wind" or " A Matter of Life and Death" or ...and this one really takes the biscuit "Thief of Bagdad".


"Starship Troopers"


"The Andromeda Strain"


"Westworld"


"Vertigo"


"The Birds"


"Silent Running"


"Altered States"


"BrainStorm"
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S

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr.D /forum/post/0


Visual Effects: nothing to do with the style , based purely on the visual effects there is nothing particularly groundbreaking going on in the visual effects techniques deployed in Bladerunner compared with Star Wars. Some differences but fundamentally the techniques are the same.


There are a tonne of visual effects in Forest Gump that were seriously groundbreaking for the time. Lt. Dan's legs for a start. Head replacements for stunt doubles, the opening feather sequence. Probably the cutting edge of VFX work when it was released at a time when digital compositing was still somewhat in its infancy.
Click to expand...

It doesn't say the effects had to be groundbreaking, it says that they should have "a significant, lasting impact on the practice and appreciation of visual effects as an integral, artistic element of cinematic expression and the storytelling process."


Are you denying that Blade Runner had that effect?
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M

Quote:
Originally Posted by Subotnik /forum/post/0


It doesn't say the effects had to be groundbreaking, it says that they should have "a significant, lasting impact on the practice and appreciation of visual effects as an integral, artistic element of cinematic expression and the storytelling process."


Are you denying that Blade Runner had that effect?
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Yes I am . The visual effects are not particularly different in technique from lots of other film's that pre-date it. If you want to highlight an area of excellence for BladeRunner I'd suggest the Art direction is a more persistent influence than the visual effects.


The film itself is far from being as intrinsically celebrated for its visual effects than say 2001.


By the time Bladerunner was even recognised as a particularly worthy film , years after its initial release , you could easily argue that other films had a more important impact in visual effects.
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S
All I'll add is that The Matrix is way to high on this list... I still remember seeing GAP, etc. commercials using 'Bullet Time' long before The Matrix hit, yet Gaeta took home an Oscar for that same effect. Tron should probably be higher since it was the pioneer fo all CGI visual effects. Jurassic Park should probably be a bit higher also since it ushered in lifelike CGI that really had not been done before.
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