10 Movies With Amazing Visual Effects

The majority of big-budget productions use CGI to create realistic imagery, but not all attain excellence in the pursuit of blurring the line between reality and fantasy. Today's mind-blowing VFX owe a great debt of thanks to the films that came before them, many of which evolved the technology of digital imagery alongside the development of cinema itself.

Visual effects in movies are easy to take for granted nowadays. However, Avatar: The Way of Water has managed to raise the benchmark even against today's photorealistic CGI. As such, this list has been updated with even more movies known for their excellent visual effects - particularly those that are exemplary for their time.

10. Jurassic Park (1993) Changes The Game:

Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park brought prehistoric beasts back from extinction. The film makes use of a combination of computer-generated imagery and animatronic puppets. It seamlessly blends digital artistry with practical alternatives. The Tyrannosaurus paddock sequence is easily one of the most iconic scenes in cinematic history.

Spielberg's masterful use of scale framing, combined with his use of ambient lighting and environmental weather, grants a level of weight and power to the film's dinosaurs. CGI takes a back seat to practical effects. Much to the film's benefit, most shots of dinosaurs are props and animatronics. The result is something that looks very real almost three decades later.

9. Rogue One (2016) Achieves Photorealism

Star Wars has always been at the forefront of visual effects. A New Hope's incredible sci-fi effects put the film on the map. Industrial Lights & Magic, one of the premiere visual effects companies in the world, has its origins in that film's production. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story continues this trend.

Rogue One contains almost 1,700 visual effects shots from ILM, including photoreal digital recreations of actors Peter Cushing and Carrie Fisher. The VFX and action set pieces, particularly the finale fight on the tropical planet of Scarif, possess a level of grounded grittiness that the saga hasn't seen since the Battle of Hoth.

8. 2001: A Space Odyssey Remains Iconic

2001: A Space Odyssey is one of the most iconic films ever made. Its visuals are one of the many reasons for this. They're impressive by the standards of today. By the standards of 1968, when the film was made, they're revolutionary.

A Space Odyssey simulates spaceflight and more without a single frame of CGI. Everything in the film is done practically and by hand. Its lurid visuals are the result of artistic endeavor and director Stanley Kubrick's vision. 2001: A Space Odyssey is a pioneer in science fiction cinema and in visual effects as a whole.

7. Blade Runner 2049 Is Simply Breathtaking

Blade Runner 2049 has a proud heritage in visual effects. Blade Runner's depiction of a dystopian Los Angeles is one of the most iconic and imitated aesthetics in cinema history. Blade Runner tells a gritty, realistic-looking sci-fi story that redefines grim and gritty.

Blade Runner 2049 is the rare sequel that enhances and even surpasses the original's mastery. Framestore created the visual effects for Blade Runner 2049 and delivered almost 300 VFX shots for the final film. Blade Runner 2049 creates an Earth that is grimmer and more creative than anything in the first film. Its other effects, such as for the AI character Joi, are entirely seamless.

6. Titanic Recreates An Infamous & Epic Disaster:

Titanic stands apart from other films based on the same subject matter. It primarily does this from the strength of its visual effects. Titanic manages to capture the horrific nature of the titular ship's sinking. It shows the audience the panic, chaos, and sheer carnage of an enormous cruise liner breaking and sinking.

Titanic uses plenty of CGI, but many of its effects are practical. In particular, the infamous scenes of the ship breaking in two use a model enhanced by CGI. In some cases, the film uses special effects for reasons other than aesthetics. Many shots of people falling from the ship are computer-generated because real attempts were too dangerous.

5. The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers Introduces Gollum:

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is the second film in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy. All three films are noted for their breathtaking visuals. They have huge battles, horrifying monsters, and fantasy kingdoms all rendered in a realistic and beautiful fashion. However, The Two Towers stands out for another reason.

Gollum is a significant character in Frodo and Sam's story. He's a pioneering character in the use of motion capture in filmmaking. Andy Serkis portrays an entirely fantastical creature through his own movements. Weta Digital served as the main visual effects company for the film. They used roto-mation and keyframe-tracking to replicate Andy Serkis's motion-capture performance in the creation of Gollum.

4. Avengers: Infinity War & Avengers: Endgame Create A Very Real Thanos:

Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame are the 19th and 22nd chapters of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, directed by Joe and Anthony Russo. Employing the use of new camera technology forwarded by The Arri Group, they are the first feature films to be shot entirely in digital IMAX.

Infinity War and Endgame collectively contain over 5,000 VFX shots, with work completed by Industrial Light & Magic, Framestore, DNEG, and several other studios. The film makes use of beautiful CGI for alien planets, superpowers, and fantastical technology. However, its crowning achievement is in villain Thanos. The CGI combines with Josh Brolin's voice work and motion capture to make a believable and compelling character.

3. Avatar Is Truly Groundbreaking:

Avatar is set in the mid-22nd Century. The film follows humanity's efforts to colonize the lush alien planet of Pandora, which threatens the existence of an indigenous tribe known as the Na'vi. Weta Digital served as the main visual effects studio for Avatar, with additional work provided by ILM and Framestore.

Avatar contains over 2,500 VFX shots. Its visuals are one of the main draws of the film. In particular, its use of motion capture, realistic CGI, and 3D filming are all considered some of the best in all of cinema. Its sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water continues its trend. Despite criticism for its characters and narrative, it's considered a must-see by many critics on the sheer strength of its visuals.

2. War For The Planet Of The Apes Raises The Bar:

War for the Planet of the Apes is the third and final installment of the Planet of the Apes reboot trilogy. The franchise has always been known for its visuals. This is only more true in the reboots. The films are beloved for the strength of their motion capture and CGI. They don't just make their apes realistic, they make them undeniably human.

Weta Digital produced the visual effects for War for the Planet of the Apes. Over 1,400 VFX shots make up the final film. Apes were created using a combination of CGI key-frame animation and motion-capture performance. In particular, the animals interact with the environment around them every bit as realistically as the human actors do.

1. Dead Man's Chest Is A Gold-Standard For Visual Effects In Film:

Directed by Gore Verbinski, Dead Man's Chest is a direct sequel to 2003's The Curse of the Black Pearl and the second-overall installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean series. It introduces a CGI villain in Davy Jones. This builds on the impressive visuals of Curse of the Black Pearl's undead pirates.

Davy Jones is an achievement in technical cinema. His character design is flawless. There is not one point in the film where the audience's suspension of disbelief is compromised. In addition, the color grading and distinct use of film grain heighten the film to give off a grounded, gritty, lived-in feel. Dead Man's Chest faces a lot of criticism, but none of it touches on the visual effects.

Article content ref from: www.cbr.com