MovieChat Forums > Special and Visual Effects > Special Effects films that changed Holly...

Special Effects films that changed Hollywood forever

posted 16 years ago by Palpatine77
5 replies | jump to latest

What films do you think have helped Hollywood take a gigantic leap forward in special effects?

For me, and this is just off the top of my head, three films come immediately to mind.

1) King Kong (1933). It may look like simple claymation today, but back in the early days of "talkies" (the first film with dialogue was just 6 years before), it was absolutely groundbreaking.

2) Star Wars(1977). When this film came out, there were only a handful of professional special effects artists in Hollywood, most working on television commercials and C-grade movies. The reason why summer blockbusters today almost always have special effects begins here.

3) Jurassic Park 1993). A few films before this featured CGI (most notably Terminator 2), but this was the film that for the first time featured photo-realistic living creatures and environments made by CGI.

Any other groundbreaking special effects films come to mind?

[–] Iloveyoujohnnycakes 16 years ago

Terminator 2?

[–] Askur 16 years ago

No offence, but the word "claymation" is used to described stop motion done with clay characters, such as Wallace and Gromit, not all kinds of stop motion. And while the topic first is up, I think that Coraline will be remembered for a long time for its technical innovations in the genre.

About special effects and impact on Hollywood, there is a list on the net that has some ideas about it:

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 OGill and the Little People (1958)
50. The Fifth Element (1997)

[–] zeroalias 15 years ago

2001:A Space Odyssey was the film that really changed the face of outer space science fiction. The visuals were unlike anything that had I seen before when I saw the film in 1969. I was completely mesmerized at how everything looked and moved, from the opening (the alignment of the moon, earth and sun) to the ending (the star child gazing into space). Even to this day, forty years later, I believe most of the special effects still hold up fairly well. During the gap between 2001 and Star Wars, I often wondered why the film industry ignored genres that would utilize those types of ground breaking effects.

[–] davidslicer 14 years ago

I have to agree with you on "2001:A Space Odyssey".It was a film that was made ahead of its' time and I think the film kept up with the times.The visual effects weren't only good.They were legendary for the reality it displayed on the screen.Even though "Star Wars" was my favorite,"2001" was a better sci-fi film.Even George Lucas said so.

[–] whitelion43 14 years ago

me three after i saw the initial list I thought "where is 2001?"

Oh GOOD!,my dog found the chainsaw