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 panel discussing the VES 50 includes Academy Award-winners Richard Edlund, Dennis Muren, Doug Trumbull and John Dykstra (tent.), as well as moderator, Academy Award-winner John Knoll. Some of the other programs that will be showcased during the Festival include:
The Art Of The Miniature: What Can You Get Me In Two Weeks?
Vfx Manipulation: With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility
Pre-Viz: All The Ins And Outs
The Festival kicks off with an Opening Night Party at 7:30 pm Thursday, 6/7/2007. From 10:00am to 10:00pm on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, Visual FX pros and fans will have the opportunity to attend discussion panels with industry leaders and legends, screenings of past and present films and the presentation of the VES 50: The Most Influential Visual Effects Films of All Time.
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)
The full schedule and information on buying festival passes or tickets to individual events is available at the official website for the 2007 VES Festival of Visual Effects, www.visualeffectssociety.com/vesFestival.cfm.
Comments (69)
1.
How could they possible have left John Carpenter's The Thing off this list??! Even to this day that film has some of the most mind-blowing, visceral effects I've ever seen.
Posted by Phil on Friday, May 11, 2007 @ 09:50 PM
2.
Darren Aronofsky's 'The Fountain' will surely be added to that list in the future.
Posted by Craig on Tuesday, May 15, 2007 @ 01:08 PM
3.
Since "2001: A Space Odyssey" clearly influenced "Star Wars" and "Metropolis" influenced "Star Wars", "Blade Runner" and nearly everything else, I would have liked to see them both higher in the list (especially "Metropolis"). And where are "Frankenstein" and/or "Bride of Frankenstein"?
Still, it's good to see a mix of both old and newer movies featured -- especially at the top of the list.
So for what it's worth then, my top three for influential special effects: "Metropolis", "2001" and "The Matrix".
Posted by ric_mac on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 04:01 AM
4.
I feel the cronology of the list should be closer to how the films were released. If not for Melles and A trip to the Moon would there have ever been a Star Wars?
Posted by Jamey on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 04:02 AM
5.
There wasn't a big leap between the three star wars films, nor the LOTR films, so only one from each trilogy should have been included in the list.
Posted by JJoMalley on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 05:10 AM
6.
Also Total Recall which won a special achievement award for visual effects at the 1991 Oscars
Posted by numty on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 06:34 AM
7.
Phil, that's exactly my reaction. Each of the Lord of the Rings films, individually, made that much of a contribution, but NOT Carpenter's The Thing?
Posted by Otho J Noggle on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 08:49 AM
8.
I'm suprised by the list in some cases. Many of the movies definetely deserve to be there, because each pioneered a new wave of visual FX (Star Wars, The Abyss, Terminator 2), but many of the films on the list (especially the sequels that rehashed the older films effects but to a better degree) should have been cut for other pioneering films.
'Willow' - first use of morphing.
'Dragonheart' - first CGI character who spoke and acted.
'Young Sherlock Holmes' - a precursor to the Abyss, T2, and Jurassic Park.
Posted by Chris on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 09:01 AM
9.
Any list of 50 Most Influential Visual Effects Films of All Time” that doesn't include "Un Chien Andalou" isn't worth the time of day.
Posted by danrice56 on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 09:09 AM
10.
How could 2001: A Space Odyssey not be #1? It was basically the pre-cursor to everything that came after it, visually. So by definition, wouldn't it have to be the most influential?
Posted by Brandon on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 09:39 AM
11.
The Matrix over Jurassic Park??? Jurassic Park paved the way for everything after it, even convincing George Lucas to start his Star Wars prequels. There's nary a movie out nowadays that doesn't have some sort of CG character or creature in it.
Matrix had bullet time, which we saw for a couple of years in commercials and in movies like Bad Boys 2 and Swordfish. Don't get me wrong, Matrix should be in the top ten, but not above Jurassic Park, no way, no how!
Posted by Snoogins on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 09:40 AM
12.
The list also seems to be missing "Predator (1987)" which also had some visual effects that were amazing for that time.
Posted by jlo on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 09:41 AM
13.
Well, that's a stupid list. Three LOTR movies? And surely Terminator 2 is more influential than Jurassic Park?
Posted by Justus on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 09:46 AM
14.
Visually, the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy should count for one spot on the list. The difference with the original 'Star Wars' trilogy and the 'Alien' films is that each single film had different directors which you could tell by looking at them. 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' could have gotten one of those 'LOTR' spots.
Posted by John on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 09:47 AM
15.
Willow anyone? Didn't ILM invent "morphing" specifically for that flick?
Posted by Andrew on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 09:53 AM
16.
What? No "Gertie the Dinosaur" (1914)? Without Windsor McKay's masterpiece AND being the first animated cartoon, there would have been no Disney or "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". McKay and "Gertie" inspired a lot of animators and vfx artists.
Posted by John on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 10:02 AM
17.
Who chooses these movies and how do they rank them. I'm sorry but The Fifth Element should at least be in the top 5. And where is momento? Momento was one of the most cutting edge movies ever with the way it was visually filmed. I agree with most but you cannot put Babe over The Fifth Element!
Posted by Brandon on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 10:17 AM
18.
U are right. Nice movie, have that DVD in my collection. Anyway... there are more titles to talk about around those 50s. The thing it is indeed mind-blowing and visceral and I love Kurt Russel playin` Scf-fi genre.
Posted by LepsuleT on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 10:22 AM
19.
No "Independence Day"? Really? All those featurettes about recreating famous landmarks and blowing them up doesn't rate a mention yet all three LOTR movies are here? Those three were practically made in conjunction with each other and the visual effects from the first to last hardly varied. You could halve this list and it'd still deserve ID4. Might mean more too considering some of the titles feel like a stretch compared to the 5. What's with the ties too?
Posted by David on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 10:29 AM
20.
I know that puppetry isn't really used anymore, but I probably would have put Little Shop of Horrors on the list as well.
Audrey 2 is still to this day the greatest piece of puppetry ever created for film.
However, the list is of the most INFLUENTIAL visual effects films, and not the films with the greatest special effects. So I can see how great examples of visual effects like Little Shop of Horrors, The Thing, or other examples.
Posted by Tim Cahill on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 10:34 AM
21.
Didn't you see it? The Thing was # 51
Posted by AirDave on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 10:39 AM
22.
You can certainly tell the narrow view and anglo-centric nature of the voters for this list. Other than some obvious choices from Hollywood's early history (Wizard of Oz, The Lost World, King Kong, Citizen Kane), there is not much on the list that isn't easily found in the average video store. Many of the more recent selections also repeat effects, or simply advance techniques already in process at the time of their creation. Star Wars and the ground breaking work of George Lucas certainly qualify to top the list, but there is too much emphasis on CG and the modern age and not enough on visionary technigues pioneered by directors working either in the Silents (example, the use of overlapping film stock for montage), or in non-English language cinema (Soviets anyone?). All in all, the VES 50 begins to look pretty limited when you consider these factors.
Posted by Neil on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 10:53 AM
23.
Sorry, but "2001: A Space Odyssey" has to be #1 on this list. Without HAL and company, there IS NO "Star Wars."
Posted by Shad0w on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 11:11 AM
24.
While I'm not exactly a fan of the movies themselves, I really think that The Matrix should have been number one. That film was a juggernaut of never before seen special effects and it created a new interest in the sci-fi genre. Who hasn't heard of bullet-time at this point?
Posted by Leah on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 11:11 AM
25.
No Lawnmower Man? No respect.
Posted by Bernie on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 11:38 AM
26.
Phil said: "How could they possible have left John Carpenter's The Thing off this list??! Even to this day that film has some of the most mind-blowing, visceral effects I've ever seen."
...uh, maybe because the list is for "influential visual effects films" not "films that blow Phil away". These movies affect the industry as a whole and the advancement of the craft. Carptenter's "The Thing" was a great movie though.
Posted by Ramone on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 11:39 AM
27.
I would have liked to have seen the remake of The Fly on this list somewhere. The transformation near the end of the film is still amazing to me. I would have also liked to have seen Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, which featured some of the first computer generated graphics in a movie. Talk about influential...
Posted by Frank on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 11:53 AM
28.
How can a movie that came out just a year ago (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest) be all that influential? And how can Fellowship rank above The Two Towers when it was Gollum that really pushed the envelope of special effects?
Posted by Todd on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 12:13 PM
29.
Good list, but where is The Birds? The phone booth scene alone should warrant a mention.
Posted by matt on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 12:17 PM
30.
I think they should have at least mentioned The Fountain. I still can't get over how mind blowing the visuals are in that movie.
Posted by Nick on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 12:55 PM
31.
Well, apparantly, anything that may resemble "gore" effects don't count as being integral visual effects. Perhaps it is just that they exclude any "practical" or physical effects and only concentrate on the more virtual special effects.
Posted by Caroline on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 01:08 PM
32.
It's shameful that INDEPENDENCE DAY was left off the list!!!
Posted by Lauren on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 01:33 PM
33.
If gore and practical effects were excluded, what's An American Werewolf in London doing on the list?
Posted by Jeff on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 01:36 PM
34.
Not a bad list. Could be worse. How about The Last Star Fighter!?? Didn't that have some of the first CGI? LOTR should only be one entry
Posted by eric on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 01:37 PM
35.
I agree that 2001 should be first, followed by SW... after all, SW was simply a quicker better way to do the photography in 2001.
I love LOTR but it should be thought of as one film.
And where is I, Robot?
Posted by Nick on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 02:01 PM
36.
What? No Wizard of Oz?
Posted by Chris on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 02:16 PM
37.
Some genuinely poor films on the list, Forrest Gump, what dreams may come, the fifth element, No The Thing is disgraceful and American werewolf should be a lot higher and to be honest Toy Story should be number one.
Posted by Steve Coverdale on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 02:25 PM
38.
I thought that scene where Cliff Robertson was riding his motorcycle in Flowers For Algernon while he was on drugs was pretty trippy...
Posted by Ken on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 02:35 PM
39.
The Thing The Thing The Thing.....HELLO!!!!
Posted by Cam on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 03:30 PM
40.
Can you nerds ever stop whining and accept someone's opinions. Who cares if your movie wasn't listed or if Jurassic Park is higher than T2 (and rightfully so). It's a list. Who cares? Morons.
Posted by mike on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 04:29 PM
41.
Yeah Hellloooo! No "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas"??!! I agree w/ most of you, LOTR should be 1 entry. Last Starfighter was great. And Memento was absolutely brilliant. I also agree w/ Todd... Dead Man's Chest??!@#** What has it influenced?? T2 is not on here?? The Thing deserves mention. Horrible list!!!!
Posted by CinemaFreak on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 04:31 PM
42.
What about all those 70's disaster flims ? The Poseidon Adventure, The Towering Inferno and EarthQuake. Those pretty cutting edge back then without CGI.
Posted by rsound on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 04:41 PM
43.
I'm surprised that "Earthquake" was left off the list. True, the movie was a bit dull but its use of miniatures for the city and "Sensurround" were truly impressive for the time.
Posted by Lesley on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 05:24 PM
44.
Excuse me???? Poltergeist was left off this list??? That film not only exemplified cutting edge effects but was one of the few films where the effects actually became a character in the film, not just something to show off.
Posted by DF on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 05:30 PM
45.
Where is 300? I see Sin City.
Posted by gillianfey on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 05:39 PM
46.
A list like this is always going to be a bit subjective - and there are cases pro and con for sequels. The cons have been made, but e.g. scenes in SW EP5 TESB in the Cloud City are worthy of mention in their own right. I disagree over Memento. It was clever but neither ground-breaking nor visually influential.
Posted by Ajjam1967 on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 06:14 PM
47.
Speaking of visual effects, without mention of "The Wild Bunch" and/or "Bonnie & Clyde" with regards to on-screen mayhem, this list is suspect. The editing in the Wild Bunch alone was as influential as anything cited.
Posted by al on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 06:16 PM
48.
'Terminator 2' really should be in the top 10.
Posted by Oliver on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 06:29 PM
49.
"The Incredible Shrinking Man" and "Poltergeist" should have been included, IMO.
Posted by Gulliver on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 07:07 PM
50.
Buster Keaton's 1924 film "Sherlock, Jr." should be on that list. Not only did Keaton pioneer groundbreaking special effects and camera tricks, but several of the effects from this film have been "borrowed" countless number of times. People walking out of a movie screen and into real life in Woody Allen's 1985 "The Purple Rose of Cairo"? Keaton invented that gag in Sherlock, Jr. more than 60 years earlier! When I think of "influential special effects" I think of things no one has done before and everyone since has tried to copy. Half the films on this list don't incorporate any new or influential effects, they're just all reusing the same effects the other films used. Certain films have landmark effects and have changed how people make films. Many of Keaton's films fit that bill, but none more so than "Sherlock, Jr."
Posted by Dan on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 07:23 PM
51.
i just wondered that still 300 is not in the list !!
Posted by meraj on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 08:52 PM
52.
How can The Mummy by Stephen Sommers not be included. Even with today's visual effects it still remains one of the most dazzling movies I've ever seen. Shame on this list!
Posted by Catherine on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 09:30 PM
53.
I think some of the posters here are misunderstanding the phrase "visual effects". It does NOT refer to editing, onscreen violence, or action sequence dynamics...but rather SPECIAL EFFECTS. I can't think of a film less appropriate for this list than Memento. That was not a special effects-based film, simple as that. And The Thing (and Independance Day) could easily have been included if Lord of the Rings didn't hog 3 spots! They shouldn't have gotten away with that. Otherwise, good list.
Posted by Jim on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 09:41 PM
54.
There needs to be an asterisk somewhere to inform people that horror movies are not a part of this category (one movie out of 50 w/ Alien). Another example of snobby movie critics ignoring the genre (clearly the thing, braindead, evil dead could have made this list.)
Posted by Pat on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 09:58 PM
55.
Noticed a few like minded people... I definitly think "Willow" should have made the cut.
Posted by Bri on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 10:53 PM
56.
If you really think about it, the most influential should be a tie for #1 between "Forbidden Planet" and "Metropolis" both groundbreaking epics and what about George Pal's "The Time Machine" from 1960 and his "War of the Worlds" from 1953. Absolutely shocking not to have those on the list.
Posted by Dr Morbius on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 11:00 PM
57.
TERMINATOR 2 IS BETTER THAN THE OVERRATED MATRIX!
Posted by JESUS CHRIST on Thursday, May 17, 2007 @ 12:34 AM
58.
where's the invisible man the 1933 film version by director James Whale.The effects in that film still hold up pretty well to this day
Posted by miguel valenzuela on Thursday, May 17, 2007 @ 01:14 AM
59.
Considering G. Lucas (the creator HIMSELF) all but abandoned puppets, models, set dressing, and everything tangible, I'd say including at least one 'Star Wars' prequel on this list is essential. They certainly represent the state of the art TODAY, and therefore reflect greater "influence" than, say, Frank Oz's puppets. I hate to say it, but I think their omission from the list is more to prevent a loss of "hipness" on the part of VES.
Posted by Steven on Thursday, May 17, 2007 @ 01:19 AM
60.
What about James Whale's "The Invisible Man"? That shit was mindblowing for its day and stilll stands up ok today!
Posted by Luke on Thursday, May 17, 2007 @ 01:47 AM
61.
Mike posted this on May 16:
<< Can you nerds ever stop whining and accept someone's opinions. Who cares if your movie wasn't listed or if Jurassic Park is higher than T2 (and rightfully so). It's a list. Who cares? Morons >>
Mike, what do you think the purpose of the list is? Might it be -- at least in part -- to stimulate debate? Might that be the reason why comments are invited and why the mechanism has been supplied to give those opinions? 'Who cares..?' We do: we enjoy the medium of film and like to compare what we think with the oppinions of others. We may not agree, and we might think that others have missed the point (some people *do* seem to have posted their favourite films, rather than having considered that *influential* is the key word), but so what? We're just having a little fun.
Apparently, you're not: 1) hard luck, and 2) which 'moron' has missed the point?
If I were you I wouldn't waste my time in a discussion that you think moronic. I'd go and do whatever it is that higher beings like yourself do.
Posted by marmalade on Thursday, May 17, 2007 @ 06:16 AM
62.
And no Dawn of the Dead, the film that kickstarted the splatter movie craze. What Dreams May Come WTF?
Posted by bols on Thursday, May 17, 2007 @ 11:38 AM
63.
That list is idiotic.
Where is 300?
Posted by sosumi on Thursday, May 17, 2007 @ 03:30 PM
64.
300 just came out. While it will probably be extremely influential, hard to say that it is at this point
Posted by henry on Friday, May 18, 2007 @ 12:47 PM
65.
How many of you have actually watched each film on the list?
That is to say, in a theater or rented the tape and viewed it on your home theater.
How many of you have watched each film several times?
I have most of them four or five times.
I have not seen #13, 35, 50 or 300 and its ok because I will eventually see them.
If you do not like this list, then post your own.
As for the comment stated by #22, he is correct. The list is an American view on film.
We Americans do this in sports also. Case in point, The World Series (baseball), the Super Bowl (Foot Ball), the NBA Championship, Auto Sports and in most cases boxing. We call these things Super or World when we’re usually competing with our fellow countrymen.
Since this magazine is international, this list should also be an international list and should count all films created.
I think The Visual Effects Society should rescind this list and recompiled it to include 50 of the most influential international films with Visual Effects of All Time. A list like this would reflect the industry more accurately.
Posted by Morris Davis on Friday, May 25, 2007 @ 01:27 PM
66.
Fred Niblo's film 'Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ' (made in 1925) cleverly used colour filters to produce the visual effect of the healing of lepers. The method was later re-used by Rouben Mamoulian in his film of 'Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde' for Fredric March's transition (in 1931). That this wasn't more 'influential' is largely down to Mamoulian keeping a tight lid -- for many decades -- on how he achieved the effect.
Posted by marmalade on Sunday, May 27, 2007 @ 06:39 PM
67.
If you're talking about "visual effects" being emphasized more over "special effects" here, as one comment mentioned, you absolutely HAVE to have Terry Gilliam's Brazil on the list. Some of the "visual effects" sequences were just absolutely stunning in their day. I'd also argue for Independence Day, even though I personally didn't care for the movie.
Just went to see 28 Weeks Later and there was a trailer for the new Die Hard film. I think that's going to be a definite contender for this list as well...
Posted by Aaron Clow on Thursday, May 31, 2007 @ 03:32 PM
68.
Since I think the definition of Visual Effects is what Wikipedia defines it as :"Visual effects usually involve the integration of live-action footage with computer generated imagery or other elements (such as pyrotechnics or model work) in order to create environments or scenarios which look realistic, but would be dangerous, costly, or simply impossible to capture on film.", I don't think that "Toy Story" or "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" belong on this list. They are pure animation and makes no attempt at photorealism.
Posted by Hana on Tuesday, June 19, 2007 @ 03:26 PM
69.
Surprised to see no one mentioned "Destination Moon". This was famed for the visual accuracy for it's time. Look up comments on the Imdb. Got an oscar for visual effects.
Posted by Jim Wurtz on Thursday, August 2, 2007 @ 06:54 PM
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