Visual effects can make or break a movie. The 21st Century ushered forth a new form of filmmaking that forever changed the way movies are made. Stark progress in technical cinema allowed directors to produce films that gave new meaning to the phrase "movie magic."

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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.

Updated on December 21st, 2022 by Isaac Williams: 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.

15 Jurassic Park (1993) Changes The Game

Dr Grant staring down the T-Rex in Jurassic Park movie

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.

14 X-Men: Days Of Future Past Has Some Of The Best Superpowers In Cinema

Quicksilver running at super-speed in the Pentagon in X-Men Days of Future Past

Superhero films often make heavy use of visual effects. The X-Men films are noted for their inconsistent quality. Early films like X-Men and X2: X-Men United struggle with the limited technology of the time. Other films like X-Men Origins: Wolverine simply look poor by the standards of their time.

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None of this applies to X-Men: Days of Future Past. Among its many other virtues, the film is beautiful. It creates a perfect dystopian Earth, and its Sentinel villains look realistic. In addition, it's noted for the visual splendor of some of its characters' superpowers. Quicksilver's time-slowing speed and Magneto's lifting of a stadium are two of the most beloved shots in the whole series.

13 Rogue One (2016) Achieves Photorealism

The Death Star aiming at Jedha in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

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.

12 2001: A Space Odyssey Remains Iconic

The interior of the space ship from 2001: A Space Odyssey movie

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.

11 Blade Runner 2049 Is Simply Breathtaking

A huge Joi talking to K in Blade Runner 2049 movie

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.

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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.

10 Titanic Recreates An Infamous & Epic Disaster

The Titanic breaking in half in Titanic movie

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.

9 The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers Introduces Gollum

Gollum talking to Frodo in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

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.

8 Avengers: Infinity War & Avengers: Endgame Create A Very Real Thanos

A close-up shot of Thanos' face in Avengers: Infinity War.

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.

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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.

7 Aliens Brings Sci-Fi Horror To Life

The Xenomorph Queen in Aliens movie

Aliens builds on the award-winning special effects of Alien and outdoes them. The film creates a dingy, unpleasant future and makes it look real. The dank colony on LV-426 looks like a real place the actors are shooting in, as do the many spaceships in the film.

However, it's the creatures that are Aliens' crowning glory. Its horde of xenomorphs are realistic and utterly terrifying. They scuttle inhumanly, mutilate several cast members, and burst out of the chest of helpless colonists. All look real and incredibly visceral. The use of costumes and miniatures is aided by excellent cinematography and editing to make everything seamless.

6 Ex Machina Shines Despite Its Measly Budget

Ava with Kyoko in Ex Machina movie

Ex Machina centers itself around a humanoid robot. Despite the film's small budget, it manages to make Ava a convincing character. In an even more challenging feat, it makes her sympathetic despite her inhuman appearance for much of the film. DNEG served as the main visual effects studio for Ex Machina.

All scenes with Alicia Vikander's Ava were shot twice, once with and once without Vikander's presence, which allowed cinematographer Rob Hardy to capture the background of the scene. The painstaking process pays off in the final product. Ex Machina's excellent performances and stylish direction are capped off by its incredible visual effects. The film looks impressive for a big-budget picture. Given the money it did have, its visuals are miraculous.

5 Avatar Is Truly Groundbreaking

Na'vi on Pandora in Avatar

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.

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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.

4 Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World Shows Care In Every Scene

Scott Pilgrim drawing his flaming Sword of Love in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World movie.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World takes the best aesthetics from films, comic books, and video games, and puts them into a single movie. It has Edgar Wright's signature attention to style throughout, including in its visuals. The film makes extensive use of CGI throughout.

Everything in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World looks near-perfect. Its flaming swords, holographic monsters, and psychic powers all look incredible. However, what sets Scott Pilgrim apart is how it uses its visual effects. They're almost omnipresent, adding bits of video game and comic book flair to scenes where many people wouldn't expect it.

3 War For The Planet Of The Apes Raises The Bar

Caesar riding a horse in the snow in War for the Planet of the Apes movie

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.

2 Interstellar Has Contributed To The Publication Of Scientific Research Papers

The Black Hole in Interstellar movie

Interstellar follows a group of astronauts who travel through space searching for a new home for humankind. It's directed by Christopher Nolan, known for his insistence on strong visual fidelity in his movies. DNEG serves as the lead visual effects studio for Interstellar. The team creates a great many realistic visuals. In particular, Interstellar's scenes of spacecraft are among the best of the genre.

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Interstellar's most beloved visual is its black hole. The film uses the latest research on black holes to create the most realistic, terrifying, and beautiful stellar phenomenon put to film. The effects are so incredibly lifelike that the film has actually sparked astronomy research in its own right.

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

Davy Jones turns around in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest

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.

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