Top 10 Practical Effects of All Time | A CineFix Movie List

From the first time Georges Melies shot the moon’s eye out with some over-powered artillery, the visual effects of movies have helped filmmakers like Geroge Lucas take us to new worlds, helped Stanley Kubrick visualize our most far-reaching dreams, and helped filmmakers like James Cameron, and John Carpenter bring our greatest fears and impossible creatures to life.

For over a century, special effects have helped Hollywood realize impossible visions. Now, computers, pixels, and CGI have become the dominant force in vfx, but in this movie list, we’re talking about the old-school art of practical effects. This is for sure going to be a long one. So get ready for a fascinating VFX breakdown or two or ten, because we’re going to take a deep dive into the behind the scenes magic of some of your favorite action movies, sci fi movies, and horror movies with CineFix’s Top 10 Practical Effects of All Time.

The Picks:

10 - Body Horror - An American Werewolf in London (1981) - dir. John Landis
9 - Animatronics - Jurassic Park (1993) - dir. Stephen Spielberg
8 - Forced Perspective - Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) - dir. Peter Jackson
7 - Rotating Sets - Inception (2010) - dir. Christopher Nolan
6 - Motion Control - Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) - dir. George Lucas
5 - Creatures - The Thing (1982) - John Carpenter
4 - Stop Motion Animation - Jason and the Argonauts (1963) - dir. Don Chaffey
3 - Everything and the Kitchen Sink - Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) - dir. James Cameron
2 - Ship Design - 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) - dir. Stanley Kubrick
1 - The Birth of Practical Effects - A Trip to the Moon (1902) - dir. Georges Méliès

Movie List Credits:
Written and Produced by Michael Calabro
Voiced by Clint Gage
Edited by Randi Redmon
Animation and Graphics by Casey Redmon

Eight years ago, we published our first version of Top 10 Practical Movie Effects of All Time. We decided it was time to revisit that list, and we hope you enjoy it.

For more tangentially related CineFix - IGN Movies and TV, be sure to subscribe AND check these out!

Top 10 Satires in Film History | A CineFix Movie List
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW7IOdSU5zg

Slow Motion to Speed Ramps: 5 of the Best Shots of All Time | A CineFix Movie List
https://youtu.be/fe6x1h8dZlY

Top 10 Independent Movies of All Time | A CineFix Movie List
https://youtu.be/VSiERa2Cp_E