Personally, one of the hallmarks of human ingenuity and our penchant for playful behavior is no better displayed than in a movie’s — and more recently, television’s — visual effects. Here, entire worlds, species, beings, and more are created all from the mind of people like you and me (only way more talented). And this little clip definitively proves that, in 130 years, we’ve come a crazy-long way.
“Visual effects” is really more of an umbrella term for any of the myriad processes by which imagery is created outside of live action shots. But even that shows how, with a little bit of wiggle room and an exciting problem to solve, humans are capable of really impressive, cool, and awe-inspiring things. As the limits of our world expand, so too our storytelling capabilities, and when they’re complemented by the work of ingenuous creatives, bona fide magic is created on-screen.
Video editor Jim Casey‘s chronological exploration of visual effects in film really shows just how far we’ve come. Though there are many, many clips included — going back as far as 1878 (jeez!) — some of the coolest moments from the likes of A Trip to the Moon (Le Voyage dans la Lune), Marry Poppins, Jurassic Park, Star Trek, Gravity, and more are on display, creating welcome reminder of our accomplishments in the field. Which is really quite nice considering the neverending snark parade that is our at-times-hypercritical now.
Alright film nerds: can you name all of the films in this clip without cheating? Let’s try to list ’em all in the comments below.
HT: GabeMAX
its so beautiful *_*
Fantastic Voyage. Star Trek. Gravity. Tron Legacy. Godzill (2014). A Trip To The Moon. Steamboat Willy. Hollow Man. King Kong. Wizard of Oz. Fantasia. Creature From the Black Lagoon. Ten Commandments. The Birds. Jason and the Argonauts. Mary Poppins. Fantastic Voyage. Poseidon. Exorcist. Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Star Wars. Superman. American Werewolf in London. Indiana Jones (Raiders). ET. Another Star Trek movie. Tron. Peter Pan. Return of the Jedi. Lawnmower Man. UHF? Flight Of The Navigator. Labyrinth. Robocop. Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Back to the Future 2. Indiana Jones (Crusade). Total Recall. Beauty and the Beast. Terminator 2. Jurassic Park. Nightmare Before Christmas. Forrest Gump. Lion King. The Mask. Casper. Toy Story. Independence Day. Mars Attacks. Space Jam. Starship Troopers. Titanic. Godzilla (1998). Mighty Joe Young. Pleasantville. Prince of Egypt. What Dreams May Come. Fight Club. The Matrix. The Mummy. Stuart Little. Chicken Run. The Perfect Storm. AI. Final Fantasy: Spirits Within. Pearl Harbor. Shrek. Spiderman. Pirates of the Caribbean. The Day After Tomorrow. The Incredibles. The Polar Express. Spiderman 2. King Kong (2005). Sin City. Wallace & Gromit. Happy Feet. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest. Superman Returns. 300. The Golden Compass. Transformers. Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Avatar. A Christmas Carol (2009). Watchmen. Inception. Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Avengers.
Music. Liberi Fatali by Nobuo Uematsu. Opening Theme to Final Fantasy 8.
WHOA Captain Impressive is here with SO MANY movie names. Nicely done, Tom W.!
Thank you ma’am.
Labyrinth owl.
That’s all that is important to me.
hmm, in chronological order, I see (that I can name) footage of the horse Occident, the Beheading of Mary, Queen of Scotts, which was the first to use a jump cut as a special effect, Le Voyage dans la Lune, Metropolis, Steamboat Willie, The Andalusian Dog (maybe?), The invisible Man, The Wizard of Oz, Fantasia, The Day the Earth Stood Still, The creature from the Black Lagoon, 20 000 leagues Under the Sea, The Forbidden Planet, the 10 Commandments, The Birds, Mary Poppins, Fantastic Voyage, 2001 a Space Odyssey, and The Exorcist, and that’s the first half but I don’t have time for the rest.
This is pretty cool. I know a good deal of them but some I’m aware of. It’s always good to study these films to see the development of visual effects.
I may not be able to name all the clips but I’d recognize that music anytime! That’s from the amazing composer Nobuo Uematsu and was used in the game Final Fantasy VIII (8 for, those non roman numeral readers.) Good game. FANTASTIC music.