Favourite special effects scene.

R

rosenthalaaron1983

New member
The scene in "Superman: The Movie" where Christopher Reeve exits right as Superman and enters left, in the same shot, as Clark Kent. So subtly and seamlessly done that most people, including me, don't notice it until it's pointed out.
No CGI, no models, no explosions, just split screen, shot and timed to perfection.:cool:
 
LoaRAB of CGI, maquettes, scale models, fire and brimstone make up my favourite special effects scene of all time.

Gandalf vs Balrog on the bridge of Khazad Dum.

"YOU SHALL NOT PASS!"

You must make sure the home cinema is turned up to at least 75% before watching this scene.
 
The shot in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom where the plane goes over the Great Wall of China. All done with models, but totally convincing.
 
The first time we see the Delorean time travel in Back to the Future!
It's not amazing special effects really but it's so effective. I remember when first watching it how surprised I was when the blue started spreading across the bonnet, that screeching sound of breaking the time barrier and then poof...
We then get the iconic image of Doc and Marty standing in the flame trails with "What did I tell you? EIGHTY EIGHT MILES PER HOUR!!!"

love it!

...right I'm gonna go and watch it again now!
 
He really did make us believe a man could fly.

I find it very hard to just pick one has I am in to all the action movies, superheroes, fantasy, disaster etc

I haven't noticied what you have pointed out but next time I put the dvd on will check it out.

I mean with have the good old movies from the 80s and 90s, BTTF, Terminator 2, Die Hard, Independence Day, Twister, Armageddon, Deep Impact, Alien etc etc etc.

It's hard to choose one. I would have to say though BTTF2 the future scene. When I 1st saw this when younger I didn't know too much about graphics and it blew me away
 
Only when ITV show it. Otherwise it's, when this baby gets to 88MPH we will see some serious s***.

I know there can't be many people who haven't seen it yet, but they must get confused when on ITV for the 1st time
 
He says that before the car time travels, but I do agree with you on the raping ITV give Back to the Future.
This whole seen is a mess when shown especially when they decide to remove all evidence of the Libbians being terrorists.
 
Yeah I know it is before the other bit which is why I said it.
If you watch for the very 1st time on ITV, and all you hear is what did I tell you, 88miles an hour.

You will be left what is that about.
 
the tentacle made out of water in the abyss amazed me when i first saw it - ditto the witch turning into different animals in willow. i don't think i'd seen cga before that and just couldn't work out how they'd done it
 
Can't believe no-one has mentioned the entire creation of Gollum's character in LOTR...
The scene where Good Gollum and Bad Gollum talk between themselves... it's so moving that you forget that you're just watching a load of pixels and not a real actor (although i know that it was closely modelled on Andy Serkis' facial movements)
 
Very good point there that man/woman!

The scene you're talking about is that single tracking shot at the end of Two Towers with Gollum/Smeagol deciding to let "her" deal with Sam and Frodo.

I think at the time it was the longest single-shot piece of CGI ever done, it may still be, but I doubt it.

Peter Jackson's trilogy remains, to me, the best example of natural looking effects in film history, no matter how technology moves on I can't see anything improving on his mix of old fashioned and state of the art techniques.

Cancel my earlier vote for the Balrog fight, I'm going with Gollum too!
 
As a film (OK, trilogy, but I like to think of it as a single work) LotR did as much to develop the FX technology in film as the original SW, and more importantly demonstrated that CGI and practical effects could work hand-in-hand. I love all the forced perspective stuff they did with the big/small characters. the fact that the final film has something like 10 times as many fx shots as the first is increadible! The development of the MASSIVE software has changed film-making. The fact that from the start to end of production they went from motion capturing Andy Serkis on a seperate stage, to being able to motion-capture on the same stage as all the other actors is quite astounding. And the best bit of it all is that all the amazing wizardry is invisible to the audience. They just see the story.

For me the stand-out scene is the battle of Minas Tirith. The Riders of Rohan fighting the Olifonts (bad spelling I'm sure) was mind-blowing.
 
Thanks norfolkboy: I couldnt remember exactly which scene it was.

Most great scenes have great special effects or superb acting... this one had both.

The first Mummy film with Brendan Fraser had some great effects too.
Loved the bit when the Mummy is nearly whole but not quite, and a beetle runs through a hole in his face :eek:

(now you can tell that I'm a woman:D)
 
Of completely CGI created scenes, I don't think anything could beat the creation of Gollum period. Though an honourable mention has to go to Final Fantasy:Spirit Within, who did amazing work with human CGI creation.

In the live action/computer manipulated scenes, I think this has to go to 'Bullet Time' from the Matrix. Honourable mention to Jurassic Park on their dinosaurs.

Though personally, my vote for special effects in any movie has to go to Ray Harryhausen; the Father of Stop-motion special effects. A man ahead of his time, he helped create some classic films in his near 40 year career.

On minor note, if we include stunts; my choice would be Jackie Chan in most of his films. Though the one that always sticks in my mind is Armour of God. Jumping nearly 10 feet from a wall to a tree, which actually worked first time. Sadly he didn't like it and tried again, falling nearly 30 feet to the ground.
 
Without doubt the scenes involving Davy Jones in the last two PoTC films. Dead Man's Chest rightly won an Oscar for its visual effects. An extraordinary use of technology to make the impossible so real that it completely fools the eye. Amazing.

I must admit to being a sucker for incredible CGI, even if the film is pants :o
 
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