Favourite special effects scene.

I'm also with the LOTR crowd, but a different section.

I like the whole series of scenes in Fellowship, from leaving Balin's tomb, the arrival of the Balrog, the collapsing staircase, and Gandolf vs the Balrog on the Bridge. I just think they are visually stunning, and in my opinion the following films struggle to match it visually, even if the story is better.

Would probably have to pick the descent on the collapsing staircase in Moria as the best overall. ("No-one tosses a dwarf ! ")
 
Lots of the modern CGI are impressive. 2 of the early CGI scenes stick in my mind - the first encounter with the Apatosauros (aka Brontosauros) in JP and the fight at the end of Terminator 2. Up to then all the CGI had been quite slow, then ILM tunred the speed dial up to 10 with some really fast CGI moves.

But for me mothing compares with the Daddy of all SFX scenes - the trench run in SW ep IV.
 
Doesn't look so good these days, but growing up, one of my favourites was the Id monster attacking the perimeter fence in Forbidden Planet.
 
That's the one! I love that sequence as well. And when it walks down the street - attention to detail makes it look like a real mechanical machine.

As for traditional non-cgi mechanical effects, the T Rex in JP was superb. And as for matt shots, that amazing space battle scene in Empire Strikes Back.



Everything in Forbidden Planet was great. With the possible exception of Leslie Nielsen being cast as the captain.
 
TITANIC.. the whole second half
DAY AFTER TOMMROW.. the tornado and water scenes
SPIDERMAN 3.. the crane hits the building
LOTR... the battle scenes
HARRY POTTER... shots of the castle
 
The Matrix - When Trinity does that kick the policeman right at the beginning, just because I wasn't expecting it.

The Matrix Reloaded - Right from the Chateau fight to the end of the car chase. I remember relaxing the same time Link did.

Transformers - The attack on the base at the beginning and at the end when one of the transformers is shooting rockets in slow motion while jumping over some screaming woman.
 
I disagree, I think that scene and a lot of the other special effects in Forbidden Planet still stand up today. When you consider that the some effects in films that are only ten years old look crude and clunky, whereas the fifty year old effects still look pretty good by todays standarRAB.

One of my favourite effects scenes is when Ripley is using that load lifter in Aliens. Apparently a lot of the shots are actually models, but you don't notice them. That's the advantage of using models instead of CGI, because they will always look real even if they look like models, whereas CGI sometimes just looks artificial and stand out from the film.
 
My I give an honourary mention to the T-Rex/Kong Kong fight in the original 1933 film?

I saw it recently and was gobsmacked at how advances it was, given the limited resources and technology at hand at that time. It really does look quite advanced given the era it was made in....

Hard to believe that was done nearly 80 years ago!!:eek:

The audiences watching it originally must have been FLABBERGASTED- to my knowledge literally NOTHING like that had appeared in cinema before....

(I also adored thebattle of Minas Tirith (mind blowing!) and the first sight of dinosaurs in JP. As CGI was in its early stages at the time I was really struck by it. I remember thinking- this is going to change film making- forever...)
 
ARMAGEDDON
from the launch of the shuttles to the landing on the asteroid
stunning

also .....

PREDATOR 2 - when the predator walks through the puddle, and the water splashes up on his leg
ACE VENTURA - when he comes out of the fake rhino, unbelievably funny and very rubbery!!!
DINOSAUR - the first five minutes, pure beauty driven by a stunning score (not seen it yet though)
DARK STAR - simple, effective, beautiful (hyperdrive sequence initiated ..... HIT IT PINBACK!! UUUUUUUUUUIIIIBI

BBBBBLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL ..... )
*yes that was indeed the soundeffects for it :cool: *

1941 - the ferris wheel going off the pier
STAR TREK GENERATIONS - the attack on the enterprise and subsequent saucer crashlanding .....

and a lot more .....
 
Transformers still doesn't fail to amaze me. The first film that "blew me away" though was Jurassic Park. The first movie I watched at the cinema and still today it holRAB its appeal for me.
 
Im with you and others regarding LOTR-taken as a whole I think its films greatest achievement and has set a fantastic early standard for the 21st century.
Otherwise films that left me awestruck at the time of release are-

Star Trek 2-The Wrath of Khan
Willow
Terminator 2
The Abyss
Aliens
The Thing

Somebody mentioned Ray Harryhausen and "Dynamation"-maybe a cul-de-sac in film history, but a glorious one!
 
Whilst i'm on a 50s fest...

The saucer arriving at Metaluna in This Island Earth, is another of my favourites. Also the de/recompression chamber effects.


ps I once had breakfast about a foot away from Ray Harryhausen. :)
 
Another vote for the aforementioned scenes in Transformers.

I haven't been that impressed and excited by CGI since going to see Jurassic Park at the cinema as a kid.
 
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