Delve into the world of on-screen wonders with our rundown of 10 movies with dazzling practical effects. Get ready to have your mind blown! Find out more here!
Ghostbusters (1984)
While some of the SFX from Ghostbusters hasn’t quite aged well, there are some sequences with some incredible practical effects. One notable scene is the library, where the books and papers float off the shelves.
The use of practical effects for this sequence instead of CGI really sells the idea that something eerie is going on.
The Thing (1982)
One of the reasons The Thing is as scary as it is today is because of its use of practical effects. The monster looks truly horrifying just because of how grotesque it looks. This isn’t something CGI could quite copy.
Even years later, The Thing looks as good today as it did when it came out.
Aliens (1986)
Practical effects made Aliens look as incredible now as it did then. From practical weapons and sets to the xenomorphs, themselves, the use of physical props and practical effects keeps this horror classic still delivering real scares.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Middle-Earth would not look nearly as good as it does if it used CGI entirely. Thankfully, Peter Jackson took a practical approach to crafting the world of the Lord of the Rings. From weapons to sets, most of the movie is practical. This makes the film look as great as it does today several decades later.
Jurassic Park (1993)
If there’s a king of practical effects, it’s probably Jurassic Park. From real sets to huge animatronics, there’s a clear difference between a Jurassic Park film that uses real props and one that uses CGI. The dinosaurs just look better.
Compare Jurassic Park with one of its recent sequels, and you can clearly see which one is going to hold up well in 10 years’ time.
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
Pan’s Labyrinth is a surreal horror story with some memorable monsters. If these creatures and effects used CGI, then the impact wouldn’t quite be the same. Its use of practical effects makes the world feel that much more real and horrifying.
Independence Day (1996)
In a movie about aliens, it’s easy to rely on CGI. However, Independence Day proved that aliens are a lot scarier when you use practical effects. The alien design, in particular, makes it one of the movie’s most impactful reveals.
Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
It’s pretty common now for movies to simply put CGI mechanized suits on actors. It tends to just fall flat. Edge of Tomorrow looks as good as it does because it used real exo suits. It adds a touch of grittiness to the scene that makes the plot feel that much more real.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
One of the things the Indiana Jones franchise is known for is its practical effects. In Temple of Doom, there’s one stunt that is particularly of note. While the mining cart scene uses miniatures here and there, by and large, that scene was filmed practically. They use a real mining cart and track.
It makes the entire sequence feel like the stakes are actually high and those involved are in actual danger.
Titanic (1997)
James Cameron tends to pull out any stops when making his films. For Titanic, that meant relying on practical effects as much as possible. The use of practical effects helped show just how destructive and terrifying that night likely was for those who experienced it.
Using CGI would have made it feel cheap and fake. Practical effects put audiences right in there with the actors.
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