Original “Star Wars” Named Best Special Effects Movie Of All Time

If you were around in 1977 and saw it for the first time, you knew then what a hand picked groups of experts have now confirmed – “Star Wars” is the most influential special effects effects film in motion picture history. That decision came from an entity called the Visual Effects Society, which is made up of the 1,500 men and women who create those spectacular images on screen. Special FX have become a hallmark of the industry and can range from light saber duels to Spider-Man web swinging his way through the rooftops. If you believe the impossible, they’ve done their job.

That’s what makes the achievement of the film that tells the story of what happened long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away so remarkable. Increasingly sophisticated computers have allowed filmmakers to show scenes unthinkable three decades ago. Yet, the original “Star Wars” is 30 years old and was an overwhelming choice for the winner. In fact, the top three all came out before the turn of the century.

Ridley Scott’s “Blade Runner” was second. And 1968’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” tied for third with “The Matrix”. “These films have had a significant, lasting impact on the practice and appreciation of visual effects as an integral, artistic element of cinematic expression and the storytelling process,” explains the Society’s Eric Roth.

Also making the top 50: “Jurassic Park”,  “Forrest Gump”,  “Titanic”, “Mary Poppins”,  and “E.T. the Extraterrestrial.” The most recent film on the list comes from last year – Johnny Depp’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest”.  But in case you think of special effects as a modern phenomenon, the group made sure to remind fans it’s been going on for a long time.

The oldest flick on the ranking comes from 1902, a French classic called “A Trip to the Moon”.  And 1933’s original “King Kong” is also in the top 50, proof that movie effects don’t have to be modern to be ‘special’.

The Top 10 Best Visual Effects Movies Of All Time

    1. Star Wars (1977)
    2. Blade Runner (1982)
    3. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) (tie)
    3. The Matrix (1999) (tie)
    5. Jurassic Park (1993)
    6. Tron (1982)
    7. King Kong (1933)
    8. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
    9. Alien (1979)
    10. The Abyss (1989)

See the entire list. (.pdf file)

Photo credit: M.J. Kim/Getty Images Entertainment