Top 10 Digital Effects from Popular Mechanics

Popular mechanics has released an interesting list of the top 10 revolutionary digital f/x projects in film history. The top five are undeniably influential on film and still play a large role in how films are made today. The other entries in this list have that “Oh, yeah! ” feeling to them.

The list is as follows:

1. Star Wars – Motion Control Photography via computer
   
2. Tron – CGI light bikes
3. Terminator 2 – T1000 liquid metal effects
4. Cliffhanger – Deleted safety wires
5. Jurassic Park – Realistic dinosaurs with movement
6. Forest Gump – Inserting Gump into archival film
7. The Perfect Storm – Realistic Water
8. Lord of the Rings – Artificially intelligent Uruk-hai sprites
9. Polar Express – Large scale motion capture + photo realistic acting
10. The Day After Tomorrow – Photo realistic New York City

Four of the titles they mention deal with photo realism, so I think they missed the ball in that respect. They should have put in Toy Story and The Matrix, which have had a far larger impact than the visuals in The Day After Tomorrow and The Polar Express. Especially Toy Story because without it a movie like The Polar Express would have been done as well or at all for that matter.

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