Sci Fi Science

Top 10 Movie Special Effects
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No. 10 - Blade Runner: Los Angeles, November 2019

If you thought you were the weird kid growing up just because you had an insane obsession with blowing stuff up ... you probably were. Of course, there's nothing wrong with watching the professionals re-create these thoughts, now is there?

From doll houses to animatronics, CG to "flow motion," we've got enough of the coolest Sci-Fi Film Special Effects sequences to last you a lifetime — or at least until 2019, which is where our No. 10 list-er finds us ...

The vision of Los Angeles in November 2019 alone is one of the most visually stunning sci-fi movie sequences in history. And we're not just saying that ... we have almost all the sci-fi community behind us on this one. For example the image of the spinners, or flying cars, cutting through the atmosphere was the result of very specific lighting and a machine that dispersed oil in intervals, creating what appears to be L.A. and its infamous smog. Every element was considered in the production of this future noir city, which set the bar extremely high for special effects-induced cities (think Fifth Element) to come, including layer upon layer to add gritty textures to the look. But if you think this was normal filmmaking back in the day, think again: Blade Runner was making magic in 1982 — that's seven years before Harry Potter's Daniel Radcliffe was even born. God, we're old.