The Visual Effects Society (VES) has released its definitive VES 70: The Most Influential Visual Effects Films of All Time. The original VES member-chosen VES 50 list was created in 2007, marking one decade since the organization’s inception. In commemoration of the VES’ milestone 20th anniversary, the global membership–now almost triple the size of the membership first polled–added films from 2015 and earlier to the prestigious VFX honor roll. The goal of the two polls was to result in 50 and 20 films respectively, but each poll had ties for the final slots, thus the list includes 72 total films.
“The VES 70 represents films that have had a significant, lasting impact on the practice and appreciation of visual effects as an integral element of cinematic expression and storytelling,” said Mike Chambers, VES board chair. “We see this as an important opportunity for our members, leading visual effects practitioners worldwide, to pay homage to our heritage and help shape the future of the global visual effects community. In keeping with our mission to recognize and advance outstanding art and innovation in the VFX field, the VES 70 now forms a part of our legacy that we can pass down to future generations of filmmakers as a valuable point of reference.”
Films included in the VES 70 span from the early 1900’s to 2015. The earliest entry on the list is A Trip to the Moon (Le Voyage dans la Lune), the seminal 1902 French silent film directed by Georges Méliès, whose iconic image exemplifies the VES’ legacy–past, present and future. The most current entries are Academy Award winner for Best Visual Effects, Ex Machina, and the critically acclaimed Mad Max: Fury Road, both from 2015. The ballot, voted on by VES members in Summer 2017, was limited to features from 2015 and earlier, to help ensure that the candidates have had a lasting impact and that voting was not unduly influenced by the most recent VES Award winners.
The VES 70: The Most Influential Visual Effects Films of All Time is presented in alphabetical order (the newly added films are noted in bold italics).
300 (2007)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)
A Trip to the Moon (1902)
The Abyss (1989)
Alien (1979)
Aliens (1986)
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Apollo 13 (1995)
Avatar (2009)
Babe (1995)
Back to the Future (1985)
Blade Runner (1982)
Citizen Kane (1941)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Darby O’Gill and the Little People (1958)
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
District 9 (2009)
E.T. the Extraterrestrial (1982)
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Ex Machina (2015)
Fantastic Voyage (1966)
The Fifth Element (1997)
Forbidden Planet (1956)
Forrest Gump (1994)
Gertie the Dinosaur (1914)
Ghostbusters (1984)
Godzilla (1954)
Gravity (2013)
Inception (2010)
Independence Day (1996)
Jason and the Argonauts (1963)
Jaws (1975)
Jurassic Park (1993)
King Kong (1933)
King Kong (2005)
Life of Pi (2012)
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
The Lost World (1925)
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Mary Poppins (1964)
The Mask (1994)
The Matrix (1999)
Metropolis (1927)
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006)
Planet of the Apes (1968)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Return of the Jedi (1983)
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad (1958)
Sin City (2005)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
Star Wars (1977)
Starship Troopers (1997)
Superman: The Movie (1978)
The Ten Commandments (1956)
The Terminator (1984)
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
The Thing (1982)
Titanic (1997)
Total Recall (1990)
Toy Story (1995)
Tron (1982)
Transformers (2007)
Young Sherlock Holmes (1985)
The War of the Worlds (1953)
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
What Dreams May Come (1998)
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
