10 Visually Stunning Movies Every Creative Must See
Some films have such visual impact, they end up imprinted in your brain, inspiring you for years thereafter. Whether you're an artist, designer or video maker, every visual creative should have a lot of inspiration to draw from.
In no particular order, these are ten of the most visually stunning and inspiring films I've ever seen. Actually, strictly speaking, eleven, and 2 of them are documentaries. My OCD is twitching out a bit, but it's OK. Not everything has to be as perfectly balanced as the following... eleven.. eh .. productions ...
Baraka / Samsara (1992/2011)
These mesmerising documentaries have no words, just stunning film recordings set to suitably epic music. These films, shot over three decades, look at life around the world, from the beautiful ritualistic dances of indigenous tribes, to more shocking aspects of modern life, such as our impact on the environment. The "fly on the wall" feel is sacrificed somewhat, in favour of beautifully lit and meticulously shot observations. You will be shocked, impressed, saddened, and mind-fucked, in fairly quick succession.
Trailer:
Holy Mountain (1973)
Speaking of mind-fucking.. Holy Mountain is Alejandro Jodorowsky playing Alejandro Jodorowsky in this visually stark, avant garde fruit basket. IMDB says "In a corrupt, greed fueled world, a powerful alchemist leads a Christ like character and 7 materialistic figures to a Holy Mountain. There, they hope to achieve enlightenment." That certainly gives the sense of a reasonably coherent story, so kudos to whoever wrote that. Regardless, the visuals are truly something to behold.
Trailer:
The Fall (2006)
L.A, 1920s. Stuck in hospital, a badly injured stuntman tells a curious little girl a fantastical tale of five mythical heroes. These are brought to life in vivid, spectacular scenes, with some of the most stunning costumes and scenery in cinematic history.
Trailer:
The Fountain (2006)
Director Darren Aronofsks visually explosive story of scientist, Tommy who is desperately searching for a medical breakthrough to save the life of his wife, Izzi who is dying from cancer. Lots of symmetry, CGI, dreamy sequences, ethereal, kaleidoscopic undulations.
A visual feast.
Trailer:
Blade Runner (1982)
Ridley Scotts Sci-Fi masterpiece. Four humanoid "replicants" have returned to Earth to find their creator and kill a few humans en route. Only Harrison Ford can kill the bad ones and fall in love with the hot one. And it all looks EPIC.
Trailer:
The Revenant (2015)
Alejandro G. Iñárritu creates one of the most visceral and immersive pieces of cinema of all time. It's 1820 in the mountainous wilderness. You're Leonardo Di Caprio. You get attacked by a bear. And some Mexican guy catches it all on video. Crazy shit I do tells you.
Put on a warm coat before watching the trailer:
Cloud Atlas (2012)
Another beautiful mind-fuck. Cloud Atlas links various stories across centuries, around the globe. Apart from Tom Hanks, this is a great movie. Also a masterclass in cinematography.
Trailer:
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
An artificial object is found buried beneath the moons surface, triggering a race to discover the truth behind human evolution. Kubricks seminal Sci-Fi was many years ahead of its time.
Sucker Punch (2011)
Baby Doll is locked up in a mental asylum by her abusive step-father. Retreating into her vast imagination, she conjures up characters and scenarios of epic proportions. The shit hits the fan of course, when, and I hate to use this expression .... the lines between reality and fantasy become increasingly blurred. Beautiful movie though.
Trailer:
Amelie (2001)
A hot, quirky French girl decides to become a do-gooder, after reuniting a pissed-off old guy with his childhood toys, much to his delight. Along the way she meets a hot French guy, who is also kinda quirky. But can they be truly together in a world with this much symmetry and color grading?
Not the trailer:
What are your top 10 visually stunning films?
This list was never going to be comprehensive. Nor could it account for the range of tastes out there. So, tell me, what did I miss? Let me know in the comments!
You might also like:
10 Documentaries Every Creative Must See
My Top 10 Mindfuck Movies
Five Reasons "Stranger Things" Is The Best TV Show Of 2016
Great list! I agree with many of them. Here's some more, top of mind -
Play Time
Mysteries of Lisbon
Only God Forgives
Barry Lyndon
City of Pirates
Tokyo Drifter
Kagemusha
War Horse
Enter the Void
The Mirror
Morning Patrol
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
Gattaca
Contact
Mr. Turner
Wait, I'm getting carried away here. Must stop. :)
Cloud Atlas is one of the most underrated movies ever! Great selection man. I didn't watch some of these so I've bookmarked it for later.
I loved it! Glad you found something new in there. Cheers for the comment.
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Ahaha! I'm honoured!
Blade Runner is my favorite! Absolutely impressive athmosphere and soundtrack.
Cool list covering some of my alltime favorites, like Blade Runner and Space Odyssey. I personally would also add Interstellar and Pan´s Labyrinth to that list.
Good choices! Really the list could easily be 100 long!
I haven't heard of many of these. Thanks! Will look them up. They do look great.
I've seen a few of these, but I'm grateful for the recommendations. Thanks!
Cheers!
Excellent! Creativity is just so amazing.. Can't wait to for the "sharing" features..;)
I'm a big fan of Andrey Tarkovsky. With 'Stalker' being my absolute favorite and 'Solaris' a close second.
Stalker very nearly made my list. Beautiful!
I love the works of Tarkovsky! Every shot is like an oil painting. He took such care and precision. As others have mentioned below, Stalker is amazing. Love the languid shot of the passing foliage. His watery houses always haunt my dreams (in the best way!).