14 of the Most Visually Stunning Movies of All Time 2023

When it comes to the best things people like about movies, it usually comes down to a great story and the actors involved. But another element of filmmaking that is just as important is the visuals. What you see unfold on the screen can play tricks on your eyes and make you see things you can’t believe aren’t real. Visually stunning movies come in all shapes and sizes, from films with outrageous special effects to those that contain incredible cinematography that captures landscapes and environments in ways you could never imagine.

There is a reason the visual side of filmmaking has numerous Oscar categories. It is an important part of a movie that can set it apart from other similar stories. When it comes to the most visually stunning movies ever created, the playing field is wide and open. There are so many movies that can fit the bill, from big-budget epics to small indie flicks, that it is hard to list them all. It’s something that even got Reddit users thinking when u/dilapidatedbunghole posed the question; “What is the most aesthetically pleasing movie you’ve ever seen?”

So we’ve decided to answer as best we can by writing about some of our favorite visually stunning movies we think you should watch.

14 of the Most Visually Stunning Movies of All Time

Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers/YouTube

1. Drive (2011)

A near-silent Ryan Gosling plays a stunt car driver who moonlights as a getaway driver. When a job goes bad, putting his neighbor and her son in danger, Gosling turns into a vicious and calculated killer who will stop at nothing to make things right.

If you’re not sold on the premise, how about the fact that Drive is a neon-drenched trip through evocative Los Angeles with a gritty edge? Throw in an 80s synth soundtrack, tight pacing, and terrific performances from Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, and Albert Brooks, and you have yourself one of the best movies of the mid-00s.

Watch on Prime

2. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Not only does 2001: A Space Odyssey deal with complex themes about life, death, and mankind’s future, but the movie contains incredible visuals never seen before in movie history. Stanley Kubrick did a magnificent job of turning Arthur C. Clarke’s famed science fiction novel into a movie, with the cinematography next level.

The colors, backgrounds, and subtle changes in light all make this film easy on the eye, while the final third set on Jupiter is just mind-blowing.

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3. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)

Guillermo del Toro’s brilliant but haunting Pan’s Labyrinth is a dark and terrible nightmare that you can’t look away from. Ofelia moves into her stepfather’s home and discovers a magical realm where she meets all manner of strange and kooky creatures. There’s a real darkness to this movie, with cinematographer Guillermo Navarro crafting a unique style that’s both inviting and frightening.

Using a mixture of make-up, animatronics, and CGI effects to bring the creatures to life helps gives the movie a sense of authenticity, as it doesn’t just rely on computer graphics. It also helps that some of the creatures are just downright scary and will have you checking your closet before bed.

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4. The Revenant (2005)

While the story of Leonardo DiCaprio traveling across America in search of revenge against Tom Hardy for killing his son is strong, it’s the work of cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki that makes The Revenant such a great watch. Set during the 1820s, Lubezki really captures the beauty of the American West juxtaposed with the savageness of those who inhabit it.

You really get a sense of how hard life was to live during those conditions, and in the end, it’s clear to see that no man is a match for mother nature.

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5. Avatar (2009)

Director James Cameron has been a leader in the field of special effects in movies. From The Abyss and Terminator 2: Judgment Day to Aliens and Titanic, Cameron has incorporated visual effects into all of his movies. But he takes things next level with Avatar. Part live-action, part animation, the movie is like nothing that has ever come before it. The effects are so advanced that Cameron had to wait many years for the technology to catch up before he could shoot the movie.

Basically rehashing the story of Pocahontas, Avatar is the definition of a visually stunning movie. It made $2.923 billion at the box office and won several awards including three Academy Awards for Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, and Best Art Direction.

Watch on Disney+

6. La La Land (2016)

Not your usual musical, La La Land is an easy-on-the-eye romantic drama starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone as struggling artists (he’s a jazz pianist and she’s an aspiring actress) who fall in love in Los Angeles. While the song and dance aspect is a big drawcard, the way the movie is shot is also exhilarating.

The song and dance numbers will have you clapping along while the splashes of color brighten up many of the darker-lit scenes. It also helps that Gosling and Stone are memorizing on screen and have great chemistry, only adding to the great visual appeal of this movie.

Watch on Tubi

7. Inception (2010)

Cinematography plays an important role in all Christoper Nolan films, but it is especially present in Inception. The movie is a mind fuck about invading people’s dreams and features several visually stunning set pieces, such as the car chase and crash and when the city streets fold in on each other.

Combine these eye-popping special effects with a head-scratching story, terrific performances from the leads, and an open ending finale and you have yourself one hell of a movie from Warner Bros. Pictures.

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8. Blade Runner (1982)

Director Ridley Scott created a dystopian, neon-covered future with the science fiction epic Blade Runner. Based on Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, the movie revolves around the hunt for androids who have escaped to earth. It’s another dark and gritty visual feast, with Scott creating what he thought Los Angeles would look like in 2019. Many of the special effects use paintings and models to achieve the incredible results seen in the movie.

A shoutout must also be given to Blade Runner 2049, with director Denis Villeneuve keeping the same tone and visual appeal of the original. The movie was a big hit and won Best Cinematography (Roger Deakins) and Best Special Visual at the Academy Awards in 2017.

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9. Sin City (2005)

This movie stands out due to the way it was filmed. Adapting Frank Miller’s graphic novels for the big screen, director Robert Rodriguez shot the movie in front of greenscreens. This enabled him to create the feel of a comic book on screen. Shot in black and white, splashes of color here and there help magnify certain events or characters, giving the movie another interesting quirk.

Rodriguez stays relatively true to the graphic novels, and thanks to an ensemble cast including Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson, Benicio Del Toro, and Clive Owen, Sin City was a box office smash, earning almost $160 million on the back of a $40 million budget. The sequel is terrible though and not worth watching.

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10. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Arguably his most beautiful film, The Grand Budapest Hotel is Wes Anderson at his charming best. Known for his use of pastel colors and inventive camera work, Anderson displays it all with this feature. The colors really do pop, from the purple of the hotel employee’s uniforms to the red carpets and pink walls of the hotel.

The plot follows a hotel concierge framed for murder who must prove his innocence and find the real culprit. It’s nothing new, but Anderson’s writing, along with the visual appeal and massive supporting cast (including Ralph Fiennes, Bill Murray, Saoirse Ronan, Adrien Brody, Jude Law, and Tilda Swinton) help makes this film a delightful watch.

Watch on HBOMax

11. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Nobody was quite sure what to expect when George Miller announced a fourth Mad Max movie. Arriving 30 years after Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, Mad Max: Fury Road blew everyone away. Considered one of the great action movies of the past two decades, it’s a visual explosion of fast cars, harsh desert landscapes, and a dystopian future nobody wants coming true.

Cinematographer John Seale came out of retirement to be part of the film, with the use of digital and disposal cameras having a big impact on the clear and concise footage shot. The majority of the effects in the film are practical, only adding to the realistic appeal of the movie.

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12. Annihilation (2018)

While the film itself isn’t the greatest (still very watchable though), visually Annihilation is really good. The plot concerns a group of women who enter “The Shimmer,” a quarantined zone where an asteroid hit, causing plants and wildlife to mutate. While dealing with concepts of nature, isolation, creation, and self-destruction, the world where “The Shimmer” has hit is the highlight of this movie.

The vegetation is full of color and strange creations while the wildlife has mutated into weird animals you don’t want to get close to. All this combined with the great cast and the feeling of dread that begins to infiltrate the movie make it visually stunning.

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13. Moonlight (2016)

Moonlight is an Oscar-winning flick about the three stages of a young black man’s life as he deals with not only issues of race, but the fact that he is also homosexual. Along with the incredible performances from the stacked cast and an engaging script, visually Moonlight is also enthralling.

Director Barry Jenkins and good friend, cinematographer James Laxton, shot the movie using widescreen and used a color palette that increased certain colors, making for a vibrant and heightened watching experience.

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14. The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford (2007)

An underrated gem, The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford is about the life and times of outlaw Jesse James (Brad Pitt) and his eventual downfall at the hands of his friend Robert Ford (Casey Affleck). While it’s not a film with gut-busting special effects or huge action set pieces, it is visually stunning in the way it shows the American West.

The cinematography brings to life what life was like during that time and the harshness of the environment. It also features several timelapse segments that show the changes through the seasons.

Watch on AppleTV

Categories: Entertainment
Source: Tekmonk Famous Biography