Special effects have come a long way in a very short amount of time, and that becomes especially obvious after taking a look at the two videos below. The first is a supercut of the worst special effects of all-time, highlighting scenes from Deep Blue Sea (1999), The Mummy Returns (2001), King Kong (2005) and more. Funny thing is, I saw all three of those movies in theaters and it isn’t until looking back at them in this video that I recognize how poor their effects are. Will there come a time where we do the same with today’s films?
The second video is yet another super cut, this one focused specifically on the ten worst practical effects of all-time. It contains a few honorable mentions in the form of the dam jump in The Fugitive (1993) and the bed scene in Howard the Duck (1986), among others, but here are the ten films that comprise the list’s official entries:
- A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
- Beetlejuice (1988)
- RoboCop (1987)
- Street Trash (1987)
- Troll 2 (1990)
- Spookies (1986)
- The Terminator (1984)
- Samurai Cop (1991)
- Mac and Me (1988)
- Jaws 3-D (1983)
Of course, some will say these films are simply a product of their time (even though this cut, in true Internet fashion, doesn’t go any farther back than 1983*), and that is true, but it doesn’t necessarily make the bad effects better so much as lend context to the effects work itself. It is interesting, however, to think about films that have aged well, from Alien and Aliens in the 1970s and 1980s to Jurassic Park in the 1990s, and even to look at films that haven’t aged quite as well but plenty of people still love — for me, that would be Back to the Future and its sequels, which have plenty of moments that make me chuckle at their dated effects but I simply can’t deny how much I enjoy the films anyways.
So go ahead, take a look at the two videos below and let us know what you think. Are there any other films that deserve a mention for their poor or especially dated special effects? Any films whose effects aren’t that good but that you love anyways? Take to the comments below and give us your input!
* Okay, they threw 1972’s Night of the Lepus in there, but still, I think you get the point
