King Kong (2005)
The Effect: The titular giant ape (Andy Serkis) fights dinosaurs, falls in love and generally monkeys around.
Why So Impressive: An extension of techniques pioneered by Peter Jackson and Andy Serkis in The Lord Of The Rings , with Serkis acting the part via motion-capture technology.
Geek Fact: Serkis travelled to Rwanda to study mountain gorillas in the wild.
Gremlins (1984)
The Effect: Gremlins go on the rampage in a bar and a cinema.
Why So Impressive: The sheer number of Gremlins required for the scenes, which, in pre-CGI days, were a mix of marionettes and mechanical puppets designed by Chris Walas.
Geek Fact: The scene of Gremlins tying Gizmo to a dartboard was the FX technicians’ revenge for having to deal with the troublesome prop.
A Trip To The Moon (1902)
The Effect: Astronauts launch a rocket into space, which strikes the Man in the Moon in the eye.
Why So Impressive: Because this was made over 100 years ago, and is still one of sci-fi’s most recognisable images.
Geek Fact: Georges Méliès made an estimated 23 films in 1902 alone.
Return Of The Jedi (1983)
The Effect: Jabba The Hutt, the biggest slug gangster on Tatooine.
Why So Impressive: This is how they did things back then – a puppet that weighed one ton and took three and a half months to construct.
Geek Fact: The sound effects for Jabba’s movement were created using, amongst other things, a bowl of cheese casserole.
Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest (2006)
The Effect: Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) comes after Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) to collect his soul.
Why So Impressive: The animators took Nighy’s motion captured performance and transformed into him into half-man, half-octopus, with an impressively mobile tentacled face.
Geek Fact: The starting point for Davy Jones’ skin was a coffee-stained Styrofoam cup.
Forbidden Planet (1956)
The Effect: The crew of United Planets Cruiser C57-D are attacked by an invisible ‘id monster’ that can only be seen when fired upon.
Why So Impressive: Forbidden Planet is a what’s what of the state-of-the-art circa 1956 (matte paintings, chunky robots) but this animated beast remains the most startling effect today.
Geek Fact: The id monster’s outline was animated by Disney veteran Joshua Meador.
Society (1989)
The Effect: Bill Whitney (Billy Warlock) discovers that his family are alien parasites capable of connecting their gloopy appendages together in an orgy of “shunting.”
Why So Impressive: The aptly named Screaming Mad George doesn’t hold back, creating a congealed mass of flesh that required a dozen crew members to control.
Geek Fact: Director Brian Yuzna hung a sign on the “shunting” set door that read, “Abandon hope all ye who enter here.”
Monsters (2010)
The Effect: Andrew (Scoot McNairy) and Samantha (Whitney Able) make a perilous journey through monster-“infected” Mexico.
Why So Impressive: Director Gareth Edwards redefined what can be done with FX. Shooting fast and loose on a tiny budget, all references to the monsters – including signs – were added in post-production.
Geek Fact: Aspiring directors take note. "You can go in the shop now and you can buy a laptop that's faster than the computers they made Jurassic Park on,” says Edwards.
The Fly (1986)
The Effect: Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) gene-splices with a house fly and gradually transforms into Brundlefly.
Why So Impressive: Huge attention to detail on prosthetics and puppetry enabled a plausible process that made the switch from Goldblum’s performance to the final FX onslaught a real emotional kick.
Geek Fact: The final Brundlefly was designed first, and FX supervisor Chris Walas worked backwards to figure out the transitional mutations.
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
The Effect: A flashback shows Professor X (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian McKellen) as they looked twenty years ago.
Why So Impressive: Rather than recast, the film pioneered digital skin-grafting to make Stewart and McKellen look younger.
Geek Fact: The technique involved splicing contemporary footage with old photos of the actors.
10 years after her last movie, Cameron Diaz teams up with Jamie Foxx in the first trailer for new Netflix action-comedy – and it's like Spy Kids meets John Wick
Singer Robbie Williams is played by a CGI monkey in emotional new trailer for The Greatest Showman director's musical biopic with a great Rotten Tomatoes score
