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. I hope you enjoy the list and find something new to inspire you!
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.
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.
Trailer
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?
Unofficial 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!
Haha don't know where you get you ideas for posts but they are different then most what you read here and I like it :D BTW I watched this horror movie you wrote about last time, Green Room and it was Awesome!
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Oh hey man! Thanks for the kind words. Glad you liked Green Room. I love when low-budget movies exceed all expectations. Green Room was epic!
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Yeah, it's really hard to find them though, there is just 1 in a hundred that's good.
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Most of these movies are so mesmerising to look at.
It frightens me a bit haha
I haven't watched The Revenant yet so I think that is the next movie I will binge watch.
Thanks for the suggestions @condra
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How do you binge watch one movie? :>
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Great list!
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Thanks man. Hope you find something to watch!
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Mr Nobody
Drive
Fight Cl.....ehm..nothing
Inglorious Basterds
Electroma
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Dude, The Revenant.... Epic friggen movie man !
Epic !
Upvoted
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Very Nice
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Amelie is by far one of my favorite foreign films, along with City of God coming up as a close second. Ex-machina is another one of my favorite films when it comes to cinematography. The location of the film is not only stunning but the science fiction and AI implementation is also very realistic, thus more enjoyable. :) The grand budapest hotel is also very visually pleasing to watch. I'm obsessed with the common color palette in that film. Plus the costume designer was incredible talented and quite worthy of their Academy Award.
I'm surprised you didnt name any animations, especially cause the title is films every visually creative needs to see. Are you a fan of the studio ghibli movies? My favorite has to be My Neighbor Totoro, even though the more common favorite is Spirited Away.
Anywho, this is a fantastic post! There are a few on this list I haven't seen and they look like something I might enjoy. Thanks for sharing. Upvoted!
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Oh! I almost forgot one of my all time favorite films, The Shining! Artists and filmmakers alike can learn from Kubrick's well thought out shots and visual cues. A genius work of art is one that is still being interpreted in different ways today.
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Amazing list!
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That's a really wonderful share by you
Loved your narration with a creative way.
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I think i should watch "The Revenant" tonight. Thanks for sharing :)
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That is so true.
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