Star Wars special effects 'most influential'

Star Wars was named as the most influential visual effects film of all time today.

George Lucas’s 1977 film helped inspire many of today’s visual effects industry professionals to pursue their careers, the survey by the Visual Effects Society (VES) found.

It also introduced the use of new visual effects techniques, including motion control.

Visual effects veteran Richard Edlund, who won Oscars for his work on all three films in the original Lucas trilogy, told the Hollywood Reporter: “Star Wars woke up a sleeping giant. The audience enjoyed booing the villains and cheering the heroes. Since Star Wars, its audience salivates for new effects movies.”

Eric Roth, VES executive director, announced the top 50 results of the poll of its members.

Mr Roth said: “These films have had a significant, lasting impact on the practice and appreciation of visual effects as an integral, artistic element of cinematic expression and the storytelling process.”

Blade Runner (1982) came second in the poll, followed by 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and The Matrix (1999) in joint third place.

Jurassic Park (1993), Tron (1982), King Kong (1933), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Alien (1979) and The Abyss (1989) made up the rest of the top 10.