Buzz
Today’s moviegoers are accustomed to over-the-top stunts and mind-blowing action scenes. From towering buildings erupting to vehicles soaring through the air, blockbuster films have no shortage of jaw-dropping sequences. Unfortunately, many of these awe-inspiring moments are generated using Computer Generated Imagery, or CGI.
But there's something special about practical effects that can't be replicated. The human eye is remarkably sensitive and can easily spot when an event is digitally fabricated. Here are ten spectacular movie scenes that were brought to life using practical effects. While these moments are becoming increasingly rare, real-world stunts can create the kind of awe that defines truly exceptional blockbuster films.
10. The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
The team behind James Bond films is renowned for preferring practical effects whenever possible. Although some rare missteps have occurred—like Pierce Brosnan’s infamous surfing scene on a blatantly fake CGI wave—many remarkable stunts have been achieved without digital assistance.
The 1974 film The Man with the Golden Gun, starring Roger Moore, includes one of the most extraordinary car stunts ever captured on film. A conveniently damaged bridge became the setting for an incredibly daring move: the corkscrew spin. Bond must drive up one side of the bridge, perform a full 360-degree twist in mid-air, and land safely on the opposite side. While computer simulations had predicted this was possible, no one had ever tried it in real life before.
With meticulous mathematical precision, the production team determined that the car needed to reach a speed of 77 kilometers per hour (48 mph). Stunt driver Loren Willert, who performed the stunt, was rewarded with an instant $30,000 bonus. Journalists were flown in from around the world to witness the moment. In 2008, the show Top Gear made an attempt to replicate the stunt but failed, highlighting just how impressive the original feat truly was.
9. The Dark Knight (2008)
Christopher Nolan is renowned for his preference for practical effects over CGI, and The Dark Knight (2008) was a pivotal film in cementing this reputation. There are many unforgettable stunts in The Dark Knight, including the actual demolition of a building. However, perhaps the most spectacular stunt is the truck flip. In this sequence, the Joker, causing chaos in a freight truck, is stopped by Batman, who uses steel cables to flip the truck onto its roof.
It would have been far simpler for Nolan to have CGI artists digitally generate this scene, but instead, he insisted on a practical effect. The team executed the stunt on the streets of Chicago, deploying a precisely placed piston to flip the truck upside down. The process was perilous, particularly with real bank vaults located beneath the road. Nevertheless, the stunt went off without a hitch, the driver remained unharmed, and audiences were treated to one of the most thrilling moments in modern cinema.
8. Fitzcarraldo (1982)
Though Werner Herzog may not be a household name outside of film studies circles, his body of work is nothing short of extraordinary. Out of his sixty feature films, many are considered cinematic masterpieces, but none as audacious as Fitzcarraldo from 1982.
Fitzcarraldo is based on the true story of Carlos Fitzcarrald, a Peruvian-Irish rubber magnate who, in the late 1890s, transported a disassembled steamship over a hill. In today’s world, a film like this would likely rely on green screens and CGI. But Herzog sought authenticity. He took his crew to the heart of the Amazon, where they actually hauled a 320-ton steamship over a mountain. The production was riddled with hardships, injuries, and a wrecked steamship that remains in the jungle to this day. Despite these challenges, the film was completed.
Herzog famously remarked after the release of Fitzcarraldo, 'Every man should pull a boat over a mountain at some point in his life.' While this is easier said than done, it certainly made for unforgettable cinema.
7. Dunkirk (2017)
Christopher Nolan didn’t stop at flipping trucks. His 2017 war film Dunkirk, which earned Oscar nominations and widespread acclaim for its realism, elevated practical effects to the skies. While the sound editing and set design provided a gritty sense of the Second World War, it was the breathtaking dogfights between Spitfires above the English Channel that truly left audiences in awe.
In an era when CGI is often the go-to solution, many assumed these airborne battles were digitally created. But in fact, they were real. Nolan secured Spitfire planes from the Imperial War Museum and enlisted pilots from the Royal Air Force to fly them. The aircraft completed up to twelve flights a day over the Channel, recreating dogfights and flying in formation. These planes were original World War II models, and to make it even more authentic, Nolan filmed Dunkirk on the very shores where the events unfolded seventy years prior.
6. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Australian filmmaker George Miller has had an eclectic career. He made his mark in the 1970s with the cult hit Mad Max, followed by two sequels. Afterward, Miller took a surprising turn, directing films about talking pigs (Babe) and dancing penguins (Happy Feet). In 2015, he returned to the post-apocalyptic world that made him a household name.
Despite its chaotic, dystopian action premise, Mad Max: Fury Road went on to earn hundreds of millions at the box office and win several Academy Awards. One of the film’s most thrilling moments occurs when the heroes attempt to escape across the desert in a custom-built oil truck, only to be pursued by a ruthless gang. Remarkably, the production team pulled off this high-octane sequence without relying on CGI or green screens.
As the crew raced through the Namibian desert, daring stuntmen clung to poles attached to moving vehicles, swinging back and forth at high speeds before leaping onto a truck. This remarkable feat required eight weeks of preparation and over 150 stuntmen. The fact that these breathtaking scenes were performed for real, without any CGI, likely contributed to the unexpected success of Mad Max: Fury Road.
5. Apocalypse Now (1979)
Apocalypse Now is notorious for its chaotic and grueling production. A typhoon destroyed the sets, Marlon Brando showed up late, Martin Sheen suffered a heart attack, and the film ran tens of millions of dollars over budget. Yet despite these massive obstacles, the film was completed and is now regarded as one of the finest films ever made.
One of the major challenges during production was acquiring military equipment. Francis Ford Coppola essentially assembled an army for his film. Through a personal connection with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, he managed to smooth over relations with the government, which was understandably apprehensive about a private citizen renting hundreds of pieces of costly military gear. The outcome, however, was nothing short of spectacular.
In one unforgettable scene, Sheen’s character lands on a Vietnamese beach (actually filmed in the Philippines) and is thrust into a massive battle. Helicopters and fighter jets soar overhead, hundreds of soldiers charge across the terrain, the sea teems with warships, and entire villages are engulfed in flames. None of this was digitally created. It was all achieved with real soldiers, helicopters, and actual fire.
4. Live and Let Die (1973)
James Bond makes multiple appearances in any list of iconic practical film stunts. In Live and Let Die, released in 1973, the film crew unintentionally set a Guinness World Record while filming one of their most daring stunts.
In one memorable scene, Bond, aboard a speedboat, is chased by Caribbean drug dealers through a Louisiana canal. The chase is interrupted by a low, gravel road that cuts across the canal. With escape looking impossible, Bond takes the boat up onto the road, soaring through the air before landing safely back in the canal on the opposite side.
It may not surprise you that the Bond team actually pulled this off for real. But it wasn’t easy, and stunt driver Jerry Comeaux had a very small margin for error, as the canal was just fifty feet wide. According to Comeaux, it was a case of “make the jump or else.” Fortunately, everything went as planned, and fans were treated to yet another unforgettable Bond moment. It wasn’t until later that it was revealed the stunt had set a Guinness World Record for the longest speedboat jump at 110 feet.
3. Tenet (2020)
Christopher Nolan took his commitment to practical effects to new extremes in his controversial and complex film, Tenet. Released as the first major movie after the global onset of Covid-19, Tenet was expected to revive cinema audiences.
While Tenet may have garnered mixed reviews, its spectacle was undeniable. Among the most jaw-dropping sequences is the Oslo airport plane crash. While we’re used to seeing airplane explosions and disasters created via CGI, Nolan opted for a more authentic approach. He bought a retired Boeing 747, crashed it into a building, and filmed it for the audience’s enjoyment.
According to Tenet’s visual effects supervisor, Andrew Jackson, “all of the flames, all the collapsing” were real events. What’s even more astounding is that, as Jackson revealed, it turned out to be more cost-effective to execute this stunt for real than to create it digitally with CGI.
2. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Together with Star Wars, Steven Spielberg’s Raiders of the Lost Ark helped shape the modern blockbuster. The film is packed with iconic one-liners, electrifying action, and memorable music. Yet one particular scene has come to define not only the essence of Indiana Jones but also the spirit of adventure films as a whole: the boulder chase. Though it lasts only a few seconds and occurs early in the film, few cinematic moments are as instantly recognizable.
How was this accomplished? The film crew crafted a 168-kilogram (300-pound), 3.6-meter (12-foot) fiberglass boulder. Harrison Ford had to outrun it down a 36.5-meter (40-yard) track not once, but ten times. Steven Spielberg determined that a stunt double wouldn’t be convincing enough and persuaded the Hollywood icon to risk serious injury for the shot. His choice to recreate a real boulder chase instead of relying on camera tricks or green screens (which were available at the time!) demonstrates the lasting impact of practical effects. It also serves as a valuable lesson for filmmakers today.
1. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Fans of Harry Potter will remember the unforgettable scene in The Prisoner of Azkaban, where Harry unintentionally inflates his cruel Aunt Marge. This moment is not only a brilliant piece of comedy, showcasing the whimsical side of magic, but it also delves into the darker aspects of Harry’s character.
What might surprise fans is that Pam Ferris, who portrayed Aunt Marge, was actually inflated—sort of. She donned a 23-kilogram (51-pound) inflatable costume that could be inflated layer by layer, even covering her face! Filming this sequence was a painstaking process involving hidden wires and thirty-eight different-sized tweed suits. The result is a remarkable scene where audiences witness what feels like the real inflation of a person. Reflecting on the experience, Pam Ferris recalls that she was four-and-a-half feet wide at her largest, unable to eat or walk while wearing the suit.
