"Since the dawn of cinema, filmmakers have strived to convincingly realize their stories on the big screen – which explains how far special effects technology has leaped forward over the past century.
After all, virtually every big blockbuster and epic drama ever made wouldn't be filled with half as much wonder or boast nearly as much scale without the ingenuity and artistic talents of the special effects crews involved.
This is true of any era, regardless of whether we're talking about the traditional practical and optical effects pioneered during the first nine decades or so of filmmaking, or the CGI-driven visual effects techniques that tend to dominate the contemporary landscape.
Indeed, across both eras, it's possible to pinpoint specific films that really raised the bar in terms of what could be achieved on-screen, forever expanding the storytelling tool set available to filmmakers going forward."
