Scenes that transcend the movie.

[Christopher]

I agree about that Batman Begins scene. A lot of people complained at first about how they couldn't see the action, but that was the whole point. It wasn't about showing off cool fight moves, it was about conveying how it would feel to a criminal to be attacked by Batman. It really sold the idea that Batman is downright terrifying to criminals, an inexplicable thing striking unpredictably from the shadows.

 

[Jetfire]

In the 1984 Karate Kid...the scenes of Mr Miyagi showing Daniel stuff...but I think there is a scene of Daniel on the beach by himself practicing that really works. I don't care what anyone says...I love those movies.

 

[DonIago]

The insect pit sequence in Peter Jackson's King Kong. I find the movie as a whole quite watchable, and there are certainly enough awe-inspiring sequences, but there's this surrealism and utter despair during this particular sequence that gets to me. The music is a contributing factor, and the creature effects are in some cases beyond creepy.

 

[Lonemagpie]

The insect pit sequence in Peter Jackson's King Kong. I find the movie as a whole quite watchable, and there are certainly enough awe-inspiring sequences, but there's this surrealism and utter despair during this particular sequence that gets to me. The music is a contributing factor, and the creature effects are in some cases beyond creepy.

That had the opposite effect on me - it took me right out of it, as it just screamed "we're doing this just cos the spider bit was cut from the 1933 version, but we now have the CGI to do as much bug-stuff as we want *just because we CAN*"

And the totally unnecessary bronto stampede had a similar effect on me...

 

[Jax]

I agree about that Batman Begins scene. A lot of people complained at first about how they couldn't see the action, but that was the whole point. It wasn't about showing off cool fight moves, it was about conveying how it would feel to a criminal to be attacked by Batman. It really sold the idea that Batman is downright terrifying to criminals, an inexplicable thing striking unpredictably from the shadows.

This

 

[Mr. Adventure]

I agree about that Batman Begins scene. A lot of people complained at first about how they couldn't see the action, but that was the whole point. It wasn't about showing off cool fight moves, it was about conveying how it would feel to a criminal to be attacked by Batman. It really sold the idea that Batman is downright terrifying to criminals, an inexplicable thing striking unpredictably from the shadows.

The problem has been that a lot of other movies have unfortunately used that technique indiscriminately so straight action films are being made now where you can't follow the action.

 

[Forbin]

I can rebut that with two words - I'm gay.

.

Well in that case, a young Ed Harris nude.

And Tom Savini was no slouch either! The guy was built!

 

[Christopher]

The problem has been that a lot of other movies have unfortunately used that technique indiscriminately so straight action films are being made now where you can't follow the action.

That was the case with some movies and shows well before Batman Begins; it's the legacy of a generation of directors who started out doing music videos. But Batman's first fight scene in BB was one instance where the technique worked. That's the thing. No technique is uniformly good or bad, and it's important to distinguish the cases where it works well and serves a purpose from the cases where it's just being done to be flashy or stylish or imitative.

 

[Lonemagpie]

That's the thing. No technique is uniformly good or bad, and it's important to distinguish the cases where it works well and serves a purpose from the cases where it's just being done to be flashy or stylish or imitative.

Indeed - for example, take shaky-cam. Works brilliantly in, say, Blackhawk Down, where it puts you in the events, cos your vision would be shaken, etc - but sucks absolute ass when they use it for scenes set round a dinner table or whatever...

 

[Christopher]

Or speed-ramping. Works great in The Matrix to illustrate the characters' ability to alter their perceptions of the simulation; the slowing down of their surroundings is something the characters actually experience and it's a plot point that they do. Pretty much works in Smallville for the same reasons, to show how Clark's perceptions shift when he goes into superspeed mode. Doesn't work so well in a Zack Snyder movie or the like where it's just being done to say "Ooh, look how flashy we can be!" Technique as a means to an end is good, technique as an end in itself is iffy.