By Robert Eggers Nosferatus for George Miller Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga2024 has delivered some visually stunning films. In the streaming era, as more and more audiences wait to watch new films at home, filmmakers are having to go further and further to get people into theaters. One way to do that is to make a film so gloriously well shot, with images so deeply cinematic, that it demands to be seen on the big screen.
The surreal sci-fi visuals of Dune: Part Two not only took audiences to cinemas, but also to the biggest screens in the world. It wasn't enough to see Dune in a theater; it had to be an IMAX cinema. Some of the year's horror efforts, like Nosferatus and The substancewere bolstered by stunning cinematography – and even one of the most criticized films of 2024, Joker: Folie à DeuxIt was filmed beautifully.
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Joker: Folie À Deux
Joker: Folie à Deux it wasn't for everyone. The courtroom plot has been criticized for not only being reminiscent of the first film, but even criticizing its own fan base. The final scene with the “real” Joker was criticized for making both films null and void (even though it was always clear that Arthur Fleck wasn't going to be Batman's arch-nemesis, just based on the timeline). But one thing everyone agrees on is that the movie looked amazing.
Lawrence Sher's cinematography is equally impressive the second time around – and thanks to all the fantasy sequences, he has even more opportunities for sumptuous visuals. From the dark pits of Arkham Asylum to colorful nightclub-style musical numbers, the Clown the sequence is a visual treat. Sher walks away from this film with his reputation intact.
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Nosferatus
Robert Eggers took on a daunting cinematic challenge by remaking FW Murnau's unofficial classic Dracula adaptation Nosferatus. Had he failed to deliver visuals as powerful and expressionistic as Murnau's, the remake would have been a failed endeavor. But Eggers has always been a bold filmmaker; it featured such disturbing images as a witch breastfeeding a crow and Robert Pattinson having sex with a mermaid.
Eggers' Nosferatus it's exactly the mesmerizing visual treat that Murnau's is. Eggers' director of photography, Jarin Blaschke, takes great pleasure in disturbing and confusing his audience with the haunting visuals of Nosferatus. These images are appropriately shrouded in darkness, leaving much to the viewer's imagination.
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Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
George Miller is a master visual storyteller, on par with Alfred Hitchcock. He designs his films so meticulously that anyone anywhere in the world could watch them without subtitles – or even without sound – and still be able to follow the story. He doesn't tell his stories with dialogue and exposition; he tells them with image sequencing. His latest post-apocalyptic action epic, Furiosa: A Mad Max Sagais an excellent example of this.
In the hands of cinematographer Simon Duggan, the desert has never looked so vibrant, with the bright oranges of the desert lighting up the screen. Miller's traditional use of stunts and practical effects makes his action sequences a sight to behold. There is no light CGI in Furious; the high speed chases and violent accidents are actually happening.
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The substance
One of the best ways to provide an unforgettable viewing experience is to scare your audience. Coralie Fargeat's body horror epic The substance has some of the most disturbing images ever put to film, mainly thanks to Pierre Olivier Persin's masterful prosthetic effects. Demi Moore's aging becomes increasingly shocking, and “Monster Elisasue” – a hideous spectacle that amalgamates every ridiculous male fantasy into a jaw-dropping grotesquerie – is a masterpiece of movie magic.
Much like the last Fargeat film, Revenge, The substance culminates in an opera of bloodshed. The entire set is painted red in honor of Carrieprom scene. No matter how much they want, the public will not forget the look of The substance shortly.
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Dune: Part Two
Greig Fraser has followed his Oscar-winning photography since the first Dune film with even bigger and bolder visuals Dune: Part Two. Wadi Rum is one of the most used filming locations in Hollywood, but Fraser filmed it in a way audiences had never seen before. His lens transformed a regular terrestrial desert into the otherworldly landscapes of Arrakis. In Dune: Part Twohe returns to Arrakis for another mind-blowing IMAX spectacle.
After Dune set the table, Dune: Part Two was free to hand over all rewards. Of Paul Atreides riding the sandworm to the Lord of the Ringslarge size battle scenes, Dune: Part Two is full of inspiring cinematic images. The film's look demanded to be seen on the biggest screen possible and rewarded a trip to the theater.