The surreal sci-fi visuals of Dune: Part Two not only got audiences out to theaters, but got them out to the biggest screens in the world. It wasn’t enough to see Dune in a theater; it had to be an IMAX theater. Some of the year’s horror efforts, like Nosferatu and The Substance, were bolstered by gorgeous cinematography — and even one of the most widely panned films of 2024, Joker: Folie à Deux, was shot beautifully.
5
Joker: Folie À Deux
Joker: Folie à Deux wasn’t for everyone. The courtroom storyline was criticized for not only rehashing the first film, but even lambasting its own fan base. The final scene with the “real” Joker was criticized for making both movies null and void (even though it was always clear that Arthur Fleck wouldn’t be Batman’s arch-nemesis, just based on the timeline). But one thing that everybody can agree on is that the movie looked incredible.
Lawrence Sher’s cinematography is just as stunning the second time — and thanks to all the fantasy sequences, he has even more opportunities for sumptuous visuals. From the gloomy pits of Arkham Asylum to the colorful, nightclub-style musical numbers, the Joker sequel is a visual treat. Sher comes out of this movie with his reputation intact.
4
Nosferatu
Robert Eggers took on a daunting cinematic challenge in remaking F.W. Murnau’s classic unofficial Dracula adaptation Nosferatu. If he couldn’t deliver visuals as powerful and expressionistic as Murnau’s, then the remake would’ve been a failed endeavor. But Eggers has always been a bold filmmaker; he’s delivered visuals as unsettling as a witch breastfeeding a crow and Robert Pattinson having sex with a mermaid.
Eggers’ Nosferatu is every bit the mesmerizing visual treat that Murnau’s is. Eggers’ go-to cinematographer Jarin Blaschke takes great pleasure in disturbing and confounding his audience with the haunting visuals of Nosferatu. These images are appropriately shrouded in darkness, leaving a lot to the viewer’s imagination.
3
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
George Miller is a master visual storyteller on par with Alfred Hitchcock. He designs his movies so meticulously that anyone anywhere in the world could watch them without the subtitles on — or even without the sound on — and still be able to follow the story. He doesn’t tell his stories with dialogue and exposition; he tells them with the sequencing of images. His latest post-apocalyptic action epic, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, is a prime example of that.
In the hands of cinematographer Simon Duggan, the wasteland has never looked so vibrant, with the bright oranges of the desert lighting up the screen. Miller’s old-school use of stunts and practical effects make his action sequences a sight to behold. There’s no weightless CGI in Furiosa; the high-speed chases and gnarly crashes are all happening for real.
2
The Substance
One of the best ways to deliver an unforgettable visual experience is to freak the audience out. Coralie Fargeat’s body horror epic The Substance has some of the most disturbing imagery ever put on film, mostly thanks to Pierre Olivier Persin’s masterful prosthetic effects. The aging-up of Demi Moore gets more and more shocking, and “Monstro Elisasue” — a hideous spectacle amalgamating every ridiculous male fantasy into a jaw-dropping grotesquerie — is a masterpiece of movie magic.
Much like Fargeat’s last movie, Revenge, The Substance culminates in an opera of bloodshed. The entire set gets painted red in an homage to Carrie’s prom scene. As much as they might want to, audiences won’t be forgetting the visuals of The Substance any time soon.
1
Dune: Part Two
Greig Fraser followed up his Oscar-winning cinematography from the first Dune movie with even bigger, bolder visuals in Dune: Part Two. Wadi Rum is one of Hollywood’s most commonly used filming locations, but Fraser shot it in a way audiences had never seen before. His lenses turned a regular Earthly desert into the otherworldly landscapes of Arrakis. In Dune: Part Two, he returns to Arrakis for another mind-blowing IMAX spectacle.
After Dune set the table, Dune: Part Two was free to deliver all the payoffs. From Paul Atreides riding the sandworm to the Lord of the Rings-sized battle scenes, Dune: Part Two is full of awe-inspiring cinematic images. This movie’s visuals demanded to be seen on the biggest screen possible and rewarded a trip to the theater.
English (US) ·