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- Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey is praised for having some of the best-designed, most eye-popping sets in the entire sci-fi genre. With the film turning 55 years old today, it's as good a time as any to look at some of the finest production design in cinema's history.
Production design in movies is a wide field. One of the most important aspects of it is set design, which is crucial in how immersive and visually impressive a film can be. If you find yourself enveloped by the world of a movie, the production designer likely did a good job.
A movie with an uninspired set design is easy to forget. But when there's one that looks absolutely stunning, such as the Star Wars films and Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel, it's a guarantee that it's going to reside in audiences' minds for a long time.
Updated on April 3rd, 2023, by Diego Pineda Pacheco:
Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey is praised for having some of the best-designed, most eye-popping sets in the entire sci-fi genre. With the film turning 55 years old today, it's as good a time as any to look at some of the finest production design in cinema's history.
13 'Synecdoche, New York' (2008)
Among all the movies written by Charlie Kaufman, Synecdoche, New York (his directing debut) is undoubtedly one of the best. It tells the moving story of a theater director who sets out to create a life-size replica of New York City for his newest play.
As you might guess from the synopsis, set design plays a crucial part in the film's narrative, and Mark Friedberg was up to the task. He makes Synecdoche look grand, ambitious, and delightfully surreal.
12 'Stalker' (1979)
Stalker, directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, follows three men as they cross a desolate wasteland called The Zone in search of a room that grants the user's innermost desire.
Among other things, the film is famous for leading to the premature death of Tarkovsky and other cast members and crew since they filmed in close proximity to a dangerous chemical plant that gave them diseases later in life. In a bittersweet turn of events, though, the decision paid off for the film's look: The Zone is one of the most mystifyingly gorgeous locations in all of film history, perfect for Stalker's tone and atmosphere. The production designers behind its bleak appearance were Aleksandr Boym and Tarkovsky himself.
11 'Blade Runner 2049' (2017)
It would have been a daunting task for any filmmaker to make a legacy sequel to the cult classic Blade Runner, but if there was anyone up to the challenge, that had to be the renowned Denis Villeneuve.
In collaboration with production designer Dennis Gassner, Villeneuve managed to create a futuristic L.A. as grim, gritty, and atmospheric as Ridley Scott's original, while adding their own magical touch as well. This impressive result definitely contributed in making Blade Runner 2049 one of the most nostalgic movie comebacks in recent memory.
10 'Metropolis' (1927)
If you've ever wondered about the origin of the basic sci-fi movie look, Metropolis might be your answer. Fritz Lang's epic silent masterpiece is a social allegory about the son of a futuristic city's mastermind and how he falls in love with a working-class woman.
The production design in charge of Erich Kettelhut pretty much defined the genre's aesthetic from very early on. Influences from movements like Art Deco and Gothicism can be seen all across the impressive city designed by Kettelhut.
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9 'Blade Runner' (1982)
Ridley Scott's legendary sci-fi film Blade Runner, about a cop who has to find and eliminate four androids that stole a ship, is one of the most visually staggering films you'll ever see.
Lawrence G. Paull was Oscar-nominated for his work on the movie, which remains absorbing and surprising after decades. The noir-ish style of the futuristic Los Angeles is evident, and it helps make Blade Runner an enrapturing detective story set in a grim but fascinating world.
8 'The Lord of the Rings' Trilogy
The Lord of the Rings trilogy offers production design so consistent that it's hard to think of it as three separate jobs. Grant Major was in charge in these epic films about a team setting out to destroy a powerful artifact and defeat a dark overlord.
All three installments are among the best action movies despite their extreme runtime, and a big part of that is thanks to Major. The sets are unique and memorable, the props are all impressive to look at, the CGI remains amazing even after all these years, and the overall aesthetic is just perfect.
7 'Alien' (1979)
Anyone who has seen it will agree that Ridley Scott's Alien is one of the best horror movies of the '70s, with one of the most enveloping production designs of the decade.
The vast majority of the film takes place within the U.S.C.S.S. Nostromo, a massive cargo ship with an ensemble of memorable characters who must struggle to survive a mysterious threat. Production designer Michael Seymour did an incredible job making the Nostromo feel eerie and lived-in, making the experience of watching Alien all the scarier.
6 'Star Wars' Original Trilogy
Some may call it cheating to group three films in a single entry, but it's hard to separate the incredibly consistent production design of the Star Wars original trilogy.
Later entries may have lost some of the visual charm, but the originals are some of the coolest-looking sci-fi movies ever. John Barry and Norman Reynolds defined these films' visual appearance, and both did a marvelous job using creative set design, impressive VFX, and convincing miniatures.
5 'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari' (1920)
German filmmaker Robert Wiene's best film and perhaps the best-known picture made in the German Expressionistic movement, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari shows its titular character, a hypnotist, using a somnambulist to commit crimes.
Although it isn't terrifying by modern standards, the movie's visual aesthetic makes it very eerie. Twisted shapes and macabre uses of light and shadow populate every scene, and the production design by Walter Reimann, Walter Röhrig, and Hermann Warm became one of the most influential in movie history.
4 'The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
Wes Anderson is known for the quirky and unique visual flair of all his movies, but The Grand Budapest Hotel, about the adventures of the concierge of a famous hotel and his trusty lobby boy, is maybe the best-looking of them all.
Production designer Adam Stockhausen, who earned an Oscar for his efforts on this movie, gave it a delightful pastel look—But though it's a comedy, the movie's also sad, so there's a contrast with drabber colors in certain scenes. All in all, it's one of Anderson's most unique-looking works.
3 'Barry Lyndon' (1975)
Stanley Kubrick's highly praised masterpiece follows an Irish rogue climbing the social classes in 18th century England, and it's famous for each of its frames looking like a gorgeous Classical painting.
There are many factors that make Barry Lyndon such a visually impressive piece, from the Oscar-winning cinematography to the also Oscar-winning costume design. Those are definitely crucial, but the set design (also an Oscar winner!) is arguably the biggest element in making the movie so pleasing to the eyes.
2 '2001: A Space Odyssey' (1968)
There are many reasons why Stanley Kubrick is considered the best filmmaker ever, and 2001: A Space Odyssey is one of those reasons. It's an absorbing and highly ambitious epic about a mysterious object that sets humanity on a journey to discover its origin.
Slick, colorful, and pristine, the production design in charge of Ernest Archer, Harry Lange, and Anthony Masters makes 2001 a movie experience worth having on the big screen. The film takes audiences from the gritty look of the Stone Age to the stylish aesthetic of the future, and it's enrapturing throughout.
1 'Ran' (1985)
Akira Kurosawa's Ran was a passion project years in the making. A partial adaptation of Shakespeare's King Lear, Ran is about an aging feudal lord who abdicates and leaves his land to his sons, and it might have the best movie set design of all time.
The mythical Japanese director spent a decade storyboarding every shot in the film as paintings, and it shows. Ran might be the best-looking film ever. Every piece of the color palette is meaningful, every costume flawless, and every set beguiling. Production designers Shinobu Muraki and Yoshirô Muraki helped Kurosawa craft the visual magic of Ran, and the result is magical.