10 Movies That Had An Insane Amount Of Attention To Detail

There is always a lot more going on in the background than seems in most movies. Every light source, prop placement, actor position, and set was built and placed where it is for an artistic reason. Unfortunately, the fine details of a scene go over most of the movie-going public's head usually in favour of a leading man's dreamy eyes, or some gratuitously dressed leading lady, a few mind-numbing explosions, or a couple expensive CGI-filled action scenes.

The visual extravaganza of a film can cause audiences to take the production process for granted and think that it's along the lines of 'get paid handsomely, play make believe on a huge movie set for a few hours, and get fat at the crafts and services table afterwards'. But in getting swept up in the aforementioned visual extravaganza, audiences may not see or acknowledge the insane amount of time filmmakers have spent in the pursuit of cinematic perfection. 

The truth is that many people, many more hours, and way too much effort is needed just to make a movie, let alone a good movie. So to shine some light on some of the sheer effort filmmakers have put into their movies, here are 10 such films that redefine the words ‘attention to detail'.

Fans could argue all day over which Batman film is the best (it's The Dark Knight), but it is The Dark Knight Rises that encapsulates Christopher Nolan's keen eye for detail in absolutely everything whenever he makes a movie. 

Nolan had engineers and designers approach Batman's helicopter and Batmobile like actual military projects. He then made sure that the Batcave was a full scale 360 degree replica set that could be submerged in a massive water tank. He also didn't skimp on the smaller details either. Bane's jacket took two years to complete just so the designer could get the "dictatorial and revolutionary" balance just right. And that's not even delving into the hundred-plus piece Batsuit (and its many dozen replicas) Nolan commissioned for the film.

And it's not just the props or production design. That opening aerial sequence? Filmed in the middle of nowhere in Scotland using actual airplanes and men parachuting and dangling from the planes. That Gotham stadium scene? Nolan actually hired hundreds of extras to fill the stadium. But all of that pales in comparison to the massive brawl at the movie's climax. Instead of pulling a Peter Jackson and relying on CGI or green screen, Nolan actually closed down Wall Street and hired thousands of extras to slug it out for a few days.