Great settings can compensate for a multitude of movie sins — bad acting, sloppy direction, ridiculous plots. I will find myself watching a piece of junk like Anaconda, or Deep Blue Sea, a second time (or a third time) simply to soak in the cool visuals. This is why, I suspect, they invented the mute button.
Without further ado, and to paraphrase Julie Andrews, these are a few of my favorite sets:
The spaceship in Alien. A haunted house in outer space — what more can a movie fan ask for?
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The tree house in Swiss Family Robinson. If possible, I’d swap out the organ for an entertainment center, but otherwise we are all set.
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The Overlook Hotel in The Shining. Stephen King did not approve of Kubrick’s movie, but who needs Stephen King when you’ve got a walk-in freezer full of ice cream?
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The Antarctic research center in The Thing. I’d prefer to be stranded with six Hooters girls, rather than a bunch of unshaven scientists, but you can’t have everything.
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The ramshackle boat in Anaconda. This is a great example of a setting that looks like fun from the comfort of your Barcalounger. In reality, I’d probably want the snake to eat me rather than spend five minutes on a boat like this.
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The oceanic research lab in Deep Blue Sea. I must have a thing for isolated research labs. (Also pictured at top.)
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The monastery in The Name of the Rose. Why is it that places that would be hell to actually live in often look so inviting on the screen?
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Hogwarts. I don’t care how old you are — we all want to live at Hogwarts.
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