Musing on Movies - Special FX

What is the first special effects or effects heavy film you remember seeing and thinking "wow" at the visuals? (I know for many, it was Star Wars.) What are some recent examples, if any, that wowed you?

I'm another "Star Wars" person I'm afraid. Recent films which I thought were visually stunning were The Fifth Element (that film had such a unique design look too it - Jean Paul Gautier made Leeloo's costume), and also Minority Report with all those cool automated cars on autopilot on the road strips and the auto-updating newspapers. The animated cereal box was a bit much though. I also liked the "look" of Pitch Black (from a planet in the permanent light of a trinary star system to being pitched into total darkness). The sequel, The Chronicles of Riddick which came out about a year or so ago, also sported some pretty nifty FX.