The article is missing one of the best futurescape shots in the whole movie!
http://i.imgur.com/6W5InkH.jpg
That image is only on screen for like 2 seconds, but it tells a whole story and really pulled me into the film. The first half you're deep in the city, and then finally when you get to see it from afar, it seems like a whole real city instead of the few locales they shot. Also makes it feel like a continuity of our future instead of some random alien drama.
My post! :)
Imgur might be vastly underselling the richness of the image, depending on your browser/device. Definitely check out the full 4K version if you're only seeing a thumbnail on that page:
http://web.archive.org/web/20161007133354if_/http://digitald...
But is the cinematography there of any interest? Why would OP include it? They're talking about the hard shots, like the exploding spaceship where they need to find a spot in the desert to shoot dozens of mortars at it, or the crazy blue paint needing special UV light exposures to render just right. That looks like... a matte painting? A nice matte painting, sure, important for worldbuilding. But just that.
You're probably right that the shot isn't of interest to American Cinematographer magazine, which is why it's not included. I still think it's the best futurescape shot in the movie, serving to tie the rest of the first half together nicely.
Imgur is blocked in the UK, and last I checked blocked connections from VPNs too.
Which scene are you referring to?
Try this one?
http://www.vfxhq.com/1997/stills/fifth/welcome.jpg
It's the wide shot of NYC after they leave the spaceport.
Works in Opera with its built-in VPN.
That's amazing, you always see flooded cities in the future this is out of the box thinking.