Sci-Fi On Location: Real-World Settings from Your Favorite Films

4. Antelope Canyon, USA – Alien Beauty in Transformers and Beyond

Antelope Canyon in Arizona is a surreal slot canyon formed by millennia of wind and water erosion. With its smooth, wave-like sandstone walls and shafts of light piercing from above, it feels like stepping into an alien cathedral. Its dreamlike beauty has graced the big screen in films like Transformers: The Last Knight, serving as a natural stand-in for the interiors of alien worlds or ancient cosmic temples. As light filters in from cracks above, it illuminates the canyon in hues of pink, orange, and violet—turning each step into a new, cinematic moment. Guided tours through the canyon reveal not just its visual splendor but its cultural significance to the Navajo Nation, adding spiritual resonance to its otherworldly appeal. For sci-fi lovers, Antelope Canyon is more than a geological wonder—it’s a real-life portal to the kinds of environments usually conjured by CGI.