Back in the summer of 93, a dinosaur movie called Jurassic Park came out. The dinosaurs were believable: they had weight, moved very organic, looked seamless with the real world. Rightfully so, the filmmakers bragged that they used CGI along with miniature models to create the dinosaurs. They said that 10 years into the future, the sky’s the limit: Creating creatures that are so realistic that you can’t tell the difference between real actors and CG characters.
Fast forward 17 years later, to 2010 and what do we get? Crappy ass CGI. Take for example, the remake of Wolfman with a budget of $150 million. The budget surely doesn’t show it on the special effects. Sure, he can move more than the original version but the fluidity just isn’t there. I don’t know about you but when I see an obvious CG, it takes me out of the movie. We also have fake looking characters in Alice In Wonderland. Some parts are horrendous, especially when Stayne (Crispin Glover) makes an appearance. He’s suppose to be really tall and skinny so it’s hard to shoot it with a real actor but the way he moved in the movie was absurd. He moved like a robot and even if he wasn’t suppose to be a normal person, he was still too automated.
I’m sick and tired of filmmakers relying too much on crappy looking CGI. Even Spielberg is falling into the category and he directed Jurassic Park with Indiana Jones 4. Don’t want to build a set? Let’s make everything CG (Star Wars Prequels). Don’t want to put make up on the actors? Let’s create CG creatures (I am Legend). Supposedly it costs them more money and time using CGI compared to actually shooting practical shots (real sets, real actors). I find this logic hard to believe. If it costs more and looks less realistic, why would filmmakers choose CGI? To me, the filmmakers are just getting lazy. Instead of being creative with their shots, everything comes down to having everything CG so they can control all the factors: lighting, props, movement, etc.
Love him or hate him, Michael Bay is one of the best at using CGI. His robots in both Transformers movies were believable and the F-16’s in The Rock looked pretty realistic for an old movie. He said he likes to shoot everything on location. What he can’t do in his real shots, he uses CGI. He also pays attention to the shadows and lighting. Now this is how all filmmakers should think: Use CGI as a last resort instead of using it to replace all the practical shots.
But then again, why would filmmakers stop making crappy looking CGI when movies like Alice In Wonderland and I Am Legend are box office hits?
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