Special effects have allowed us to do increasingly extravagant things and about five to ten years ago we reached a point where it was assumed they were good enough to replicate live action on a mass scale. The likes of The Matrix Reloaded may have moved too soon, turning out pretty laughable, but now things are basically photorealistic. Well, within reason. Jurassic Park, Terminator 2 and The Lord Of The Rings still stand up as greats because of their balance and reserve; its not all CGI because the directors knew it didn't look real. And, shocking for some, obvious for most, thats still true today. In Life Of Pi it was as clear when the tiger was real or computer as it was with Jurassic Parks T-Rex, while in The Hobbit any action that isn't in the set of the Shire or the establishing shots of New Zealand is clearly set against green screen. Its become one of the major ongoing criticisms of Peter Jacksons new Middle Earth trilogy that has come to the fore with the otherwise improved Desolation Of Smaug, rooted in his questionable approach; unless the actors directly physically interact with it then it doesnt matter how its reaised. Anyone whos witnessed molten gold (or, in fact, anything that isn't a dragon) will know thats not always the best method. Jackson and Weta thinking they can do anything, leading to a trilogy with effects that have already dated more than Lord Of The Rings.