10 Groundbreaking Movie Special Effects (That Aged TERRIBLY)
5. Hulk
Just because a special effect looks bad doesn't mean the visual artists didn't work their ass off putting it together. hard on it.
And few films exemplify this fact better than Ang Lee's Hulk. This film was in development hell for 12 years since the studio had to wait until they believed CGI had advanced enough to bring the mean green machine to life.
During production, 180 technicians worked round the clock for 18 months to ensure the Hulk looked like a real creature, rather than a computer-generated image. Because 2.5 million hours went into creating the jade giant's movements, hair, muscles, and facial expressions, you'd expect the final product to be out of this world.
Although the Hulk was impressive in 2003, the emerald-skinned monster pales when he's compared to his MCU counterpart. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Hulk was brought to life with motion-capture, making his movements far more realistic, especially in his face.
But since the Hulk in this movie is a pure CGI creation, it moves unnaturally, even cartoonishly most of the time. Although most of the visuals have aged terribly (don't get me started on those mutant dogs), the titular hero looks the worst.