10 More Stunning Movies With One Awful CGI Moment
These digital disasters stuck out like a sore thumb in these otherwise visually spectacular movies.
Given that it is primarily a visual medium, filmmaking expectedly places significant effort and emphasis on the imagery on screen. From grand, eye-watering wide shots to more intimate but still profound close-ups, a movie's use of imagery goes a long way in ensuring the overall story feels tangible and immersive for audiences.
This is no different in VFX-heavy features, and if anything is far more crucial to nail in these projects. CGI is a wonderful tool in the right hands, and can be employed to create fantastical worlds and creatures or even everyday objects or landscapes in some cases. However, if the digital wizardry does not quite sing, then viewers will be subjected to ghastly images that break any sense of immersion in the story.
Bad CGI stands out even more in films where the visual effects are otherwise stunning. It might be a fleeting moment of wonky green-screen use or an instance of the uncanny valley, but these moments will stick to people's minds and end up undermining the visual splendor surrounding it.
As shown by these features, there is no project that is immune to the occasional moment of half-baked CGI.
10. The Car Chase - Barbie
This entry is unique in that it does not instantly appear to be awful, but upon further scrutiny, it becomes an unsightly image that falls flat in the otherwise vibrant and colourful Barbie. Greta Gerwig's 2023 box office triumph boasts imaginative production design and costuming, and the visual effects used to extend the pre-existing sets are usually top-notch.
However, the car chase that ensues once Gloria (America Ferrera) and Sasha (Ariana Greenblatt) break Barbie (Margot Robbie) out of Mattel's headquarters lacks any kinetic flair behind it and is shot like a run-of-the-mill car commercial.
The main vehicle in the setpiece, the Chevrolet Blazer SS EV, especially sticks out due to its janky movements and unusual shade of blue, whose rendering and lighting do not match the black SUVs next to it.
As mentioned before, it does not immediately stand out but in an era where fans pore over films for virtually every possible detail, it fails to hold up compared to the rest of the movie.