10 More Stunning Movies With One Awful CGI Moment
2. Legolas Mounting A Running Horse - The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers
The craftsmanship in the Lord of the Rings trilogy is put to it lightly, beyond impressive. From the production design, costuming, make-up, prosthetics and MUCH more, Peter Jackson's grand three-part adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's work is almost unrivalled as a filmmaking achievement.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is no different, with the Battle of Helm's Deep in particular standing out as a brilliant showcase of movie magic. Unfortunately, one moment in the 2002 feature highlights its aging visual effects work.
The moment in question comes after master archer Legolas (Orlando Bloom) has spent some time scouting ahead for incoming Uruk-hai, and is in turn followed by the Rohirrim as backup. Once his allies arrive, Legolas mounts his rival Gimli's steed in a rather unusual and almost inhuman manner. The elf's agility and dexterity are undeniably impressive in this otherwise visually breathtaking epic, but this jankily rendered action beat almost took away from this.
To be fair, the over-20-year-old scene was meant to be a practical stunt, but Orlando Bloom injured his ribs before the moment could be filmed, meaning the filmmaking team was forced to use digital means at the last minute.