10 Most Pointless CGI Movie Shots Ever

4. Replacing Practical Effects With Digital - The Thing (2011)

The Thing 2011
Universal Pictures

Now this one really hurts. While the 2011 The Thing was far from a good movie, it was at least shot with an emphasis on practical creature effects in tribute to John Carpenter's 1982 original, which remains one of the best-crafted creature features of all time.

And despite the film largely being shot with animatronics, during post-production the studio increasingly mandated use of CGI, ultimately replacing most of the original practical effects digitally through re-shoots and literally tracing over the original in-camera work.

Footage of the practical effects have since found their way online, and considering how great they looked, fans were left outraged by the utterly charmless nature of the final digital result.

There have been calls for Universal to release a "practical effects cut" of the film, though with the film's practical effects artists confirming that no such cut exists, it would require Paramount going back into the editing room and assembling it.

For a film that bombed at the box office and also reviewed badly, that doesn't seem terribly likely.

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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.