12 Insanely Subtle CGI Movie Moments Nobody Noticed

9. Nicolas Cage's Tattoo Removal - Ghost Rider

Ghost Rider Nicolas Cage
Columbia Pictures

This one's especially interesting because a myth persists that Nicolas Cage's abs in Ghost Rider were actually added in post-production. It's a widely-circulated "truth" that's been firmly disputed by Cage, his co-star Eva Mendes and director Mark Steven Johnson.

What's interesting is that in all of this hullabaloo about whether or not Cage had digital washboard abs or not, everyone freely admits to one subtle CGI change to the actor's body: the removal of several prominent tattoos on both of his arms.

Given the content of one of the tattoos, Cage couldn't help but notice the irony: "I've got a flaming skull on my arm and I'm covering it up to play the part of a flaming skull in a movie."

It's not exactly a complicated visual effect, especially by today's standards, but it is nevertheless totally invisible. The jury's still out on those abs, but it certainly wasn't outside the realm of possibility for a 42-year-old Cage to get into that shape organically.

Advertisement
In this post: 
Logan
 
First Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

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.