25 Shocking CGI Movie Moments That Left You Speechless
21. Gollum - The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers
The Lord of the Rings is widely regarded as one of the finest cinematic trilogies in the history of the industry, and to achieve such high praise, it had to be almost flawless in just about every department. Needless to say, the entire thing is just so damn beautiful to look at.
Part of that comes down to the emphasis put on wonderful practical effects, and the gorgeous New Zealand backdrop, but the computer imaging, where necessary, also stands up to intense scrutiny. Arguably, the most impressive feat of this is bringing Gollum to life.
Before Andy Serkis portrayed King Kong, he and the filmmakers brought Smeagol to the screen in a way that simply couldn't have been expected. Only his eyes were seen in The Fellowship of the Ring, and the effects here did leave something to be desired in truth, but by the time he appeared properly in The Two Towers, it's fair to say that the technology had been perfected.
Gollum's first appearance in the sequel came as he crossed paths with Frodo and Sam (Elijah Wood and Sean Astin) on their way to Mordor, and particularly when compared against what little had been seen of the character in the previous film, it was groundbreaking. There is a reason The Two Towers won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.