Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by Harmonia (A) on February 13, 2005 at 17:07:05

In Reply to: Am I the only one sick & tired of movies with CG effects? posted by RC on February 13, 2005 at 10:49:51:

...like Van Helsing or Catwoman or The Day After Tomorrow... or Twister. (I didn't even like this one when it came out - I've been in enough real tornados.)

But I do like *good* movies with CGI. And I never get tired of good movies.

I liked LOTR and Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban.

I love Master & Commander/Far Side of the World and The Aviator. CGI plays an important role in all these films, although the latter two aren't what one typically thinks of as CGI movies...but both contain significant amounts of blue-screen and digital FX.

CGI isn't just about dinosaurs and outer space. It's a tool. Another color in the cinematic paintbox. The CGI FX could be airplanes & digital grading in The Aviator or fog, masts and ships in M&C/FSOTW. When the CGI is used to serve the characters and story, assuming the characters and the film itself are worthy to begin with, the result is to expand/enhance what the director can show us.

OTOH, CGI is no substitute for story and character. As long as some big (dumb) CGI extravaganzas make big money (especially internationally), big dumb movies will continue to abuse CGI.

Moreover, poorly drawn characters, stupid plot points and silly action set pieces are not entirely the domain of CGI fests - look around, dumb is all around us. All the more reason to support good films in theatrical release.